Andy Lark to leave CommBank
Lark: Moving on
Andy Lark, chief marketing officer of CommBank, is to leave after two years at the helm, he has announced.
Lark will work a long notice period, Mumbrella understands.
He said in a post on his blog this morning:
Change is always equally parts terrifying and exciting.
This morning we announced that I’ll be moving on from CommBank. It’s been an amazing journey. We did what we set out to do, and then some.
In 2011 I joined CommBank with the specific aims of working with you to relaunch our Brand, enhance our marketing effectiveness and accelerate our momentum in digital, mobile and social.
We have made incredible progress on all fronts but more importantly have made it simpler and easier for our customers to engage and bank with us. Today they enjoy doing business with us more than any other Bank. Our brand and marketing resonates more than ever. And we are engaging our customers through industry leading applications and social platforms. I am enormously proud that our work together has had such a positive impact.
After a great deal of reflection I have decided that the time is right for me to leave CommBank and say “can” to new opportunities. This is in part due to the tremendous progress we have made together – and, in part, the passion I have for building great brands and engaging customers through technology.
It is has been a privilege to lead such an exceptional team and be part of such a remarkable story. It feels like we have compressed four years of work into two, and I appreciate the energy our team and Agency partners – especially Icon, M&C Saatchi and One Green Bean — have all brought to our work together. You can be very proud of what we have done for one of Australia’s most important brands and the positive impact you have all had on our customers.
More than anything though I feel very privileged to have got to know so many of you personally and shared in your lives – and hope that continues well into the future.
Lark joined the organisation two years ago.
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Sad news for Commonwealth Bank, great news for the next people/organisation’s Andy works with.
One of the best marketing and digital minds in Australia!
We need more CMO’s like Andy.
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Can’t.
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Shame he doesn’t know how to spell “Ikon”……
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silent fist pumps all round from his agencies
While lark clearly has talent and an “agent of change”. i have only observed an endless trail of destruction of the CBA brand and more importantly a marketing team that was once heralded as the best in the country. They’re great people in CBA marketing, i really hope they rebuild the heart and soul they in they had in their team a few years back as quickly as it was ripped out of them. I am sure M&C will also be having a few well deserved drinks tonight!
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“Today (customers) enjoy doing business with us more than any other Bank.”
What question did they ask to get that result?
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@A harsh trifle
To be fair to him it’s Ikon who can’t spell icon. :o)
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He did a great job.
He shook out a lot of the politicians in CBA that only really briefed multiple agencies to do their thinking for them,and replaced with a young team of go getters.
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2 years is barely warming a seat…
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@snoop “He did a great job” you say, maybe take a step back. Purely looking at the facts, the CAN’T campaign, the bomb hoax, being in the job for less than two years, the agency relationships all speak for themselves.
What he is very good at self promotion, picking and choosing facts (like his quote above regarding ‘more people’ banking with them than anywhere else (yes Andy but that was true before you started!), I am sure the facts will come out in time.
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I have to say the can campaign was brave ,and to my mind alienates 50 pc of the market becuase lets face it,banks say NO half the time.
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Andy is a first rate marketer. Sure he can be tough to work with, but at least he gets stuff done. Typically those who complain about him don’t like the positive change he evangelises. Hope you land well, Andy.
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