Jon Steel turns his giant planning brain to GPY&R

Advertising agency GPY&R is to make a determined effort to lift itself out of the doldrums as its 75th anniversary approaches.  

The agency – which celebrates the milestone next month with a party in Sydney – has signed up one of WPP’s biggest stars, Jon Steel, as vice chairman and chief strategy officer.  

Steel – who revealed last month that he had moved to Perth – is reported in today’s edition of The Australian to have taken on the GPY&R role.

The agency’s Sydney operation has been in decline for four or five years, with Nigel Marsh appointed last year as CEO of Y&R Brands with the tough brief of turning around the portfolio. More recently Russel Howcroft, who had run the agency’s more successful Melbourne operation was given a national role, with Phil McDonald moved from Brisbane to head the Sydney operation.