5 May, 2015

Publicis Sydney Appoints New Managing Director

By Richard McGowan

Publicis Worldwide Australia has announced the appointment of Gavin Levinsohn, most recently CEO of Moon Group, as group managing director of Publicis Sydney.

Levinsohn will take charge of Publicis’ 90-strong Sydney integrated operations that includes full capabilities in advertising, content, CRM, mobile, brand design, loyalty and digital communications.

Levinsohn has been CEO of Moon Group in Australia since November 2013 where he led the rapid evolution of the business from a design and branding agency into an integrated operation offering advertising, branding and design, digital communications, shopper marketing and employee engagement. He was the prime architect of the integrated ‘one-agency’ model for Westfield that enabled Moon Group to not only retain the account, but grow its remit.

Prior to Moon Levinsohn spent five years as managing director of Ogilvy Cape Town where he led a creative and business transformation of the agency and took it to the most awarded creative agency in South Africa. Widely recognised as a strong agency team leader, he was named “the most admired agency leader in South Africa” just prior to his move to Australia.

“Gavin has a rare vision for how agency resources need to be harnessed to be most effective for clients into the future,” said CEO Andrew Baxter. “He is an innovative thinker and a driven leader, with a terrific background in getting the best out of creative and digital teams.”

Levinsohn will take the reins of Publicis in Sydney from Tim Parker, who has been in a caretaker role with the Sydney operations since early 2014. “Helping Andrew to re-configure Publicis into a business brilliantly equipped for today’s challenges has been an exceptional opportunity,” said Parker.

Baxter said, “Tim has done a terrific job for us and we truly wish him well for his next assignment. Gavin joins us at the perfect time with some exciting new capabilities and talents now in place. The Sydney team has seen a strong transformation in the past 12 months. The arrival of the Pusher and Front Foot teams, as well as a few new business wins, have seen our Sydney digital capabilities grow to a team of 40.

“Our new chief strategy officer, Iona Macgregor, has seriously strengthened our strategic skills around both brand and customer engagement. It’ll mean Gavin can hit the ground running with a full armoury of creative, strategic and digital talent at his disposal.”

Levinsohn said, “Andrew is leading a creative and digital rejuvenation of Publicis in Australia. He’s doing this through the smart addition and integration of businesses and building a great team. This is happening alongside exciting regional and global transformation in Publicis. I’m thrilled to be joining the agency.”

Levinsohn will report directly to Baxter and join the Publicis Worldwide Australia executive leadership team that includes chief creative officer Grant Rutherford and recently appointed chief strategy officer Iona Macgregor, who was previously managing director and head of strategy of Marcel, one of Europe’s most famous integrated agency businesses.

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