
Bridgette Smith

Bridgette founded Lassoo in 2002. She has worked in media for more than 20 years, amassing a wealth of media, marketing and client knowledge as well as a wide-range of carefully-cultivated contacts. Bridgette is passionate about working on communications strategies that drive the desired outcomes and is not afraid to challenge the norm. The Lassoo team is encouraged to think broadly and focus on commercial realities.
Bridgette Smith
Founder
John Baker

John has over 20 years experience in the media business, most recently prior to Lassoo as CEO of magazine media and content marketing business, Tangible Media. He is a passionate believer that the more technology evolves and channels develop to deliver content and advertising, the ability to captivate an audience has never been more critical. Captivation is created as a result of a relentlessness commitment to engagement, originality, relevance and context. His ability to commercialise engagement is market-leading as a result of a focus on media, be it digital, social, print, mobile or broadcast, that consumers see intrinsic value in.
John Baker
Managing Director
Ruth Perry

With more than 20 years of industry experience, Ruth is responsible for the smooth running of our Finance, HR and IT functions. Ruth spent a significant portion of her career as Group Finance Manager for a large agency, further combined with 10 years of contracting. Ruth has experienced the many colours and challenges that agency life offers.
Ruth Perry
Finance Director
Annie Hogan

Annie has more than 30 years’ experience in public relations and journalism in New Zealand and the United Kingdom. She has worked extensively in consumer and corporate communications in both countries, providing clients with strategic advice, issues management and media liaison. As well as CEOs and Board Chairs, she has worked with and interviewed Prime Ministers, Oscar-winning actors, rock legends and sport stars. Plus, the occasional criminal. At Lassoo, Annie advises a wide range of clients in the corporate, finance, rural, entertainment and manufacturing sectors as well as several Government departments.
Annie Hogan
PR Director
Hayley Burrows

Hayley is passionate about public relations and lectured on the subject at AUT. Hayley’s expertise encompasses media relations, events, social media strategy and content generation. She has extensive knowledge about the online landscape and has strong relationships with local and national media and influencers. Her clients range from major publicly listed corporates to NZ iconic companies and a wide range of consumer brands.
Hayley Burrows
PR & Social Media Senior Account Manager
Hannah Parr

Hannah is noted for her writing and editing skills, which she has put to good use during her three years at Lassoo for a wide range of clients. With a nose for the newsworthy and a keen interest in the issues grabbing the headlines, Hannah thrives on spotting a PR opportunity for her clients and making it happen.
Hannah Parr
Senior PR Account Manager
Fiona Masters

With over 25 years in the industry, Fiona is an experienced in-house producer who looks after all of Lassoo’s production requirements. She has long-standing relationships with a range of experienced creatives and suppliers, and likes to work collaboratively to achieve outstanding results for our clients.
Fiona Masters
Production Manager
Oceane Chouet

With experience in hospitality and administration, Oceane has recently joined Lassoo from her native France. Multi-lingual (English, French and German), Oceane is a quick learner and hard worker and ambitious to further her career in New Zealand. She is responsible for the smooth running of Lassoo, greeting visitors and clients, setting up for meetings and making sure Lassoo is looking at its best at all times.
Oceane Chouet
Agency Coordinator
Courtney Pitcher

Courtney has recently joined the Lassoo team after completing her Bachelor’s degree in Communications at AUT University. She has worked in retail and hospitality and brings her enthusiasm and passion to all aspects of PR, whether that’s writing, events, sampling, or pitching to media.
Courtney Pitcher
PR Executive
Cathy Salvidge

Cathy has worked in accounts departments within the advertising industry for 25 years. Having worked in large agencies as well as small ones, Cathy is the know-how behind our numbers and spreadsheets.
Cathy Salvidge
Finance Manager
Jenny Forsythe

Jenny has more than 25 years’ experience in media, managing accounts across Retail, FMCG, Automotive, Finance and Entertainment industries. Jenny has wonderful attention to detail, television prowess and negotiation skills. In a previous life, Jenny was involved in education and has enjoyed mentoring young media buyers when possible.
Jenny Forsythe
Media Manager
Anna Gethin-Jones

Anna has over 25 years experience in the media industry. Prior to Lassoo, and most recently, working at other large agencies on multi-channel retail accounts. Anna’s wealth of experience gives her clients’ peace of mind that they are in capable hands. She has built strong relationships with key media personnel over the years, and her negotiation skills are second to none.
Anna Gethin-Jones
Media Manager
David Sharpe

David has worked in media for the past 20 years, working at several award-winning agencies with large accounts. He also has experience in sales, working for APN (now NZME). David has been with Lassoo since June 2016 and is enjoying putting his many years of experience across a new portfolio of clients.
David Sharpe
Media Manager
Charlotte Chao

Charlotte has extensive industry experience working for several international agencies and across many different categories including Retail, FMCG, and Automotive. Since Charlotte joined Lassoo in 2016, she has utilised her strengths and past experiences for her current line-up of clients.
Charlotte Chao
Senior Media Planner/Buyer
Ipshita Dasgupta

Ipshita has five years’ experience in the media industry, including implementation, buying, planning and strategising for global brands. Her proficiency lies in translating brand’s marketing objectives to media deliverables through a measured understanding of consumer trends and market insights. She is adept at developing highly targeted media strategies that are effective in driving awareness and generating revenues.
Ipshita Dasgupta
Media Planner/Buyer
Hamish Scott-Knight

Hamish has worked at Lassoo for over six years, developing and managing effective digital campaigns across all channels for a wide range of clients. With a background in law and finance, Hamish has the perfect blend of analytical and strategic thinking, making him highly skilled across buying, planning, monitoring and digital strategy. He is also adept at the integration of online and offline media. As new technologies emerge across marketing and media at pace, Hamish’s role has expanded to provide leadership across these emerging technologies for Lassoo.
Hamish Scott-Knight
Head of Media Technology
Annika Werner

Annika brings an extensive background in marketing technology and digital project management, and has helped many of her clients creating an IT and data driven marketing environment. She loves to work as a mediator, helping clients to understand their requirements and find the technology solution that best matches their needs. As a strong process thinker, it’s in her nature to optimise and streamline resources to make projects more efficient and transparent. Her industry experience includes automotive, banking, FMCG, retail and household appliances for international clients in New Zealand as well as Australia and Europe.
Annika Werner
Head of Digital Operations
Daman Saini

Daman’s passion for digital grew in his third year of university while researching topics related to big data. Since then he’s worked across various industries such as Computer Technology & Software, Service Industries and Creative Design. With experience in website analysis and A-B testing he’s been able to drive quality traffic with higher conversion rates.
Daman Saini
Digital Marketing Specialist
Mark Gu

Mark is an expert in Digital Marketing, namely Search Engine Marketing and Social Media, looking after clients across various industries.