Bastion Appoints Joanne Norton as Insights MD in APAC Expansion
Bastion names L'Oréal and Bondi Sands veteran Joanne Norton as Insights MD, signaling aggressive APAC expansion. The appointment coincides with KFC New Zealand win.
Australasia's largest independent marketing and communications agency, Bastion, has appointed Joanne Norton as Managing Director of its Insights division, effective mid-April 2025. Norton reports directly to Group CEO Cheuk Chiang and replaces outgoing Insights MD Steven Howlett.
Norton Brings Enterprise-Grade Analytics Experience
Norton brings more than 25 years of leadership experience in strategic insights and business transformation. She joins from Bondi Sands, where she served as Global Director of Consumer Insights and Category Strategy, guiding portfolio direction across global markets.
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Before Bondi Sands, Norton spent years at L'Oréal ANZ as Director of Consumer and Market Insights, leading segmentation strategies across more than 30 brands. She also held a seat on the CMO ANZ Management Committee, placing her insights work directly inside senior commercial decision-making.
Her track record includes building data science teams and delivering multimillion-dollar ROI through advanced analytics and in-house media mix modeling programs (statistical tools that measure which marketing activities drive the most revenue).
Chiang described the hire as "an important investment in the agency's continued growth," adding that Norton's "exceptional commercial acumen and deep expertise in turning consumer intelligence into competitive advantage" strengthens Bastion's ability to deliver integrated solutions for clients.
Norton said she looks forward to the role, stating: "The best insights don't just inform decisions, they shape strategy and unlock new opportunities for growth."
Appointment Coincides With KFC New Zealand Win
Bastion announced Norton's appointment alongside news that it had won KFC New Zealand as a client. The dual announcement positions the agency's strengthened insights capability as a direct business development tool, not just an internal upgrade.
Bastion operates across 10 cities in five countries. Under Chiang, who was elevated to Group CEO effective July 1, 2025, the agency has named Asia and the US as its primary expansion targets. Chiang previously served as CEO of Dentsu Creative APAC, giving the Norton appointment a clear regional growth dimension.
The leadership transition was described as part of a five-year succession plan, with co-founder Jack Watts moving to Executive Director and Karyn Smith appointed COO.
Regional Agencies Restructure Around Insights Leadership
The Bastion appointment fits a broader pattern of senior insights restructuring across Asia-Pacific agencies in 2025. Havas Media Network Singapore executed parallel changes the same year, appointing Louise Koh as Managing Director of Havas Media Singapore, Deanson Lee as Managing Director of Digital, and elevating Kenny Yap to CEO of Havas Play.
Regional marketing leaders in Asia have also shifted their data priorities, moving away from measuring how much data is collected toward measuring how accurately that data reflects actual buying behavior in specific Asian markets. This shift creates demand for executives who have managed insights inside client organizations, where commercial accountability is direct and measurable.
Norton's background at L'Oréal ANZ and Bondi Sands, both organizations where insights directly shaped portfolio investment decisions, fits that demand profile precisely.
Norton is scheduled to join the Bastion team in mid-April 2025.
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