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Adam Lee exits McCann Sydney as managing director

The managing director of McCann Sydney, Adam Lee, has exited the agency after three years in the role.

Joining McCann Sydney in 2015 from his previous role as TBWA’s group head, Lee’s departure is part of the agency’s ambition “to become Australia’s most exciting creative agency” under the new leadership of Nicole Taylor.

Lee is exiting the agency as part of a restructure

Taylor joined McCann as its CEO from DBB Sydney in April where she was its CEO for for less than a year. Taylor replaced McCann’s former CEO Ben Lilley who left the agency to relocate to France.

Also moving from DDB to McCann in a double defection was Fran Clayton, who is now McCann’s national chief strategy officer after spending five years at the helm of DDB Sydney’s strategy division.

Taylor said in a statement to Mumbrella: “These changes are indicative of our ambition to become Australia’s most exciting creative agency. You achieve that goal by focussing on talent and creating a team that has infectious chemistry and lives up to the highest standards.

“We have amazing people at McCann that I really believe in but we also need an injection of new and different talent to reach our dream. It requires me to make tough calls but I can’t be afraid to make them, and I will do so with compassion and humanity.”

Taylor thanked Lee for his three years at the agency adding he had been “instrumental” to the success of the agency.

“I believe his departure is reflective of a new era for McCann Australia and speaks to the rejuvenated agency culture Fran [CSO Frances Clayton] and I are building. We are hugely passionate about creating a team of the most talented, diverse and courageous people who we hope will make the work of their careers with us.”

In other changes for the agency, McCann has made three new appointments to its Melbourne team hiring Andrew Woodhood as a creative director, Cinnamon Darvall as head of broadcast and Jacquelyn Whelan as an account director

Taylor says the agency will announce Lee’s replacement in the next few months.

“I joined McCann Australia in July with a mandate to make the agency as great as McCann New York. I plan on shaking things up just enough to get the agency, and our clients to an unprecedented level of brilliance.

“For this to happen I need to assemble a team of exceptional humans who are dedicated to the pursuit of creative excellence, who don’t settle for the 7 out of 10 and who are not driven by self-interest. This is the future I want for our clients,” Taylor added.

Lee declined to make a formal comment but confirmed his departure.

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