Leo Burnett makes senior appointments to boost ‘client transformation’
Publicis Groupe’s Leo Australia has made two senior appointments — chief client partner and transformation director — as a “commitment to client transformation and the strategic growth of the business”.
Magda Triantafyllidis joins as chief client partner for the agency’s recently-won financial services client ANZ.
She brings over 20 years of experience in client leadership to the role, including her time most recently as managing director of Hardhat, now part of Thinkerbell.
In her new role, she will lead cross-functional teams to deliver work for the ANZ partnership, working closely with recently-appointed ECD Hilary Badger and GM Julia Sheehan.
Magda Triantafyllidis
“I am beyond thrilled to join Leo Australia – a network and agency that not only champions bold, creative solutions but also has its DNA stepped in an understanding of the power of human behaviour in driving meaningful, lasting impact,” she said in a media release on Monday.
Meanwhile, Philip Hwang has joined the agency as its new transformation director. He will lead initiatives that drive growth and innovation for clients, including the consolidated Suncorp portfolio, which Leo Australia also recently won.
Hwang will work alongside chief strategy officer Catherine King and Publicis ANZ’s chief data officer Maurice Riley to ensure the agency “remains at the cutting edge” of creative and digital transformation.
He was previously head of strategy APAC at SGK, with other experience across the Asia-Pacific region under his belt.
Philip Hwang
Clare Pickens, CEO of Leo Australia, said in the release: “These latest appointments and additions to our leadership team are a testament to this commitment.
“Magda Triantafyllidis brings ambition and extensive client experience, while Philip Hwang will be integral to ensuring that we are at the forefront of creative and business transformation. I’m excited for the year ahead with our new team members.”
Their appointments come after a global consolidation of Leo Burnett and Publicis Worldwide was announced, but Mumbrella understands there was no immediate impact to the agencies locally. Globally, the new entity has a creative force of 15,000 — 8,000 from Leo Burnett and 7,000 from Publicis Worldwide — across 90 countries.
The Publicis Worldwide brand name has remained in Australia, and there have been no changes to the general operations or structure of Leo Burnett, beyond the name change to Leo.
The Leo ‘constellation’ sits in Publicis Groupe’s global creative roster alongside Saatchi & Saatchi, LePub, BBH, Fallon, The Community, and Le Truc.
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Lauren McNamara is the associate editor at Mumbrella, covering the agency beat. She joined in November 2022 as editorial assistant, after completing a Bachelor of Communications (Journalism) at UTS.
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