oAgency holding group Enero has appointed Ian Ball CEO. He joined the company earlier this year as chief operating officer and succeeds Brent Scrimscraw as CEO. 

Previously he was chief operating officer at TEG, an Australian live entertainment ticket sales and technology company.  

Word of Ball’s promotion follows the company’s announcement earlier this week that it has sold media agency OBmedia for a “nominal” sum, and that it will take a non-cash loss on the sale. 

When Ball joined in February, he was tasked with helping get the company back on track financially. He’s credited with leading efforts to refinance the company, establish a growth plan for the coming year and prepping OBMedia for sale. 

OBMedia, which focuses on performance-based online marketing had been a drag on Enero’s financials in recent quarters with reports that its revenues had dipped by nearly half. 

The Sydney-based holding company has offices across Asia, London and New York and operates agencies BMF, Orchard and Hotwire Group.  

It may be best known in the US for its acquisition of pioneering communications planning agency Naked Communications in 2008 for an estimated $37 million plus future growth-based earnouts. Founders of the U.S. operation included MT Carney, who went on to lead Disney’s marketing efforts and Paul Woolmington, now CEO of media agency Canvas Worldwide. 

Enero shuttered Naked’s New York and London operations in 2017 and merged its Australian business into BMF in 2019.  

Going forward the company will position itself as a three-agency business—BMF (creative), Hotwire (branding and martech consultancy) and Orchard (consumer experience).