Founder & Strategist, Something Different.
Gareth’s working life began over 20 years ago in London, at Mindshare, a global media agency. From Mindshare, he spent time at Starcom London before joining Starcom NZ in 2008 and then moved to the creative agency TBWA in Auckland in 2010.
During this time, Gareth worked with prominent companies such as IBM, Tourism Ireland, Kellogg’s, Samsung, Activision, EMI, Virgin Records, Associated Press, Telecom (Spark), 2degrees, Pernod Ricard, and Nissan.
In 2013, he moved back to London, where he was one of PHD’s Global Strategy Directors on the global Unilever account. This role saw Gareth creating and crafting communications and media strategies for some of their biggest brands, like Lynx, Dove, Persil, Magnum, Rexona, and Signal, as well as the Unilever Masterbrand.
In 2015, he returned to NZ at PHD’s Auckland office, where he served as their Group Strategy Director, setting brand, communications, and media strategies for clients such as ANZ, Spark, Farmers, Foodstuffs, Sanitarium, Sealord, Unilever & Mercedes-Benz.
In January 2021, he relocated to Christchurch, joining Harvey Cameron to lead the strategy function and the client service team. His role was to help clients maximise the positive effects marketing has on their business, whilst ensuring the right expertise, support, and resources are utilised across the agency to deliver client outcomes and objectives. At the beginning of 2022, he became Managing Director, a role he held until May 2024.
In May 2024, Gareth launched his strategic consultancy, Something Different, where he works with clients on their brand, marketing, and communication strategies, as well as their implementation.
He regularly talks at advertising and media industry training courses run by NZ’s advertising governing body – the Commercial Communication Council, particularly their Strategy Lab course.
He has had a working relationship with the University of Canterbury’s Business School since 2023, as part of the Executive Learning offering and now as part of the team delivering the MBA.
When not at work, he’s with his wife and two sons, on a golf course, up a ski field, playing a guitar, or enjoying a nice craft beer or wine.
