Toby Talbot named as first Ogilvy Network ANZ chief creative officer
WPP’s Ogilvy ANZ Network has appointed Toby Talbot to the newly created role of chief creative officer ANZ.
The appointment marks the return of Talbot to the Australia and New Zealand region after being based in Europe. He was previously the CCO of Saatchi & Saatchi New Zealand, the CCO of DDB Sydney and group ECD at DDB New Zealand, with his experience totalling over 25 years.
Toby Talbot
Talbot joins the Ogilvy ANZ Network from DDB-owned agency 14 in Barcelona, where he held the title of CCO. Earlier this week, Australian advertising exec Nicole Taylor departed fellow DDB Barcelona agency Cartoce to join Lego.
In the new role, Talbot will be responsible for Ogilvy Network’s creative offering across all four Ogilvy offices: Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Auckland, including Designworks in New Zealand.
Ogilvy Agency ANZ CEO Sally Kissane said: “We could not be more excited to welcome Toby to the ANZ Ogilvy Network. The ANZ CCO role is an ambitious one aligned to the newly formed Ogilvy Network, and we have taken our time to scour the globe for the perfect leader.
“Toby is a modern creative leader who leads from the front and has world-class experience in creating high performance creative cultures. Our ambition is to make Ogilvy the most creative company in the world, and to harness our collective talents across all five business units to deliver impact in new and exciting ways. Toby brings the perfect balance of humanity, creativity and ambition and we can’t wait to get started.”
The Ogilvy ANZ Network was formed with Kissane’s appointment in March, bringing the creative agency, Ogilvy Health and then-named OPR (now Ogilvy PR) together as one unit.
Ogilvy ANZ Network chief strategy officer Toby Harrison added: “Obviously, we are in for a bit of an arm-wrestle over who is the best Toby in the office. That said, I couldn’t be happier to have TT joining us. He’s got an incredible balance of experience and a modern point of view on creativity. His track record is outstanding, and he is a brilliant bloke too. I’m hugely excited about us working together, but not looking forwards to the nickname of ‘other Toby’.”
Ogilvy global chief creative officer Liz Taylor, who was appointed in May, said: “Toby is a world class leader who has amplified the creative firepower of every agency he’s been part of. He has earned the respect and trust of clients by creating inspiring work that has impacted culture and business. We know his proven track record of mentoring and developing incredible talent, many who have gone on to wildly successful careers, will benefit our teams and further strengthen our creative product in the region. We are thrilled to have him joining us.”
On his appointment, Talbot said: “Ogilvy is a network that works. It has a strong, inclusive culture and with the recent global Effie wins, it feels like it´s time has come. That momentum is down to a tight leadership team led by two gems in Sally and Toby and loyal clients who clearly trust the agency. Borderless creativity isn´t some kind of abstract ideology. It´s a way of life at Ogilvy. To be given the opportunity to build on a unique creative platform is massively exciting for me.”
Talbot will start his position as ANZ chief creative officer from mid-January next year.
The announcement follows the departure of several creatives at Ogilvy, including Ogilvy Sydney’s group creative director Jenny Mak and Ogilvy’s executive creative director Gavin McLeod in March. The agency also added six hires to its creative department in April.
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