J. Walter Thompson Melbourne has announced the appointment of Simon McCrudden in the role of head of planning.

National executive planning director, Angela Morris said: “I’m delighted to be welcoming Simon to the J. Walter Thompson team and really looking forward to partnering with him to execute our vision for the Melbourne office. He’s a great strategist, with a history of effective creative work. Moreover, his way of thinking is beautifully aligned with the way that we are evolving planning and the collaborative non-siloed ways of working that we have embraced across the agency.”

In a career spanning the UK and Australia, McCrudden has led the thinking on many award winning local and global campaigns, having worked at the likes of Wieden Kennedy (London), Naked and BMF Sydney.

Mike Godwin, managing director continued: “Planning is central to our agency’s offer and I’m thrilled to have someone of Simon’s calibre in Melbourne. With the agency in a growth phase, having doubled in size over the past eight months, we’ve been building a strong local management team and Simon brings valuable experience and skills to add to that.”

McCrudden said: “I’m excited to be joining Michael, Angela and the team at J.Walter Thompson Melbourne. They have a huge hunger to produce the kind of work I love, an impressive client list and a great track record of new business wins. I’m looking forward to helping the agency continue its positive momentum, through the delivery of highly effective work for its clients.”