303 MullenLowe Perth promotes Al Taylor to chairman role + Derry Simpson to group MD

303 MullenLowe has made a number of changes to its leadership line-up in its Perth office with the creation of a new executive management team, Derry Simpson being elevated to group managing director and Al Taylor stepping into the role of chairman.

Simpson (pictured center), Taylor (left) and the agency’s executive creative director Richard Berney (right) will together front the agency’s leadership group.

Says Nick Cleaver, national CEO: “We are delighted to announce a restructured and strengthened management  line-up. We are very fortunate to have such a strong collection of very talented senior people who are passionate and committed to the business and have a clear and united vision for where the business is heading.”

In addition to Simpson, Taylor and Berney, the 303 MullenLowe executive management team will comprise Todd Baker, John Linton, Paul Larking, Brad Hyde, Peter Liddell and Mike Naylor representing a broad range of disciplines in the agency.

Says Cleaver: “With regard to Derry and Al, their roles are an acknowledgement of their amazing contributions and their importance to our ongoing business success. The move really reflects what they have been doing over the last couple of years. Derry has been very much running the day to day business and Al has been much more focused on the development of business and brand and it has been working brilliantly.”

Says Taylor: “I am absolutely delighted for the team as it is a great  testament to their capabilities, passion and dedication. The communications business is evolving rapidly demanding we be so much more agile, entrepreneurial and opportunistic. I am really excited by what this new line-up allows us to do in that context and what that ultimately means for our clients and the business.

“As for Derry, well she is one of the most gifted people I have ever worked with and having her capabilities harnessed to drive the business just makes a lot of sense.”

As part of the changes, Linton’s strategic talent and valuable contribution have been recognised by his promotion to planning director and Brad Hyde will fill the newly created role of head of analytics and business intelligence as part of a bolstering of the business’s strategic capabilities.

Says Simpson: “Analytics is becoming a vital and valuable addition to our offering. The ability to deliver quantifiable creative solutions and monitor and evaluate work in real-time is something our entire agency has readily embraced.

“303 has a brilliant culture and a 27-year long legacy of creating big,  integrated brand ideas. But it also has a wonderful group of young, clever, passionate people who are all part of actively shaping what the agency will achieve in our next 10 years. We’ve had some amazing talent join us recently and it’s pushing us to do things differently. Social media strategy, analytics, content production, and PR are all areas of investment for us.”

“I know I have some big shoes to fill but it’s a really exciting time to be stepping in to the role of group managing director. With Al as chairman, an ECD as talented as Richard, and an exceptionally strong management team in place, I feel incredibly excited and humbled by the opportunity.”