Ogilvy’s chief creative officer Steve Back leaves after 18 months
Ogilvy Australia’s chief creative officer Steve Back is leaving the company after just 18 months in the position, with the agency saying they have no plans to replace him.
Back joined the agency in the newly-created national role in February last year, coming across from Ogilvy & Mather Singapore where he was creative head.
Ogilvy Australia’s CEO David Fox said: “At this stage there are no plans to replace the role of National Chief Creative Officer. We have no information about Steve’s future plans but wish him well.
“Steve has helped to build creative capability across both offices leading to stronger creative collaboration between Sydney and Melbourne.
“We have an incredible team of creatives both in Sydney and Melbourne who are now well-versed in taking an approach as one office where required. We feel confident that they can continue to produce outstanding creative work that works both for local and national clients under the guidance of each city’s respective creative leadership.”
Prior to Ogilvy & Mather Singapore, Back was ECD at Saatchi & Saatchi Sydney, a role which he quit in November 2010. His tenure at Saatchi & Saatchi coincided with a troubled time for the agency.
It is not the first time in recent years that a senior person has left Ogilvy after a short period . In August 2012, Tom Moult left the agency after less than two years as executive chairman. Moult had described a national creative chief role as “the most expansive in Australian advertising”, suggesting that it would “just be too hard”.
The news follows Ogilvy bowing out of the pitch for Vodafone. The agency is currently participating in the BMW pitch.
Miranda Ward
Miranda Ward worked for Mumbrella from 2013 to 2017, eventually becoming deputy editor. Miranda joined Mumbrella in September 2013 from Sky News.
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Whoa.
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They did quite well at Cannes & D&AD this year, Backy seemed like a good fit for the agency.
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Kidults did it.
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Lets not forget that prior to Back, Chris Ford lasted less than a year as ECD and prior to that Brett Howlett was there for about a year too.
It was only January this year, STW described Ogilvy as being in “outstanding shape” when it was announced that Baxter was leaving the CEO spot.
What part is outstanding exactly?
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Saw that time bomb ticking….
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The surprise is, it isn’t
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‘They did quite well at Cannes & D&AD this year, Backy seemed like a good fit for the agency.’
Good fit my arse!
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There’s plenty of room at the collective
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No coincidence that three consistently best shops in Sydney-Leo,M&C and Monkeys all have stability of management and planned succession attracting the best hires.
What were Ogilvy thinking?
Considering they were appointing their fourth CD in as many years I’d have thought some homework would have been undertaken.
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The coals are getting hot at Ogilvy… To quote Bane… “the fire rises”
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CCO Fail. Cannes wasn’t delivered and when Cannes isn’t delivered you’re out of there. You either filled your quota here or you didn’t. You need to win a Lion or your’e gone. He left Ogilvy Singapore with this Oz job with only two bronze lions. Surprised that it didn’t work out here in Oz are we? Not really, we know how he works. “Are you winning?”
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Not meaning this to sound in any way negative but I am curious about your comment. I would have listed a completely different top 3 in Dudney but that’s a matter of opinion.
You talk about succession planning, which is good. But I can’t see a succession plan at The Monkeys. A lot of the tier two people have left and there has been no replacements. What succession plan do they have? Are they growing tier three into tier two which could be a plan?
Genuinely interested of you could shed some light?
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