DT managing director John Du Vernet departs business ahead of AKQA switch
John Du Vernet has departed his role as managing director of DT less than a year after taking up the job after his agency Tongue merged with the digital shop.
Tongue founder John Du Vernet
The move comes as DT prepares to be rebadged under the global AKQA brand.Du Vernet transitioned to the role with DT last June, when Tongue was rolled into the fellow WPP agency as part of a streamlining process for the holding group as it looked to reduce the number of local brands, following its merger with STW Communications.
In a social media post overnight Du Vernet wrote: “After an amazing 8 years in leadership positions at WPP, I’m taking some well-deserved time off.
“As some of you already know, I’m now on gardening leave working inside the family investment business and spending some more time on the Can-Too Charity of which I am a board member (see www.cantoo.org.au).”
DT’s CEO Brian Vella said in a statement: “We can confirm that John Du Vernet, MD of our Sydney office, is no longer with DT.
“He’s been replaced by Tony Vella, a long-standing member of the team. Tony’s strong digital and management experience positions the agency extremely well to service our valued clients and for ongoing success and growth.”
Du Vernet founded Tongue in 2009 alongside Jonathan Pease and Tim Sexton, with the Sydney-based agency forging a reputation in the experiential and digital space, working with clients including Telstra, Kellogg’s and Vodafone.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hJMXB4Pr5qE
Pease and Sexton are both remaining in their respective roles as chief creative officer and commercial and people director at DT.
Prior to tongue Du Vernet spent nearly five years with Naked Communications, and had a two-year stint in sponsorship for Vodafone.
Wasn’t Tongue just a rebrand off some other agency that already existed??
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JD is a really great operator and also a really great guy. Their loss will be someone’s gain. Top bloke.
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Correct.
New Dialogue, the digital ‘sister’ agency to Ikon was rebranded as Tongue and then basically stopped being a media agency.
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The merger of Tongue, aka New Dialogue did DT no favours.
It’s like STW was running a share house scheme, not an agency group pre-WPP merger.
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Big loss. JD had soul that’s rare to find in business. He’ll land on his feet and create earthquakes with his drive. Good luck to him.
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The branding certainly is a mindf#ck. New Dialogue, Tonge, DT, AKQA…
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Agree 100% JD is a great operator and top bloke – he will be a success wherever he lands
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Good luck JD
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Fantastic leader, empathic manager and great bloke to boot. Sticks by his people in the good times and the worst. Learned loads from JD in a few short years, so can say from experience that the next group of people who get to work with him (both clients and colleagues) are a very lucky bunch. Keep on rolling big fella!
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