R/GA London appoints Aussie expat Simon Wassef to the role of group strategy director

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simon_colour.jpgR/GA London has announced the appointment of Aussie expat Simon Wassef (left) as group strategy director.

A strategic leader with 15 years’ industry experience in Australia and Europe, Wassef joins the agency from SID LEE Amsterdam, where he held the role of head of strategy.

In this newly formed role, Wassef will initially be responsible for leading the overarching strategic vision for R/GA London’s entire portfolio of Nike, which encompasses all digital brand categories in Western Europe, including  Nike Football, Women’s, Running, Sportswear, Basketball and Men’s Athlete Training. In alignment with R/GA’s new model of combining business transformation, product and service innovation, and communications for the Connected Age. Wassef will also be working with strategy and planning teams across R/GA’s global network to further evolve the discipline. He will report into Drew Burdon, VP executive strategy director, and insights & planning.

Says Wassef: “This is an interesting and exciting time in the evolution of R/GA London as a global creative force. Their last 12 months shows what happens when simplistic labels like ‘digital’ or ‘integrated’ are shed in favour of ideas that reflect how people and culture really work.

“For me, strategy has to play a big part in that evolution, namely, to accelerate it. It’s on the strategy team to offer up broader, deeper and more unexpected ways in, to help the team make more of the things that grow businesses and that people simply love.”

Wassef’s hire is in alignment with R/GA’s new global approach to strategy, and he will be working closely with the strategy and planning teams across R/GA’s global network to further evolve the discipline and ensure that it continues to meet the rapidly changing needs of the agency’s clients. Simon’s new role will see him as a key part in R/GA London’s three strategic functions; planning, analytics and business transformation.

For nearly fifteen years, Wassef has been producing work that works at some of the world’s best agencies, joining R/GA London from SID LEE, where he held the role of head of strategy. In this role he was responsible for overseeing strategic and creative output for Absolut Vodka, Under Armour, Standard Life, Microsoft, Coca-Cola and Red Bull. Prior to SID LEE he worked as planning director and senior account planner at Droga5 Sydney and AKQA London respectively. Wassef won the inaugural Australian Effie Grand Prix in 2009 for the ‘Pinkie’ campaign for the Roads and Maritime Services of New South Wales, while also winning gold (Hahn Premium Light) and bronze (Campbell’s) awards at the Australian Effies. Wassef has also been awarded by the APG in Australia, for Cadbury Boost and in the UK for Heineken Star Player and Nigella Quick Collection.