B&T’s Best of the Best is back for its first outing of the 2026 season. And we’re kicking off in style with the Best of the Best holding company creative agency bosses.
This, as you’ll have seen from our nominations for (HERE), looks at the CEOs or equivalent in creative agencies owned by holding companies.
When we made this list last year, we included Michael Rebelo, CEO of Publicis Groupe ANZ, and Rose Herceg, now CEO of WPP ANZ. But this year, we’ve decided to refocus squarely on the agency CEOs, not the local CEOs of holding companies.
That isn’t to say Rebelo, Herceg, and now Omnicom Oceania’s Nick Garrett aren’t involved in the daily operations of these agencies, of course – they are. But we felt it was important to compare apples with apples, and removing those three made the most sense.
There’s also been a helluva lot of movement in this space since we did last year’s list. And you’ll see several folk who have moved, been merged and more. You’ll see some faces who have only been in their roles for a short period of time. That made it all the harder to put this list together.
As such, you’ll see some folk on this list are rewarded for work at previous employers, and that’s by design. Best of the Best rewards the people, not their agency – insofar as the two are inextricable when you’re discussing CEOs, of course.
We also wanted to give a shoutout to Gayle While, CEO of Havas Host, who just missed out on the top 10. As of Thursday last week, While is also the owner of two shiny Cairns Crocodiles Awards trophies for the agency’s work with IKEA.
In the next instalment of B&T’s Best of the Best, arriving on 27 May, we’ll be taking a look at the CEOs (and equivalent) of the country’s top holding company-owned media agencies.
10. Pat Rowe, CEO, Saatchi & Saatchi Australia
Pat Rowe has been the CEO of Saatchi & Saatchi Australia since 2023 and, over that time, he’s led the Publicis shop in continuing to deliver results for its raft of top-tier blue-chip clients.
It scored an 8/10 in B&T’s 2025 Agency Scorecards with its work for Arnott’s, Heineken and Toyota, in particular, catching the eye.
In fact, its ‘In A Pickle’ campaign for the Toyota HiLux won the Best TV Campaign trophy at the B&T Awards and a Gold in the Automotive Campaign category at the recent Cairns Crocodiles Awards.
In November last year, Saatchi & Saatchi appointed Leif Stromnes as its chief strategy officer after he departed DDB following a 25-year stint at the agency. Such a senior talent hire is no accident.
In fact, according to its recent (and soon-to-be-revealed) Agency Scorecard submission, Saatchi & Saatchi described Rowe as the bass guitarist in the Saatchis’ outfit, with co-chief creatives Mandie van der Merwe and Avish Gordhan and Stromnes taking the lead vocals and lead guitar, respectively. Championing senior creative talent is central to the role of a good agency CEO and Rowe is certainly among them.
9. Kirsty Muddle, CEO, Ogilvy Australia and New Zealand
When it was announced that Sally Kissane was to depart Ogilvy after three decades in July last year, the B&T office was vibrating with speculation about who her replacement might be.
We reckon the WPP-owned agency found a perfect replacement in Kirsty Muddle.
She has only been in the role since March, but her impressive back catalogue of hits and wins with Dentus, Cummins&Partners and more, we’re expecting big things.
It’s no surprise that Herceg described Muddle as a “unicorn” upon her appointment as CEO. We heartily agree, and we cannot wait to see what’s coming down the tracks.
8. Priya Patel and Paul Wilson, co-CEOs, McCann New Zealand
Priya Patel is one of the standout leaders across the Ditch, we reckon. Following the Omnicom-IPG acquisition, Patel took the helm at the new McCann New Zealand, the agency resulting from the merging of DDB and FCB New Zealand.
Now, Patel leads a combined agency dripping with talent – as evidenced in particular by its impressive recent work for McDonald’s, including the ‘McMullet’ and ‘You Know Where’ campaigns.
Paul Wilson is a highly experienced and award-winning agency leader with over 25 years of guiding some of New Zealand’s most iconic and trusted brands.
His client portfolio includes Air New Zealand, One NZ, Pak’nSave, Volkswagen, Toyota, ASB, Heineken NZ, and more. He has overseen some of the country’s most memorable campaigns from the One NZ ‘Finding Jade’ brand launch, to the legendary Tui Beer ‘Plumber’ and ‘Catch a Million’ campaigns, and Grand Effie-winning Toyota Hilux work.
There’s plenty more to come from this new-look McCann, we expect. And we’ll be keeping a close eye on what’s happening.
7. Mike Napolitano and Sheryl Marjoram, co-CEOs, Clemenger BBDO
Mike Napolitano and Sheryl Marjoram are two other impressive leaders who have seen their roles change on the back of the Omnicom-IPG acquisition.
Previously the CEOs of DDB Melbourne and Sydney, they now jointly lead the national Clemenger BBDO offering after Clemenger gobbled up DDB in Australia and former CEO Lee Leggett became Omnicom Oceania’s chief customer officer.
Now, Napolitano and Marjoram lead a team of more than 400 in a properly full-service agency with crack creative teams and a growing media division. Again, they’ve only been in their current roles since the start of the year but the early signs look promising.
6. Stephen McArdle, CEO, BMF
Stephen McArdle has been BMF’s top dog for some six years, and he has led the agency to be one of the most ruthlessly effective around (as evidenced by its swag of Effies wins across Australia, APAC and most recently, the world).
At the same time, he has created an enviable corporate culture that routinely sees the agency collect trophies for its HR, L&D and inclusion policies. Again, that’s evidenced by its succession of People & Culture trophies at the B&T Awards.
Balancing exceptional creativity and culture should not be as uncommon as it is. But McArdle has managed to achieve alchemical success. His hiring of Scott Nowell to serve as creative chair alongside executive creative directors David Fraser and Tom Hoskins and celebrated strategist Christina Aventi is an interesting gambit, too.
McArdle would be higher on the list if it weren’t for the recent departures of big clients Westpac and Endeavour Group.
5. Angela Watson, CEO, Colenso BBDO
Awards aren’t everything; we get that. But they do count for a helluva lot and are a very handy way to benchmark the creative culture within an agency. And, as far as we can tell, not many agencies pick up quite as many top gongs around the world as our friends from over the Ditch at Colenso BBDO.
Angela Watson has been Colenso BBDO’s CEO for the past five years and it has been named Cannes Lions’ Pacific Agency of the Year twice and WARC named its client Pedigree as the 14th most effective and 15th most creative brand in the world.
Watson has also recently been named president of the New Zealand Comms Council after serving as a board member for the last five years.
4. Clare Pickens, CEO, Leo Australia
Leo (formerly Leo Burnett, wouldn’t you know) has rapidly become one of the country’s most impressive creative agencies thanks to its impressive long-term, category-defining thinking for Suncorp. Its work for other brands, such as Superloop and the ABC, remains strong too.
In her role as CEO, Clare Pickens, who joined a little more than two years ago, has sharpened the agency’s positioning and galvanised its operations around its penchant for big, unabashed and exciting ideas.
If you’re seeking an agency that can transform the fortunes of a brand with properly strategic and exciting creativity, you can’t go far wrong with the operation that Pickens is leading.
3. Kimberlee Wells, CEO, TBWA\Australia
After leading TBWA’s Melbourne operation for nearly a decade, Kimberlee Wells was appointed to the TBWA top job in September.
Over the past year, B&T understands she was essential to bringing the Australian Defence Force creative account into the fold and has been a beacon of stability in what has otherwise been a topsy-turvy time for the industry as a whole.
The agency’s work for NAB and its trans-Tasman Kraft Heinz work, as well as the more recent ahm win, should serve as a reminder to all why it remains one of the country’s premier creative shops. Wells also continues to serve as the global practice lead for Sustain by TBWA, its sustainability-focused offering.
2. Paul Bradbury, CEO, VML Australia & New Zealand
When Paul Bradbury resigned as president and CEO of TBWA Australia and New Zealand in July last year, we at B&T wondered what would be next. In January, we got our answer – VML.
After nearly two decades, Bradbury swapped Omnicom for WPP and replaced Thomas Tearle as the agency’s CEO across Australia and New Zealand.
Again, Bradbury is still relatively new in the role. But he’s already got some runs on the board with AustralianSuper appointing the agency to create and execute a long-term strategic brand platform and develop integrated creative marketing activities as competition in the sector heats up.
During his time with TBWA, Bradbury led the agency to play an integral part in the +61 bespoke agency for Telstra, which resulted in a Cannes Lion Grand Prix.
1. Matt Michael, CEO, Droga5 Australia & New Zealand
Remember in 2024 when The Monkeys became Droga5, Mark Green moved to New York and a host of other changes followed? That’s ancient history these days, and Droga5 has barely skipped a beat. That’s thanks to the leadership of CEO Matt Michael.
Since he took the top job, Droga5 has continued to deliver brilliant work for Suntory’s roster of brands, SEEK, Tourism Australia and more. It also recently won important accounts, including Optus, SBS, Transport for NSW and more. We also understand it’s the only holding company-owned agency to be in the hunt for CommBank’s sought-after creative account.
Now with a burgeoning media agency in the stable, Accenture Song’s Droga5 is, in our view, at the apex of the industry and a formidable opponent for everyone else.
