TBWA\ sets itself up for a mega 2010: new senior appointments, promotions ensure future growth

David Walden (left), CEO of the TBWA\ Group of Companies, today announced some significant appointments and signaled an aggressive new business drive for 2010.

First off, Aaron Taylor has been appointed to general manager of TBWA\TEQUILA. Says Walden: “Aaron joined us some months ago from TBWA\ Sydney as a senior player in our account service area. Since then he’s made a terrific contribution and we see a lot of potential in him being able to contribute across the Group. And he’s passionate about Disruption and Media Arts so appointing him general manager makes absolute sense.”

Walden also announced the hiring of Andrew Stephenson as group account director: “Andrew joins us from DDB where he’s been running a major group. At TBWA\, he will take over responsibility for a group of businesses and will be reunited with Aaron Taylor who he last worked with at Saatchi’s.

“Andrew has a proven track record of handling a broad portfolio ofclients and he’s one of those rare account handlers who bringsstrategic instinct and good creative judgment to the table as well asconsummate account handling skills. I believe he’ll really thrive inthe TBWA\ environment,” said Walden.

Other new recruits are Andrew McLeish and Julie McIver in the strategicplanning area. Commenting on their appointments, Walden said: “Andrewis a classic example of our determination to get smart thinkers intothe agency.  This is his first role in an agency but he comes from asenior role at NZ Lotteries where he contributed to the strategicdevelopment of a number of their brands.  He’s a great thinker and isalready using his client background to help us build robust strategiesfor clients that not only provide a roadmap to creative solutions butare also strongly rooted in commercial reality.

“2009 has been a challenging year for the industry and TBWA\ certainlyhasn’t escaped.  We’ve had to reshape our business to go forward into2010 with the right structure and talent in the right areas.  Clientsare looking for two key things:  great thinking and great creativesolutions and so we’re raising the bar on our already strong offering,”he said. 

“In the creative area, Corey Chalmers has been promoted to deputy CD.Corey has been a great contributor to TBWA\ in the last three years andwith creative partner Guy Roberts firmly in control of the creativedirector’s role it’s logical for Corey to take on more responsibility.

“This gives us a formidable team with Andy Blood as executive CD, andworking on both big projects for clients here as well as contributingto the international network output means we’re well placed for asuccessful year in 2010,” Walden concluded.