Host reshuffles management line-up – Olly Taylor to chief strategy officer; Suzie Shaw to MD role

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Screen shot 2011-07-27 at 2.41.12 PM.jpgA week after Havas took a 51% stake in Sydney agency Host, a new management team line-up has been announced which welcomes some new additions along with several long-term team members taking on new roles.

Partner and executive planning director Olly Taylor, who has been with Host since 2003 will assume the role of chief strategy officer, with overall responsibility for both the strategic and creative output of the agency.

He will relinquish day-to-day supervision of Host’s highly regarded, ten-strong planning team to Frank Bethel who will take on the role of executive planning director. Frank has been at Host since 2006, most recently as brand planning director.

Suzie Shaw, who joined Host in January as head of account management, will become the agency’s first managing director. Prior to returning to Sydney, Shaw spent more than a decade in London working in senior management roles at TBWA and WCRS.

Shaw will be replaced by Karen Martin as head of account management who joins after seven years at BMF. Karen was most recently the group account director on Lion Nathan, Meat and Livestock Australia, Bing and WeightWatchers.

Richard Birkby who joined Host in 2008 to head up Bankwest, will swap his client service director duties for a head of direct and retail role, charged with ensuring the agency continues to develop its capability and expertise in these key growth areas.

Experiential director, Jodie Couzens who joined Host in 2004 to set up and lead Host’s event production team will take on additional responsibilities as director of people and culture.

Paddy Morahan who joined in 2008 will continue as director of operations but will assume a wider role across all aspects of the agency’s operations.

Finance director, David Munro and CEO, Anthony Freedman will continue in their current roles.

General manager, Jacqui Hooper who has been with the agency since 2001, has decided that the time is now right for her to spend more time with her growing family and so will not return to the agency following her current period of maternity leave.

Says Freedman:, “Last week we announced the exciting partnership with Havas and our intention to explore opportunities to continue the development of our agencies. Clearly a decision as significant as that gives cause for some reflection on all aspects of

the current business and it was very apparent that we had many people with a lot more to offer Host than was being utlised in their current roles.”

Adds Taylor: “It is fantastic to have a depth of team that allows us to see so many people step up to take on more of the day to day management of the agency. An agency is a constantly evolving entity and the opportunity to inject some new enthusiasm and experience into the management line up is essential to keeping us at the top of our game.”

Says Shaw: “This is a great agency full of really talented people, determined to create ambitious ideas. I feel really privileged to be helping to shape the second generation of Host.”