Adland is full of big moves, so we've compiled the week's worth of promotions, hires and exits all in one place.
Omnicom shake up as IPG poaches Leigh Terry for APAC role
IPG Mediabrands has poached rival media network CEO Leigh Terry, who runs the Omnicom Group in Australia, to run IPG across APAC. OMD CEO Peter Horgan will take over as CEO of the Omnicom Group, and will look to appoint a CEO of the agency in due course. The APAC role is a relatively new one within IPG, which has been realigning its global structure to geographies. Read more here.
CEO Lee Leggett exits IPG's Initiative
CEO of IPG-owned media agency Initiative, Lee Leggett, has left the top spot, AdNews understands. Leggett, who had been in the role for two and a half years, was hired by former Australia CEO Henry Tajer despite having no media agency experience. The decision to exit could be to do with senior management changes across IPG Australia.
Her departure leaves Mindshare's Katie Rigg-Smith and Virginia Hyland as the remaining female media agency CEOs in Australia. Read more here.
Dentsu's Isobar overhauls Perth office; cuts staff
In a move to turn the business around, Isobar has overhauled its Perth office, cutting staff and realigning its services to match up with the firm's global offering. The changes have seen 17 staff made redundant, with a team of eight remaining in Perth to service around a dozen clients.
Isobar CEO for ANZ Konrad Spilva told AdNews that making staff redundant was a “tough decision” and one that was made with careful consideration due to the fact that the agency was experiencing “significant financial pressures”. Read more here.
JWT Sydney promotes Jenny Willits, wins Nikon
J Walter Thompson Sydney has named Jenny Willits as managing director and has picked up the creative account for Nikon. Willits joined JWT in 2012 and was previously general manager of the agency. Her new role follows the promotion of former CEO John Gutteridge who continues to oversee the Australian and New Zealand businesses, but was moved to lead the network's Asia Pacific business. Read more here.
Sheffield and Zavecz tipped for News Corp
NewsLifeMedia chief executive Nicole Sheffield is being sounded out for a new role at News Corp after the company combined its magazines and metropolitan newspapers into one unit, the Australian reports. Sheffield has spent nearly five years running the publisher of Vogue Australia, GQ and a host of lifestyle magazines and is thought to be looking for a new challenge. The Australian's Diary column also speculates that Peter Zavecz, CEO of Pac Mags, is on the brink of leaving to join News.
MediaCom appoints group business director
MediaCom has appointed Michael Waymouth as group business director. Waymouth, who was media strategy and planning manager at former client IAG, will lead client relationships and deliver channel strategies for MediaCom client Pharmacare. He will also manage client integration of the agency’s diversified services. Waymouth brings more than 10 years of industry experience, including agency and in-house roles. He is familiar with MediaCom, having previously collaborated with its MBA and business science teams during his five-year tenure at IAG.
Big Mobile CEO Graham Christie to exit
Graham Christie, co-founder of Big Mobile, is leaving the business after eight years. He will be replaced as CEO by current chairman David Green for now, with a CEO likely to be appointed in due course. Big Mobile has 80 staff in seven offices across ANZ, and South-East Asia. “Eight years is a long time in any business, and now is the right time to leave the strong senior team I’ve assembled particularly over the past 12 months, to take the business forward, and for me to focus my attention elsewhere. The changing relationship between people and the brands they choose, and subsequently how businesses adapt, continues to really motivate me, so I’m not going far”.
Christian Fricke named as MD of Bauer’s digital arm
Bauer has appointed Christian Fricke as MD of Bauer’s digital arm, Bauer Xcel, following Carl Hammerschmidt’s surprise exit last week. Fricke has been brought over from the Bauer Xcel German operation, where he headed up the team, as newly appointed CEO Nick Chan prepares for the next period of growth at the publisher.
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