Iona Macgregor, the managing director and head of strategy of one of Europe’s most respected integrated agency businesses, is joining Publicis Worldwide Australia as chief strategy officer.

Macgregor has been a senior leader of the highly awarded France-based agency, Marcel. In 2014, Marcel has been one of the most noticeable award winners in global forums including the Cannes International Festival where the agency won three Gold Lions, three Silver and six Bronze awards, as well as winning the Clio Awards’ Grand Clio, several awards from the New York Festivals and Grand Prix awards from several French-based strategy and creative competitions.

A highly digitally focused business, Marcel has a staff of more than 200 people and clients including Orange, Intermarche, Cartier, Ray-Ban, AXA, Mondelez and Garnier. In her management role Macgregor was principally responsible for the agency’s brand and digital strategies covering strategic planning, social media, creative technology and business development.

Marcel is part of the Publicis Worldwide global network. Macgregor will be based in Sydney and her arrival was brought about by her desire to live and work in Australia, coinciding with Publicis WW Australia’s CEO Andrew Baxter’s search for a world class strategy talent to work with him and national executive creative director Grant Rutherford.

Prior to Marcel, Macgregor was at Nurun, a Paris-based agency with more than 180 people and clients including Tag Heuer, Kellogg’s, L’Oreal and Sofitel.

“We are extraordinarily lucky to have Iona bring her talents to our Australia operations,” said Baxter. “Her arrival accelerates our plans to lead the industry at both brand engagement and customer engagement. On the brand engagement side we have a strong ambition to deliver famous work and continue the proud creative history of Publicis Mojo.

“We also want to be the first agency to truly manage every customer engagement by tying together communications through the entire customer journey – online and offline. From digital to CRM to shopper to call centres and even face to face communications. In such a hyper specialised and diversified communications landscape, Iona is a master at being that strategic bridge who fosters cross-disciplinary collaboration. And that’s why major blue chip brands in Europe have taken advantage of her skills to drive growth for their businesses,” said Baxter.

Macgregor takes up her new role this week.