New In The Job

...in the advertising industry.

What’s the appointment? Ad agency DDB has appointed Chris Schofield as creative director.

That name sounds familiar...It certainly will if you’re in the ad business. Mr Schofield previously worked with Draft FCB as its creative director.

So who’s leaving? DDB New Zealand group executive creative director Tony Talbot will shortly leave to work at DDB London for a year.

What’s he like, then? Mr Talbot says Mr Schofield is “the real deal”.

You’re going to have to give me a bit more detail than that. There’s more coming! Mr Talbot went on to describe him as one of the most exceptional, respected and awarded creative talents in the country. “He has a great track record with big brands and more awards than it is decent for any one chap to hold. He is also quite bald-”

Eh? I wasn’t finished. What Mr Talbot said was, “He [Mr Schofield] is also quite bald so he will fit right in with his fellow creative directors, Steve Kane and Aaron Goldring.”

Who’s replacing him at DraftFCB? DraftFCB’s executive creative director James Mok says that decision’s still to come. “Taika Waititi is in the middle of lower Mongolia writing a movie and we’d have to sell our grandmothers to try and woo Nick Worthington so it’s plan C for now. Chris is a one-off so we’re better off looking for a woman with a full head of hair just to avoid comparisons.”

I see. You said something about awards? Mr Schofield has won a fair few awards in his six years at DraftFCB. At the recent Effies ad awards, he took home gold and silver wins for the ALAC ‘Influencers’ campaign.

Sounds like quite a career. During his time at Colenso BBDO (from 2000) and Generator (in 2003) he worked on brands like BMW and Sony, winning awards for his work with TV3 and Amnesty International. In 2004, Mr Schofield moved to Saatchi & Saatchi where he launched The Telecom Rubbish Film Festival.

Awards, sure. But surely a bad film festival’s not something to be proud of...? Perhaps not – unless it’s award-winning. Mr Schofield won two Gold Lions for the campaign, which showcased Telecom’s T3G technology.

How’s the man himself feeling? In his own words - incredibly excited. “I’m so keen to be a part of DDB’s future. Most importantly though, I’ve been riding a bike to work recently and DDB will bring me about 400 metres closer to the Newton cycleway. Which is also incredibly exciting for my trick knee.”

Handy. Quite.

...at Wellington Drive Technologies.

What’s the appointment? Wellington Drive Technologies has appointed expatriate New Zealander Greg Allen as its new chief executive.

What’s happening to the current CEO? Clearly you weren’t listening during the company’s annual general meeting in June. It was announced then that current chief executive Dr Ross Green would transition to an advisory and support role.

So what does Wellington Drive do? It makes energy-saving motors and fans for refrigerated display cases – in vending machines, for example.  Its products are used in 45 different countries and there are offices in the Americas, Europe and Asia – as well as in Auckland.

Expatriate? Yes – he’s been based in Toronto until recently, working for manufacturing and supply chain services company Celestica Corporation, as vice president and industrial and green technology general manager.

Sounds like a big deal. Absolutely. The manufacturing and supply chain services company is reportedly worth $US6.5 billion. It provides design, manufacturing, supply chain management, repair and logistics solutions to equipment manufacturers across a wide range of global markets and technology sectors.

When did he join them? Mr Allen has been there since 1999. He’s filled a wide range of roles since joining the company, working in general management, business development, engineering management and customer fulfillment.

And what about before Celestica? Where did he work? Mr Allen has had more than 20 years of international experience in high-tech engineering, manufacturing and sales. Before Celestica he held a number of engineering and program management roles in the United Kingdom with Solectron, Test Solutions and Telecontrol Communications.

He’s been overseas for a while, then. He got his MBA degree from a university in Edinburgh – Napier University, Edinburgh, and is married with two young children. Wellington Drive chairman Tony Nowell said the company looked internationally to find a person with the right mix of experience to helm Wellington Drive into its next stage of growth.

So he’ll be coming to New Zealand, then? No. Mr Allen’s role – which he will take up in November - will be based in North America. There he’ll be closer to the company’s main customer bases in the Americas and Europe. He’s also set to participate in the company’s partly paid share scheme, with an initial issue of shares equal to 2% of the current listed share capital of the firm. Company shares are currently trading at 17c. The company’s interim report for the first six months of 2011 recorded revenue of $18.1m, and a loss of just under $7 million, including restructuring costs.