Matchett to depart Ogilvy Sydney for ECD role at Saatchi & Saatchi Singapore and Malaysia

EXCLUSIVE:Ogilvy Sydney executive creative director Bruce Matchett has been luredback to Asia, to the ECD gig at Saatchi & Saatchi Singapore +Malaysia. Matchett replaces Adrian Miller, who resigned from the post a month ago. In November last year Saatchi & Saatchi merged both their Singapore and Malaysian agencies together to create one single operation.

Matchett will work closely with Saatchi Singapore/KL’s kiwi expat CEO Dean Taylor, who transferred from Saatchi New Zealand in early 2009. Matchett was CD of Ogilvy New Zealand in the early 90s.

Matchett re-joined Ogilvy in mid 2007 from JWT India, where he had been since 2005, recruited from Ogilvy Sydney.

FromOgilvy’s perspective, the move is part of the ongoing evolution ofOgilvy Sydney’s management, and marks the end of a three-year plan tobuild and consolidate its creative offering.  

“We broughtBruce back from India as part of a concerted effort to build OgilvySydney into a leading creative force in the Australian market,” saysCEO Stuart O’Brien.

“He’s worked hard to help us to achieve this goal.  Now we appreciatethat it’s time for him to move on to his next challenge. We wish himall the very best, and remain great mates. On a personal level, I haveparticularly appreciated his total support in the transition andevolution of this agency over the past few years.  He’s been a drivingforce behind building our creative ranks.”

Ogilvy Sydney has made a raft ofcreative appointments recently including Russell Smyth, a former CD atThe Campaign Palace Sydney, and Brian Merrifield, former Saatchi & SaatchiSydney CD of digital, who was previously at Saatchi & Saatchi New Zealand. It also recently hired copywriter Trent Christieand art director Chris McMullen – all reported by Campaign Brief.