Bastion Hires Experienced CFO, COO Dean Heacock to Propel Back Office, Acquisitions as ‘New World Agency’ Scales in U.S.

LAGUNA HILLS, CA, March 6, 2023 – In a move aimed at continued growth through mergers, acquisitions and organic means, Bastion U.S. has appointed marketing industry veteran Dean Heacock as its chief operating officer and chief financial officer.

A financial executive with 30 years of experience in all aspects of finance, accounting, business management and operations, Heacock brings a wealth of knowledge specific to the world of marketing agencies. His joining Bastion U.S. comes during a critical growth spurt for the integrated marketing organization, which doubled in size each of the past two years and currently oversees two industry-leading companies – consumer research consultancy Bastion Insights and full-service marketing agency Bastion Amplify.

“We are beyond excited to have Dean aboard our journey to become the biggest independent integrated marketing agency on the West Coast,” said Dax Cornelius, CEO of Bastion U.S. “His skills in the financial realm are world-class when it comes to expanding marketing organizations, and Bastion has reached that level with its U.S. offering. We’ve 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 publicly held corporations.”

Heacock has held financial leadership positions at more than a dozen marketing groups, including WPP, Wunderman Thompson and Young & Rubicam. His role at Bastion will focus on acquisition assessment and due diligence as well as operational management and human resources.

“I am honored to join the Bastion family and help drive its continued success,” Heacock said. “Bastion is a transformative company with a unique business model and strong commitment to client service. I look forward to working with the talented team to take the business to the next level.”

Bastion U.S. is part of the global Bastion Agency, Australasia’s largest independent agency with more than 360 employees working across offices located in Los Angeles, Orange County, New York City, Sydney, Melbourne and Auckland. It holds agency partnerships in 10 Asian markets as well.

About Bastion Amplify

Bastion Amplify is an integrated, full-service marketing agency that is equipped to successfully fuel your growth and grow your business. Whether it be for creative strategy, PR, event activation, influencer, social media, media planning and buying – or all of it. Our ability to scale, as you need it, makes us the agency for you.  ​We work with you, as a team, responsible for the development of bespoke programs specifically designed to get you and your company where it needs to go. We are Bastion Amplify, part of Bastion Agency, globally, the largest independent agency. ​As a full-service independent agency, we are set up to provide you with the hands-on customer service and vertical expertise that you need while being large enough to scale your growth. ​We approach our client work with both fiduciary and emotional responsibility to better serve our clientele with the latest and most relevant marketing programs that are used today.  ​

About Bastion Insights

Bastion Insights (previously Bastion bd5) is a consumer insights and strategy consultancy specializing in qualitative and quantitative research, brand strategy, innovation and communications. We help global businesses and disruptive startups empathize with their targets so they grow. We help businesses in North and South America, APAC, Europe, Africa, and the Middle East discover new paths to transform and grow. At our core we believe the right data (big or otherwise) and insights are the key to transforming brands and businesses. Our team believes the best way to do that is through talent, and Bastion Insights principals and office leads have each been in the business for around 20 years, and we’ve worked and played together nearly as long.