Bastion Aotearoa backs momentum with action, moving quickly to strengthen creative bench following KFC win

Bastion Aotearoa has moved quickly after its recent appointment as creative agency partner for KFC New Zealand, announcing three significant creative hires that signal the agency’s growing ambition in the market.
Leading the charge is newly appointed Creative Director Courtney Dow, who brings 17 years of experience across New Zealand and the UK including VCCP, JWT and most recently DDB Aotearoa, where he led creative on the New World account. A director of Hollywood talent and talking animals alike, Dow has contributed to multiple Agency of the Year titles and collected personal awards along the way. His obsession, as he puts it, is work that earns attention, drives real sales and puts brands in a position of strength, a clear demonstration of the creative strength Bastion Aotearoa is built to deliver.
Joining in April are Freddie von Trott and Sophie Douglas (Doug), a copywriter and art director partnership arriving from AKQA Sydney. Their experience spans global brands including Volvo, Google, Campari and Westfield, bringing international perspective and creative rigour to Bastion Aotearoa’s output. Freddie pairs a fine art background from ELAM with top-of-class copywriting credentials from Media Design School, while Doug brings an art director’s eye and an encyclopaedic instinct for the unexpected reference. 
The three hires come at a time of strength and sustained momentum for the group, with Bastion’s model purpose built for the modern marketer, combining advertising, experience, media, insights, digital, design, social, consumer PR and corporate communications under one roof.
“Winning KFC was a statement,” said Toby Sellers, CEO of Bastion Aotearoa. “These hires are us backing it. Courtney is one of the best creative leaders in this market, and Freddie and Doug are exactly the kind of talent we want shaping the next chapter of this agency. Our purpose is putting people, brands and organisations into a position of strength and that starts with having the right people ourselves.”
Chief Creative Officer Oli Green said the new hires further strengthen the agency’s creative ambition.
“We’re building a team that cares deeply about the work and the impact it has. Courtney, Freddie and Doug bring a rare mix of craft, curiosity and commercial instinct. They’re exactly the kind of people who push ideas further and make them matter in the real world, which is what Bastion Aotearoa is all about.”
These appointments reflect Bastion’s purpose of putting people, brands and organisations in a position of strength by combining the scale of a global network with the agility of an independent, while signalling continued investment commitment to delivering bold ideas that drive measurable impact.