CHE Proximity replaces Ant White with Ogilvy’s Gavin McLeod
Ogilvy’s executive creative director, Gavin McLeod, is making the move to CHE Proximity to take up the national chief creative officer position left vacant by Ant White.
McLeod will step into the role on 1 July, and will be working alongside Glen Dickson who has been promoted to deputy chief creative officer.
Gavin McLeod is joining CHE Proximity
McLeod joined Ogilvy in 2019 after two-and-a-half years at AKQA San Francisco leading its 65 person creative team. McLeod was also one of the founding members of R/GA Sydney, where he worked with Telstra, ANZ, Macquarie Bank, Nike, Samsung, Toyota, Coke and Google.
His move to CHE Proximity is the latest in a number of leadership changes for both agencies. Former CHE Proximity CEO Chris Howatson was revealed to be leaving the agency late last year with White to set up their own independent shop, Howatson + White.
In December, With Collective founder Justin Hind was announced to be taking over from Howatson as CEO.
Meanwhile at Ogilvy, long-standing CEO David Fox took up the agency’s chief executive role of the Middle East and North Africa, making room for managing director, Sally Kissane to step up as his replacement.
Along with Kissane’s appointment yesterday, WPP AUNZ announced it would be bringing the Ogilvy agencies together into one network, with the creative agency sitting alongside OPR and Ogilvy Health.
Kissane told Mumbrella: “Gavin has been a crucial part of the Ogilvy Sydney creative transformation, and we wish him the best in the next chapter of his journey.
“We currently have strong senior creative leadership across the board, in Sydney, Melbourne and within OPR and Health.
“Following on from yesterday’s news around the Ogilvy Australia Network, we are actively looking to a new creative leadership structure, allowing us to continue to offer the very best integrated solutions for all our clients.”
Hind described McLeod as ‘world class talent’.
“I’ve known and admired Gav for over 15 years and the prospect of being able to work with him is an absolute highlight for me. Gav is an amazing world class talent and I think we’re exceptionally lucky that he has agreed to join us and our executive team in defining the next era of CHEP,” he said.
“He is known locally, he is known internationally and he is a beacon for clients and creative talent alike. We all can’t wait to have him here leading the CHEP creative and experience product. He joins and adds further strength to CHEP as the market leader in creative, data and technically led thinking and solutions for clients.”
Dickson has spent the last four years at the agency, promoted to executive creative director in early 2019. CHE Proximity’s creative leadership also includes Cam Hoelter, who was hired last year after the exit of Wesley Hawes, and Helen James, ECD of its retail operation.
Reflecting on the ‘new era’ of CHE Proximity, Dickson said: “I’m really looking forward to welcoming Gav to CHEP. We’ve been on a journey to continually improve and progress the work, and I can’t wait to get started with him on the projects that will define the agency’s next era.”
