Saatchi & Saatchi Australia has appointed creative duo Mandie van der Merwe and Avish Gordhan as the agency’s new joint chief creative officers.
The pair depart from Dentsu Creative, which they joined as the business’ first chief creative officers in August of 2022.
Dave Bowman, chief creative officer of Publicis Groupe ANZ, said he's beyond excited to be able to bring van der Merwe and Gordhan onboard to lead Saatchi & Saatchi’s creative offering.
"With their unique people skills, strategic prowess, and creative firepower, I can’t wait to see what these two amazingly talented new-world creatives make possible at the intersection of storytelling, data, technology and media," said Bowman.
Gordhan and van der Merwe, who have been creative partners for 20 years, have honed their craft across three continents.
Patrick Rowe, CEO of Saatchi & Saatchi Australia, said he and Bowman wanted to double down on creativity at Saatchi & Saatchi, so approaching the creative pair just made sense.
"Why get one CCO when you can get two with an awards list as long as your arm? More importantly, they understand the role creative thinking plays in a new integrated world and will be a driving force for change," he said.
"We couldn’t be more excited that they’re joining our team.”
van der Merwe said when Saatchi & Saatchi come knocking, you answer.
"And when the person knocking is Dave Bowman, you take out the fancy biscuits," she said.
"Between Pat and the team, there is an infectious passion for creativity that is hard to ignore.”
Gordhan said this is an agency brand with a storied history and incredible work, locally and globally.
"The opportunity to be part of that is both humbling and exciting. We love bringing ideas and storytelling together in new ways with media, tech and data," he said.
"And it makes me itchy with anticipation thinking about how we can do that with this team."
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