BMF today confirmed the departure of ECD Cam Blackley who has announced his intention to join M&C Saatchi as its new chief creative officer. Blackley will remain in his role at BMF until March 2018.

The creative agency has said it is business as usual while BMF seeks to replace him with the search process already underway.

Commenting on its new recruit, M&C Saatchi’s group MD Russell Hopson said: “Cam’s work has delivered brilliant, populist, effective ideas that live and thrive in the modern media landscape. This is precisely what we need to fulfil our goal to be Australia’s most influential creative company. We’re ecstatic to have him and can’t wait until he starts.”

Steve McArdle MD of BMF said: “Cam is a great guy, has built an outstanding team and delivered a great body of work. He’s helped us achieve ‘Effective Agency of the Year’ and really bring BMF back to its best. Fortunately for us, part of his legacy is a World Class creative department with real strength, depth and diversity of talent at every level. It’s with our thanks and very best wishes that he moves on to pastures new.”

“Over the coming months we’ll be talking to the best creative leaders in the business about the ECD role, including internal and external candidates, and will announce Cam’s successor in due course.”

Blackley said: “BMF is a brilliant agency, and I’m so proud of what’s been achieved. These four years have flown by, because I’ve spent that time alongside colleagues who are incredibly talented, great people and have a wonderful sense of collective ambition. BMF has a very strong line-up of creative directors in Alex, Jen and Ant with outstanding work already in development for 2018. Hard as it is to leave, I do it knowing that BMF is in excellent form and back to its very best.”

Blackley has over 20 years experience at agencies both locally and in international markets including the UK and US. His career began at Grey Melbourne and he moved to London to join AMV/BBDO. He was hired by David Droga at Publicis and was one of Droga 5 New York’s original employees. Blackley left New York to return home to help establish Droga5 Sydney as a Creative Director before being poached by BMF four years ago.

At BMF, he has been responsible for a creative resurgence across clients such as ALDI Australia, TAL Insurance, MLA, Australian Government and Football Federation Australia.

Most recently, Blackley’s impact was recognised at the country’s prestigious Effie awards, scooping Effective Agency of the Year, with ten Effie award wins across his portfolio of clients. Blackley’s work has been recognised at every major show globally including a D&AD black pencil, three yellow pencils and several Lions including golds. This year his team at BMF has picked up dozens of trophies globally.

Blackley’s recruitment comes during a hiring spree for M&C Saatchi’s that have included Russell Hopson (Adam&Eve DDB) and Sophie Price (UM), as group head of strategy. Michael Canning and Paul Taylor continue in their roles as ECDs in the Sydney and Melbourne businesses respectively.