Agency strengthens leadership in search and social following major client growth
30 June 2025 — Full–service independent agency Media Merchants has announced a trio of senior hires to bolster its Performance Marketing team, marking a significant investment in the agency’s search and social capabilities amid continued national growth.
The appointments follow a string of major client wins in 2024 and 2025, with the expanded team reflecting Media Merchants’ commitment to delivering smarter, integrated performance solutions in an increasingly complex digital environment.
Brendan Christie has been appointed Head of Search, bringing deep enterprise–level experience in FMCG from WooliesX, where he led search strategy for Woolworths, Big W, and Big W Marketplace. Christie’s technical expertise is expected to sharpen the agency’s performance offering and unlock new growth opportunities for MM’s retail partners.
“What attracted me to Media Merchants was the rare combination of independence, agility, and genuine retail expertise,” said Christie. “The vision here is bold and clear, and I’m excited to contribute to shaping the next chapter of retail performance.”
Joining as Social Media Lead, Sam Melit brings a strong strategic background from Wavemaker, having led social strategy for brands including Yourtown, Hamilton Island, Allianz Travel, and Triumph. Melit will lead both paid and organic social efforts, delivering innovative and effective campaigns across the agency’s expanding client base.
Alex Altendeitering steps into the role of Paid Media Manager after relocating from Melbourne’s Alley Group, where he managed integrated digital strategies for major national retailers including Sportsgirl and Amart Furniture. His arrival enhances Media Merchants’ national delivery capability and adds further depth to its digital execution.
These appointments complement Media Merchants’ already high–performing Performance team, led by Bec Russell, Performance Client Services Director, and supported by a growing in–house SEO team. Together, the expanded team strengthens the agency’s end–to–end performance offering across search, social, programmatic, creative, traditional media, and content production—all under one roof.
“Performance is one of the core pillars of our growth strategy,” said Justine Butler, Managing Partner at Media Merchants. “Bringing in talent of this calibre is a major step forward as we continue to evolve how we partner with clients—pushing boundaries to deliver work that’s faster, smarter, and more impactful.”
Read about MM’s New Senior Hires on below:
https://www.adnews.com.au/news/media-merchants-announces-senior-hires
https://mumbrella.com.au/media-merchants-strengthens-performance-team-with-three-senior-hires-879923
https://www.mediaweek.com.au/media-merchants-adds-senior-hires-to-performance-marketing-team/
