Clemenger BBDO Melbourne continues leadership team shake-up with new hires
Clemenger BBDO Melbourne has made two senior hires in head of planning Jacqueline Witts and chief operating officer Dave Keating.
The appointments come after the agency has experienced a shake-up in its leadership. CEO Gayle While departed the agency in March, with Clemenger Group New Zealand CEO, Jim Gall, is moving back to Australia to take over the agency.
While was only in the role for seven months after stepping up as CEO following the departure of Nick Garrett.
March also saw Clems Melbourne hire two executive creative directors, Jim Curtis and Ryan Fitzgerald, from Droga 5 to fill the void left by outgoing chief creative officer Stephen de Wolf who left for the CCO role at BBH London.
A new leadership team is forming: Jacqueline Witts, Jim Gall, Dave Keating
Keating steps into the chief operating officer role following the departure of Ben Kidney, who only held the role for eight months. Kidney has since become the head of digital engagement at Amazon Web Services Australia.
Keating joins after seven years at TBWA Melbourne, most recently spending just over a year as executive production partner. This experience will be brought into his new role at Clemenger BBDO Melbourne, where he will be ‘reimagining the agency’s production department’ which covers content creation, delivery and optimisation capabilities.
Witts will be working with executive planning director Paul Rees-Jones and working to bolster the agency’s planning department brand strategy capability.
Witts joins from AJF Growthops where she was head of strategy for three years. Previously she was a planning director at TBWA Melbourne and JWT Melbourne.
Gall welcomed Keating and Witts to the agency.
“The brilliant skillsets and capabilities that Jacqueline and Dave bring to the agency have already proven critical to our agency that we’re realising significant benefit in,” Gall said.
“We firmly believe that creativity is always the answer, and understanding humanity is more important to the pursuit of creativity than ever before. How people think, act and what they value in a post COVID world will no doubt play a huge role in shaping the opportunities for brands across the country.
“We’re thrilled to have them both join our highly capable and experienced executive leadership team as we create new opportunities for our agency and for our clients.”
The Clemenger BBDO Melbourne leadership team also includes deputy CEO Simon Lamplough, chief financial officer Adrian Ciabotti, and creative chairman James McGrath.
Jacqueline Witts is a class act and a joy to work with. Good hire.
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