BMF CEO Jeremy Nicholas departs
Creative agency BMF has announced the departure of CEO Jeremy Nicholas after 12 years with the company.
Nicholas has been CEO of the agency for almost three years and before that was executive planning director. A statement from the company said that Nicholas was leaving in order to “pursue other opportunities.”
Mumbrella understands that a least one other member of staff has also left the agency today.
“Jeremy has been a great colleague for 12 years and is a truly gifted strategic thinker,” said Matthew Melhuish, BMF founding partner and executive chairman. “Jeremy has made a valuable contribution to the agency and goes with our very best wishes.”
In the statement announcing his departure Nicholas said: “After 12 years at BMF and 19 years in the industry, I want to have some time out and take my working life in a different direction. I leave knowing that the agency is creating outstanding work and is in great hands with the existing leadership team. I wish all the staff and clients the very best.”
BMF said the company had a replacement, from an overseas agency, lined up and will be announced shortly.
Mumbrella understands that the new CEO will examine all aspects of the agency including its split, masterminded by Nicholas, into North, South and Melbourne.
Melhuish said in the announcement there would be a interim period before the new CEO took over and during that time he would be more involved with the business. “As a founding partner and former CEO for 15 years I have a huge affection for BMF, our clients and our staff, so it is a bonus for me to spend more time with them,” he said.
BMF is owned by marketing group Enero. Last year the agency lost CommBank, one of its biggest clients.
In an opinion piece last year Mumbrella’s Robin Hicks suggested that the agency was losing its way.
Nic Christensen
All the best mate, going to kill it!
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A recent One Show and Clio would suggest it’s not losing it’s way.
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Jeremy has done an outstanding job over 12 years at that agency and should be justifiably proud of the impact he’s had on one of Australia’s great agencies
Jeremy is a great planner, Nick. He doesn’t leave BMF better than he found it when he took the CEO job though.
The fact that his successor will not join for some time says it all – he’s not working a notice period and this is not a transition he is part of.
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Shame, Jez is a lovely bloke. But I guess this is what inevitably happens when you get tricky with your business models and start basing them on Roman legions, or whatever the hell it was. Does BMF actually have any long tenure (8+ years) people left at all? Who knows, might be the catalyst they need to kick it back into gear again.
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Seems BMF is unable to learn from past mistakes, Surely after so many expensive, high profile imported duds they might seek out some local talent (not internally of course, that well is drier than a Stephen Wright routine).
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