Zitcha appoints Phil Bonanno as APAC Commercial Director

Zitcha has appointed former Meta client partner Phil Bonanno as APAC Commercial Director, strengthening its senior commercial leadership as the retail media technology provider expands in the region.

Based at the company's Melbourne headquarters, Bonanno will lead commercial growth across Asia Pacific and contribute to broader commercial strategy.

The appointment follows the recent hire of Steve Biddle as Chief Commercial Officer. Bonanno previously worked with Biddle at Meta, where Biddle led retail media network strategy and solutions.

Bonanno spent more than 11 years at Meta in Australia. As a Client Partner, he developed strategies and business plans focused on retail marketing return on investment across Facebook and its advertising ecosystem. He also worked with clients and agency partners on audience mapping, creative development and performance analysis.

His career also includes store operations and regional leadership roles, as well as analytics consulting and media strategy. Zitcha says he brings retail experience across operational and commercial disciplines, alongside deep partnerships across the advertising market.

Bonanno also serves as an advisor to Retail Cities, a global retail data and insights consultancy focused on fast-growth markets and industries.

Commercial focus

Zitcha operates in retail media, where retailers sell advertising inventory across owned channels and use shopper data to target campaigns. The company positions its product as a platform for retailers to run retail media networks and manage activity across digital and physical environments.

Zitcha describes itself as a unified retail media platform spanning planning, delivery and insights across onsite, offsite and in-store channels. It says the system can be tailored to individual retailers, reflecting differences in customer bases and business models.

Headquartered in Australia, Zitcha works with retailers, retail media networks and brands globally. Bonanno's Melbourne base places him alongside the executive team in the company's home market, as retail media budgets continue to shift across online and in-store formats.

Bonanno said his move to Zitcha followed a long period of working with the business and its leadership team.

"Retail has been the through line of my career and I have worked closely with the Zitcha team since before its launch, supporting early partnerships and seeing first-hand how the platform was built to solve real retail challenges. I've known and worked alongside Troy (Townsend, Zitcha Group CEO) and Jack Byrne for years, and I've always admired their clarity of vision and the culture they create. Joining Zitcha feels like a full-circle moment and an opportunity to help retailers and brands unlock more value from retail media across APAC." - Phil Bonanno, APAC Commercial Director, Zitcha

Leadership hires

The hire continues Zitcha's recent recruitment of senior commercial leaders. Biddle's arrival as Chief Commercial Officer placed a former Meta retail media executive in a central role overseeing commercial operations. Bonanno now joins with a remit across Asia Pacific, a region that includes markets at different stages of retail media maturity.

Jack Byrne, Co-Founder and APAC CEO, said the appointment reflects Bonanno's mix of retail operations experience and media expertise.

"Phil brings a rare combination of retail operational knowledge, media expertise and strategic commercial acumen to both Zitcha, our customers, our partners and finally our prospects unlock long-term retail media value. We're excited to have someone of his experience choose to join Zitcha as we navigate the next phase of growth, and can't wait to see him continue the momentum seen since inception in the APAC region," Byrne said.

Bonanno will work from Melbourne while leading regional commercial expansion across Asia Pacific, as Zitcha continues to build its leadership team and pursue growth in retail media networks across the region.