VMLY&R unites Sydney and Melbourne offices under combined leadership team
VMLY&R has hired a new leadership team structure that brings VMLY&R Sydney and Melbourne offices closer together and enhances collaboration across the business.
VMLY&R Melbourne managing director, Sarah Bailey, will expand her remit to also cover the Sydney office. Jake Barrow, long standing VMLY&R Melbourne executive creative director, will lead creative across Sydney and Melbourne.
Sarah Bailey, managing director, Jake Barrow, ECD, VMLY&R (right)
Under Bailey and Barrows’ direction, VMLY&R will look to support greater connectivity across the two markets to benefit both client partners and agency staff.
Alongside the expansion of Bailey and Barrows’ roles, agency leaders will now represent all key disciplines in creative, technology, experience and design, client service, strategy, business development and delivery in both Sydney and Melbourne markets.
The new leadership structure will support VMLY&R teams dispersed across the two offices but working jointly on key client campaigns including those for the Army Reserve, Rip Curl and Vodafone among others.
Bailey said of the said of her new remit: “We have incredible talent in both our Sydney and Melbourne offices and simply want to seamlessly connect these individuals across our entire client portfolio without structures getting in the way. This latest leadership development is a tangible example of our ‘Connected Brands’ strategy coming to life, and I have no doubt it will lead to even better work.”
Barrow on his new remit added: “Creativity will seep into every nook and cranny of the agency. I’m really excited to see different skillsets colliding to form new ways to solve problems.”
The uniting of Sydney and Melbourne offices follows the appointment of Charmaine Griffith, who recently joined VMLY&R from PwC as director of business development and marketing for both Melbourne and Sydney.
Thomas Tearle, chief executive officer of VMLY&R Australia and New Zealand, added: “This move towards increased collaboration is a no brainer – it provides pure upside for our people and our client partners. Sarah and Jake are the perfect people to lead the charge and they have the full support of Ali Tilling (CSO), Paul Nagy (CCO) and I.”
VMLY&R have recently launched high profile campaigns for Vodafone, the Army Reserve, Australian Unity and Colgate Palmolive, and count Ford, Monash University, Rip Curl and several Victorian Government portfolios as long-term client partners. The agency also won a Gold Lion at this year’s Cannes Awards for Monash University’s ‘A Future Without Change’ campaign.
VMLY&R announced a leadership change in February, with Jon Bird being elevated to executive chairman, and Thomas Tearle made CEO.
VMLY&R is part of WPP.
