Rory Heffernan

Australia

Fifteen years since his first role within Atomic 212° as an SEO executive, Rory stepped into the CEO role as of December 2024, leading our teams and spearheading our proprietary product development. Rory has led through a period of significant change, providing stability and innovation through two acquisitions (A212 acquired an Adelaide-based media agency KWPX in late 2024, before A212 was acquired by Publicis Groupe in early 2025).

This year, not only did Rory’s leadership provide stability but A212 posted its best result ever, as one of the fastest growing media agencies in the country, independently verified as winning more new business pitches than any other organisation. Atomic 212° was also the fastest growing media agency within Publicis Groupe ANZ, with the ANZ region receiving special mention as global growth centre. On top of the commercial success, Atomic led the way in innovation with several new products and a motivated and growing workforce, with new wins driving 15% headcount growth and staff retention well above industry averages.