Former One Green Bean CEO Carl Ratcliff has been revealed as the chief strategy officer for DDB Sydney.
Ratcliff replaces Fran Clayton who departed the business in April this year, alongside CEO Nicole Taylor, for McCann.
Ratcliff has more than 20 years’ experience in advertising across Australia and the UK, previously holding roles as TBWA and BWM Dentsu.
He was the CEO of Naked Communications from 2013 to 2015 before taking the CEO role at One Green Bean, which he has held for three years up until earlier this month.
Priya Patel, who was announced as managing director in June, says she's thrilled to have Ratcliff join the team.
"Not only is he a brilliant and creative thinker - a classic ‘big brain’ - but he manages to couple this with humility, friendliness and charm," she says.
Ratcliff says he's excited to be returning to his roots as a planner with DDB Sydney the "original home of great strategy".
“I see my CV as a collection of experiences all of which have made me who I am now. I certainly don’t regret being a CEO as it taught me a lot, including making me a lot more commercially-minded, however I want to affect the primary conversations that are happening around businesses and brands," he says.
“Whether on client side or agency side, I’ve always been a strategist at heart. Having run a P&L for the last 6-7 years I’ve experienced all the stresses that come with that, and realised that my true joy lies in strategy, brands and audiences, solving problems, and working with creative brains and minds.
“I’m keen to work with our clients and the team to offer brilliant creative solutions that are more than just advertising – it could be a piece of design or a wider business idea – that really grow brands and businesses."
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