Kat Thomas becomes One Green Bean’s ECD as Matt Buchanan steps up to MD
New One Green Bean MD Matt Buchanan and ECD Kat Thomas
One Green Bean has become Australia’s first major PR agency to appoint an executive creative director, with founder Kat Thomas moving into the role, Mumbrella can reveal.
Meanwhile, Matt Buchanan has been promoted to MD to run the business side of the Havas-aligned agency.
Australian public relations agencies do not generally have the title of creative director. However, the agency has made the appointment after a series of campaigns, including Virgin mobile’s Doug Pitt campaign, where the agency held the creative lead.
First major PR company to appoint an ECD?
Unless you count Eleven PR as not major. They have two.
Congrats Matt & Kat, you guys make a great double act.
@ UMMMM – don’t your/their ECDs primarily work for Wybin TVWA? How many people work at Eleven PR?
Hi Nick – as a division of Whybin/TBWA, Eleven PR uses a number of strategists and creatives from within the building. It’s one of our advantages, it works well and I’m very proud of what we do as a team.
I totally agree with everything that Kat is doing. PR has a place in leading through the line campaigns and PR companies need to start being more creative in order to do that. What’s interesting about the announcement is not that a PR company has ben first to name an ECD, but that PR companies are realising the need to incorporate pure creative roles into the mix.
Congrats Kat and Matt! I agree with Rob, however integration with creatives shouldn’t be where it stops. Complete PR integration with planners, strategists, researchers and psychologists, etc, needs to be part of the process and is something Naked has been doing since it started its PR offering years ago.
Also a bit cheeky of OGB to claim it’s the first major PR agency to hire a creative given Hausmann hired one around a year ago. They just didn’t formally announce it.
Hi Catherine – thanks for the congrats. We didn’t go out with the claim to be the first, that was Mumbrella’s take on our role changes, I agree that’d be pretty cheeky. I know lots of really smart people in the PR industry championing integration and creativity, we’re definitely not alone on that front!
Congratulations guys, great news! Having worked with Kat in the past, I know creativity comes as second nature to her; a remarkably talented and driven individual. Looking forward to seeing more fantastic creative work coming through.