It's the final countdown. We've all known for some time that Harold Mitchell will be stepping down in August. But now the Aegis Pacific executive chairman has gone on the record.
The long-awaited official announcement about Mitchell's 10 August departure date will be released out of Aegis next week on 10 July, but Mitchell has given AdNews the heads up this morning.
Not that you could really call it a heads up, Mitchell has conceded. “Everyone already knows,” he said of his 10 August exit.
“This has been two and a half years in the making,” Mitchell said.
“I wanted to make sure after the initial sale [of Mitchell Communication Group] to Aegis that the Mitchell business grew stronger, rather than falling to the wayside.”
Mitchell's 10 August departure date will be a symbolic exit for the famed media agency boss, as it will mark 54 years to the day since he started his advertising career in Melbourne.
His departure will leave Aegis Media Australia New Zealand chief executive Luke Littlefield leading the company.
His resignation comes only months after global giant Dentsu purchased Aegis for nearly $5 billion. The deal netted Mitchell $200 million.
In 2010, Mitchell sold his Mitchell Communication Group to Aegis Media.
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