AMY SMITH TO DEPART WHYBINS FOR CEO OF JWT AUSTRALIA/NZ

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Amy Smith is set to leave her post as managing director of Whybin TBWA Melbourne to replace Michael Connaghan as CEO of JWT Australia and New Zealand. The latter has moved to JWT shareholder STW Group Limited as CEO.

Smith, an Australian, has been in the Whybin gig for a couple of years since arriving from London fresh from a highly successful three years running Wieden + Kennedy. She is due to start in April and will run JWT out of Melbourne and report to JWT worldwide president Michael Maedel as well as STW.

Smith is being replaced by Philip O’Neill, who is currently general manager of Whybin TBWA, Auckland. O’Neill was, prior to joining TBWA, managing director of M&C Saatchi, Auckland where he ran the Tourism NZ account. In a terse press release just in, Scott Whybin, Chairman of Whybin\TBWA announced that “Amy Smith’s contract had been terminated, effective immediately” and that O’Neill will join on March 14th.

“This is an irresistible opportunity,” said Philip O’Neil. “The TBWA\ network is the best in the world. Melbourne is a city I’ve always loved. And I get to team up with Scott Whybin and a world-class creative department.”

Smith is the latest in a line of senior appointments at JWT, following the Sydney office hiring of Mick Hunter as CD and Ian Morton as head of art, both from Whybin TBWA Sydney where they held the same titles, and Glen Ryan, ex CD of Leo Burnett for the CD gig at JWT Melbourne.