Nicole Taylor returns to DDB with European based global role
McCann national CEO, Nicole Taylor is to rejoin the DDB group as Barcelona based head of bespoke agency C14torce, the two agencies have announced.
Taylor has taken the European role to be closer to her family in the UK with McCann intending not to replace her as Australian CEO.
Taylor returns to DDB to head their bespoke C14torce bespoke agency
Taylor’s taking the C14torce role is also a return to the automotive field with the Spanish headquartered bespoke agency boasting Volkswagen-owned SEAT as its launch client. During her previous seven year stint at DDB Sydney, Taylor was responsible for the Volkswagen Australia account as managing director between 2014 and 2017.
In announcing her move, Taylor said: “I have worked in the Australian advertising industry for over 20 years and have loved every minute of it.
“I have also imagined a day when I would take the step to work overseas, and this opportunity to lead a global agency back with DDB, combined with a strong desire to be closer to UK family, felt like the right choice to make.
Taylor joined McCann from DDB in April last year to replace Ben Lilley who stepped down from the agency’s APAC leadership role to relocate to France.
“While I wish that my time at McCann was longer and there was a way of avoiding letting people down, I am leaving at a time when our agency is buzzing with a renewed sense of purpose and belief,” Taylor said.
“I’ll miss my dear friend and partner in crime Fran, but I know that she’ll continue our legacy together with Daz, Haze, Georgie, Rob and all the great humans at McCann Australia. It was a privilege to serve them and their wonderfully loyal clients.”
McCann at present has no plans to replace Taylor, with Charles Cadell, APAC President of McCann, saying: “We are sorry to see Nic leave us and appreciate her decision to move closer to her family, which we understand was a difficult one to make. We support her in this and wish her every success in Europe.
“She has been a great asset to us not least in leaving behind a very strong management team that she built and that we have every confidence in to continue to drive our operations as they do today,” Cadell said.
During her tenure, Taylor recruited Hazelle Klønhammer as Sydney managing director along with Darren Spiller as chief creative officer and Fran Clayton in the role of chief strategy officer. Georgie Pownall also joined the agency as managing director of McCann Melbourne during Taylor’s leadership.
One of the very best people in advertising.
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Reality check – she came in bad mouthing the previous management team, fired a bunch of people , hired a bunch of people, [Edited under Mumbrella’s comment moderation policy]
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Ahh McCann, you’ve done it again.
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Fran must feel terrific about Nicole leaving so soon after taking her from DDB
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@longtime fan
We should congratulate this flaky behaviour..why?
There are so many things that look wrong with this.
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The best in the business. Stoked to have her back.
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Anyone who’s had the pleasure of working with Nic knows DDB are lucky to have her back. Congratulations Nic and go make your mark on the world-stage.
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It would be fair to say from McCann’s point of view it would be hard to describe Nicole’s tenure as a success.
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My time working at McCann with Nic as CEO was short but in that time she made a huge impact on me (and many others) with her amazing leadership and ability to connect, empower and inspire the teams around her. Thanks Nic and best wishes on this new adventure, we’ll all be watching. 🙂
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Congrats Nic – Big loss for the Australian Industry. Enjoy Europe!
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Congrats Nic, you’ll be missed. One of the genuinely good people in our industry.
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McCann HQ are furious. [Edited under Mumbrella’s comment moderation policy]
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I have to agree with @why and am surprised there are not more people calling this out here. I have marvelled at McCann’s turnaround in Australia over the past years and thought Taylor’s appointmenast year was another impressive move in building on this momentum.
Now on the one hand Taylor has heralded having brought in a raft of new senior hires, no doubt at huge expense to McCann, only to then turn and jump ship just a year or so later.
Any CEO role in Australia is a tough gig right, now so one might have some sympathy for her. But it was she who chose to take on this role and bring in the wrecking ball to try to effect change. Looks a lot like the moment things started to look a little too tough, she’s just turned her back and run back to a cushier role her old network.
No winners here and not a move to be commended. A sorry sight for McCann.
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These comments seemed to have conveniently forgotten that trainsmash of a press release. Or two
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That press release reflected perfectly what Nic is like as a leader and a person.
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“Looks a lot like the moment things started to look a little too tough, she’s just turned her back and run back to a cushier role her old network.”
What’s that they say about people who assume?!
I hope you realise there is more to most peoples’ lives than their job. You have no idea what is going on in her personal or family life that means a move to Europe is her chosen direction. Assuming she is doing so because ‘things started to look a little too tough’ says more about your attitude towards life and work than anybody else’s…
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