After eight years executive planning director AI Crawford to depart Clemenger BBDO Sydney

After eight successful years at Clemenger BBDO Sydney, executive planning director AI Crawford has decided to leave the agency, effective April.

Says CEO Andy Pontin: “AI is one of the great characters of this industry. I’ve absolutely loved working with him and I reckon he’s made me belly laugh on every single day of the last 8 years. His intellect is phenomenal so however or wherever he chooses to apply that brain after a break will be a huge success. Hopefully it is  somewhere within the Clemenger and BBDO worlds.”

Under Crawford’s strategic leadership Clemenger BBDO Sydney has won multiple Effies, including the Grand Prix and Effectiveness Campaign of the Year, as well as being recognised at Cannes, D&AD, Spikes, Webby’s, Award and numerous other award shows.

Says Crawford: “I’ve had an awesome time at Clems, but before my aging brain turns to mush, I want to use my strategic nous to solve a different set of fiendish problems. Cheers to all my clients and colleagues that have made the good times massively outweigh the utterly rubbish ones. With Andy, Em, Ben and John at the helm, I know that Clems will go from strength to strength. Over and out.”

Crawford’s career has spanned stints at BMP DDB in London, Saatchi and Saatchi Sydney and DDB Sydney, where he was Head of Planning across the DDB Group, as well as being on the DDB Sydney board and the Planning Futures Group, the global thinktank for the DDB network. Crawford left DDB for Clemenger BBDO Sydney in July 2008.

Clemenger BBDO Sydney will announce a replacement in due course.