Senior staff shake-up at Whybin\TBWA

Auckland ad agency Whybin\TBWA has undergone yet another senior management shake-up, with chief executive Todd McLeay resigning after two-and-a-half years in the top spot.

He will be replaced by Whybin\TBWA Melbourne boss and expatriate Kiwi Andrew Scott, while Christy Peacock takes up the vacant executive creative director role.

A press release says Mr McLeay, who has previously lashed out at rumours the agency was in trouble, will finish next month as part of a transition.

The Omnicom-owned agency has seen numerous senior staff and clients come and go since the departure of the dynamic duo of the late David Walden and Andy Blood in early 2013 (see timeline below).

Most recently, executive creative director Dave King left in June so another adman from the Melbourne outpost filled the void as creative director – Andy Lish.

“I would like to thank Todd for his leadership and professionalism over the last three years,” says Whybin\TBWA Australia-NZ chief executive Paul Bradbury in a press release.

The agency reported a $5.2 million drop in revenue to $25 million for the year ended December 2013 and has yet to report its 2014 accounts, which were expected to be filed in July.

The press release makes no bones about the fact that Mr Scott has been brought in to turn around the agency: "During his tenure at Whybin\TBWA Melbourne, Andrew Scott guided the agency through a strong period of growth. Staff numbers tripled; revenue more than doubled, winning major clients such as ANZ Bank, McCain, Origin and Medibank; the agency also saw a surge in creative rankings, including a Cannes Grand Prix for ANZ ‘GayTMs’. Most recently the Melbourne office was awarded Asia Pacific Agency of the Year at the New York Festivals."

Mr Scott has backing from regional chairman Scott Whybin, who visited the Auckland agency earlier this year and more recently for Mr Walden’s funeral.

“Scotty is a builder. He always has been. Perhaps it’s that entrepreneurial Kiwi thing, but Andrew is happiest when the business has almost unreasonable plans for growth ahead of it,” he says.

Whybin\TBWA’s clients include ANZ, Tourism NZ and Sony.

Whybin\TBWA Auckland timeline
February 2013 – chief executive David Walden resigns, hands reins to Todd McLeay. Chief creative Andy Blood leaves

March 2013 – Toby Talbot replaces Andy Blood

August 2013 – TBWA loses 2degrees account but wins Trade Me and Bell Tea

March 2014 – Creative director Steve Kane leaves for Y&R

April 2014 – M&C Saatchi goes bust, putting joint chief executive/creative Dave King on the market

May 2014 – chief creative Toby Talbot leaves for DDB Sydney

July 2014 – Dave King joins TBWA but the agency loses the Mercury Energy account to FCB. TBWA retains ANZ and adds Yellow

December 2014 – creatives Lisa Fedyszyn and Jonathan McMahon depart

February 2015 – TBWA wins Auckland International Airport creative advertising account

May 2015 – ANZ launches massive campaign via TBWA.

June 2015 – Executive creative director Dave King leaves agency, Andy Lish to fill vacant role

October 2015 – Chief executive Todd McLeay leaves agency, Andrew Scott to replace him and Christy Peacock to become executive creative director

RAW DATA: Christy Peacock and Andrew Scott to Lead New Management Team at Whybin\TBWA Auckland

After eight years leading Whybin\TBWA Melbourne, Andrew Scott is returning home to New Zealand to lead the Auckland office together with Christy Peacock who has been appointed as the agency’s new Executive Creative Director.

Andrew and Christy join a strong management team including David McIndoe (Executive Planning Director), Che Tamahori (MD, Digital Arts Network), Robyn Budd (Client Services Director) and Jean Arlove (Chief Operating Officer).

Andrew Scott will be succeeding Todd McLeay, who has resigned from the agency, as CEO. Christy Peacock will be filling the vacant ECD position after a six-month international search. Todd will be working with both Andrew and Christy through a transition period and will finish up at the agency in November.

“I would like to thank Todd for his leadership and professionalism over the last three years,” says Paul Bradbury CEO Whybin\TBWA Australia and New Zealand.

During his tenure at Whybin\TBWA Melbourne, Andrew Scott guided the agency through a strong period of growth. Staff numbers tripled; revenue more than doubled, winning major clients such as ANZ Bank, McCain, Origin and Medibank; the agency also saw a surge in creative rankings, including a Cannes Grand Prix for ANZ ‘GayTMs’. Most recently the Melbourne office was awarded Asia Pacific Agency of the Year at the New York Festivals.
 
Chairman of the Whybin\TBWA Group Scott Whybin says, “Scotty is a builder. He always has been. Perhaps it’s that entrepreneurial Kiwi thing, but Andrew is happiest when the business has almost unreasonable plans for growth ahead of it.”

On his move, Andrew Scott says, “I’m excited about the opportunity to head back to New Zealand and Whybin\TBWA Auckland is a great agency with some outstandingly talented people. With the combination of the digital and UX offering of DAN (Digital Arts Network), our earned media offering via Eleven and the power of Disruption®, we are in a great space.”

Christy Peacock joins the Auckland office with outstanding credentials. Most recently he was with M&C Saatchi Sydney relaunching the Commonwealth Bank with the next phase of CAN, the ‘We could have been anything that we wanted to be’ campaign. Shortly before that he was Executive Creative Director at Joy Australia and New Zealand, an agency he was instrumental in re-inventing from the ground up.

During his career Christy has been Head of Art/Creative Director at Fallon in North America. Between the years 1998 – 2009 he was Creative Director at PublicisMojo Melbourne and also Creative Director at DDB Melbourne. He’s also worked at several agencies in London including BMP DDB Needham and Mother.

Paul Bradbury commenting on Christy Peacock’s appointment: “We are excited that Christy will be joining us to creatively lead our Auckland office. Fresh from delivering some damn fine work in financial services for M&C Saatchi, Christy is very aligned with us on what it will take to get Whybin\TBWA Auckland back to the top echelon of creative agencies in Asia Pacific. Christy has strong experience on Trans-Tasman accounts and had created some of the most effective tourism work in the world for Tourism Victoria and The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas.

Lots to build on and it’s going to be lots of fun to work with Andrew and Christy and the management team in Auckland over the next few years. Watch this space.”