Darren Linton appointed new chief executive of Yellow

This is a supplied media release.

Darren Linton has been named the new chief executive of Yellow. His appointment follows a brief period as acting chief executive while retaining his chief marketing officer responsibilities, and comes in the midst of Yellow’s pivot to become New Zealand’s largest digital agency for SMEs.

Mr Linton joined Yellow as its CMO in late 2015. He has since amassed a dream team of marketing, content and insights gurus who have been applying their expertise and building Yellow into the award-winning digital agency that it is today. Yellow is now one of the country’s best and largest agencies for SMEs, and was recently recognised as the best at growing business online in Australasia in the Google Premier Partner awards.

Before returning to New Zealand and joining Yellow, Mr Linton’s career in the UK encompassed top marketing roles for brands including Johnson & Johnson, The Walt Disney Company, Universal Pictures and Zero Degrees West. For seven years from the mid-2000s he served as vice president marketing (international) for Universal Pictures – NBC Universal, and for part of that time he was chairman of the communications and research committee for Digital Entertainment Group Europe (DEGE).

Before joining Yellow, Mr Linton was managing director of Zero Degrees West, an award-winning, full-service marketing, publicity, digital and creative agency with an illustrious client base (including Pirelli, Toyota, Barclays and Visa).

Mr Linton says executing Yellow’s ambitious digital-first strategy depends in part on the culture he is responsible for cultivating and leading. “I love creating positive business environments that encourage innovation, calculated risk-taking, and an energetic, transparent and winning culture where everyone is accountable and we all enjoy the rewards. Right now at Yellow, we are essentially operating as a start-up within a large corporate framework and focusing on innovation that will give every New Zealand business the tools to connect, thrive and achieve their potential.”

Yellow’s chairman Brett Chenoweth says, “Darren’s multifaceted skill set orbits around one thing: his ability to create sustainable business growth. At Yellow he is applying his experience in leading digital, media and content marketing teams to achieve commercial outcomes that is making Yellow the best, biggest and smartest digital agency for SMEs and an essential service provider to Kiwi businesses and their customers.”

Mr Linton holds a Bachelor of Commerce (business marketing and management) from the University of Auckland.