PHD Sydney promotes strategy director Mitch Long to the position of head of strategy
PHD has promoted Mitch Long to head of strategy for its Sydney office, tasking him with the responsibility for leading the agency’s continued development of its strategic product and process across all accounts.
Long joined PHD as an intern seven years ago and has swiftly climbed the ranks over the years, having worked in investment planning before realising his passion for strategy, having served as strategy director since 2015. Long brings a wealth of experience to his new role, having worked across the Unilever, PepsiCo, VW and Google businesses at the agency. Having led the teams to win a slew of global and local awards for its clients over the years, he will ensure the agency continues to highlight and celebrate its best work across all accounts going forwards. Long himself was named among B&T’s ’30 under 30′ in 2018 and has set a record for the fastest progression to head of strategy across the global PHD network.
Long will head up a growing team and report into chief strategy officer, Stewart Gurney.
Says Gurney: “We are extremely proud to able to promote Mitch to head of strategy for Sydney. His strategic capabilities are paralleled only by his razor-sharp wit and talent for conveying meaning through GIFs. Mitch is one of the most talented strategists in Australia, his unique ability to add empathy and human insight to business problems and solutions is truly remarkable and has been instrumental to PHD’s growth. I am excited to see how Mitch will grow our strategic product in Sydney and cement our position as one of the most strategically led agencies in the market.”
Says Long: “Since my first day as an intern, PHD has remained a place where I’ve been both inspired and encouraged by smart people, doing smart things… there’s a lot of lovely people there too. I’m really grateful to have had the opportunity to grow with the business over the past seven years, and look forward to continue elevating our strategic product for our clients.”
The promotion is effective immediately.
9 Comments
a fast move up the ladder does not mean you’re the best. It means you are missing the correct learning steps. Oh Australia will you ever understand how it should work!
And equally, time in the trenches doesn’t make your perspective automatically better (though it isn’t worthless, either).
If you’re good enough, you’re old enough. Shame that doesn’t seem to be the prevailing attitude in Aus.
@Good for him, however
Do you even know Mitch ?
How about you go talk with his clients, he is brilliant and this is great move by PHD.
Strategy director promoted to head of strategy? ok
Well done to the guy tho
He’s ten.
Strategicially, what’s his point of reference – the latest/worst promo on the Cartoon Network – the rise and fall on Zanderbergism? What utter bollocks.
If you’re so well read, you’ll know that David Droga was an ECD and Partner at OMON at the age of 22. I don’t remember anyone commenting that he was too young; it’s now just evidence of his brilliance. If you’re good enough, you’re old enough. And who the F*** are you to jump on here and shit on someone you don’t know at the moment they’re promoted? How bitter is that? You ARE the poison.
Mitch you are clearly a faster learner, more mature and smarter individual than the old stock who published the nasty non required posts above. Jealousy is a sad curse.
Congratulations Mitch and best of luck, you deserve this promotion.
Let you be judged by your award winning work, and long list of happy clients not the sad bunch of people who seem to think being 30 and successful is a sin. I’m old enough to have been taught that if you have nothing nice to say then say nothing at all. Or simply concentrate on trying to achieve half of what Mitch has in his life.
WTF is wrong with some of you people? Well done to the guy. I don’t know you but it sounds like you are doing a grand job and deserve every success. ‘Well read…’ – wise up. A. What do you know? B. Is it really that important to your life?
Some of the comments here are both unfounded and ridiculous. I don’t know the guy but what a great story and a great move by a great agency for someone they consider to be great talent. That’s the basis of all this.
People develop at different rates and in an industry where everything is changing and changing quickly, it’s going to be knowledge, ability and adaptability that beats experience every single time. Your 20 years of experience in buying TV isn’t going to help you navigate the complicated strategic requirements of today’s’ marketing.