Tom Andrews returns to Carat to head up $19.4m Disney account
Tom Andrews will return to the Dentsu Aegis Network to lead the Disney account at Carat, following two years at Energy Australia.
Andrews will take charge of the $19.4m account from the end of April, which Carat retained in 2015 after facing off against PHD, and then again in 2018.
Joseph Pardillo (left) and Tom Andrews (right)
“This is a fantastic appointment for Carat and for Disney. Tom is a long-time friend of myself and the business and it’s been great to watch him develop during his past couple of years client side,” said Melbourne managing director Joseph Pardillo, with whom Andrews will be working closely.
“I can’t wait for him to be back in the fold, focussed on the Disney business and the team to deliver great work and leadership across Carat and the broader DAN group.”
Andrews said the opportunity to return to Carat and lead the Disney account was “too good to pass up”.
“I’ve really missed the people at Carat and have long marvelled at the work of the Disney team. I’m looking forward to getting back into the thick of it with Joe and the Carat leadership team to take Disney forward,” he said.
The past 12 months has been one of peaks and troughs for Carat. While it recently appointed Alex Smith as client lead, Marnie McKeown as head of content services and media integration and Dick Laurie as strategy director, over the past year it lost CEO Paul Brooks (joining Nine), CMO Andrea Rule (moving to LinkedIn), head of strategy Alex James (shifting to a similar role at PHD), head of digital Michael Corry (jumping ship to 303 MullenLowe), and the former head of the Disney account, Laura Bartal (becoming partner at Lacuna).
The agency also lost a number of key clients, including the $40m Mondelēz International account, $20m Amart account and Bega (which moved to Thinkerbell after a 10-year relationship with Carat). Last month, Carat client Virgin Australia also announced it would review its agency relationships.
Carat has attempted to counteract these losses with the addition of United Airlines, the $10m Beacon Lighting account, Event Hospitality and Entertainment and Grill’d.
Brittney Rigby was Mumbrella's deputy managing editor - news and analysis. She left Mumbrella in April 2021.
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Nice move by all. Tom’s a ripper.
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