Securing its position as the go-to alternative to the multi-nationals, Bastion Agency is pleased to announce the hiring of industry veteran, Steve Chavez as chief creative officer for its U.S. offering.
Chavez brings more than 30 years of industry experience, including leadership positions within the “Big 4” global marketing conglomerates. Steve comes to Bastion off an impressive tenure at the WPP-owned Garage Team Mazda where he led a creative team that took the global automotive brand to new heights. Now, he is joining the mega-independent, integrated agency model in Bastion, which is coming off a banner year with double-digit growth, a successful rebrand and the acquisition of the acclaimed integrated communications group, IMW Agency.
“2023 is off to an amazing start. Attracting top tier creative talent such as Steve Chavez is edification that Bastion has created a new world agency, whereby brands can get the depth and quality of deliverables expected from a niche agency and yet the breadth of services expected from the publics,” said Bastion USA CEO Dax Cornelius. “We will continue to grow our mega-independent by not only aggressively investing in talent but also in our future acquisitions.”
Steve will lead the U.S.-based creative team with a focus on industry-leading creative strategy, concepting, and execution. The addition of Chavez to the Bastion team is one of many ways the group has ensured the delivery of best-in-class services to clients across each one of its in-house offerings – public relations, media buying and planning, social media, web/app development, content production, branding and experiential marketing. Bastion houses these services under the banner of Bastion Amplify while leveraging quantitative and qualitative studies from its in-house research arm, Bastion Insights.
“We pride ourselves on our full-service capabilities and ability to deliver on any marketing need at any time,” said Bastion Amplify CEO Chris Bretschger. “By bringing in a heavy hitter like Steve, we’ll have world-class creative oversight as we continue delivering a frictionless experience for clients who want creative support that is innovative and inspirational.”
“Bastion has blown me away with its unique structure and, therefore, dedication to putting the client first,” Chavez said. “This organization isn’t beholden to anyone except its clients, and it has the depth of resources to serve any industry and help brands impactfully communicate with their audiences. It is literally having 9-plus boutique agencies with depth under one roof – all working together in tandem or independently in the best interest of the clients’ unique needs.”
Bastion USA is part of the global Bastion Agency, Australasia’s largest independent agency with more than 360 employees working across offices in Los Angeles, Orange County (Calif.), New York City, Sydney, Melbourne and Auckland. It holds agency partnerships in 10 Asian markets as well.
