Matt Eastwood promoted to chief creative officer of DDB New York - replaces Eric Silver

Eastwood is no stranger to the States, having a short stint as chief creative officer of Y&R New York for a year during 2004/05. Before Y&R, he was chairman and executive creative director at the New York office of M&C Saatchi. Prior to that, he held creative posts at M&C's offices in Melbourne and London. Originally from Perth, he has held senior writer gigs at JMA Perth and Saatchi & Saatchi, Sydney.

Says Marty O'Halloran, DDB group chairman & CEO of DDB Australia and New Zealand: "Matt has been an instrumental figure at DDB Sydney over the last four years, guiding the agency to win countless awards and accolades, including AdNews Creative Network of the Year, Australian Creative Hotshop and Campaign Brief Agency of the Year. Matt's passion for the industry has resulted in pioneering work across some of DDB's biggest brands including McDonald's, Telstra and Tourism Australia."

"On top of these achievements, Matt leaves behind an enviable line-up of creative talent that will ensure DDB continues to push the benchmark within the industry. Key figures including creative director Mark Harricks, creative director for McDonald's Adam Rose, digital CD Matt Grogan and award winning senior team Steve Wakelam and Grant McAloon, ensuring DDB goes from strength to strength and remains one of the advertising powerhouses both in Australia and globally."

Adds Eastwood: "The past four and a half years at DDB Australia has been an experience I will never forget. We've won many, many Agency of the Year awards, watched the business grow in size and strength and have done some incredible work for our clients. I've also had the pleasure of working alongside one of the best management and creative teams I've ever met.

"When I met with Senior Management at DDB New York, I was thrilled to discover how similar our culture and values actually were. DDB is a global family, and I am both excited and humbled that DDB has honoured me with the opportunity to help shape the creative product at DDB New York, our head office."

O'Halloran is now working alongside DDB group managing director, Chris Brown, undertaking a detailed recruitment process to find the best talent in the market. For the next three months Eastwood will remain in Sydney in his current role to ensure a smooth transition.

Says Brown: "Obviously we are sad to see Matt leave but are proud his achievements here in Australia have been recognized globally. We are now looking for the right person who can build upon this. One of the benefits of moving within the network means we can manage the transition properly and are currently undertaking a rigorous recruitment process to look for exactly the right creative leader for the agency and our clients; we won't be making any hasty hires. We are looking for a leader that will continue to inspire the wealth of creative talent at DDB as well as put their own stamp on the agency and ensure that we continue to be at the top of our field."