Ben Kidney returns to Australia; lured from RG/A NYC to helm of Ogilvy Melbourne’s digital team
Adding further grunt to its established digital capabilities, Ogilvy Australia has lured Ben Kidney back to Australia from RG/A New York to join the agency as head of digital, Melbourne.
Kidney brings more than 11 years of digital experience, across the client service, production, digital media buying and strategy fields to the role. He has been tasked with further building Ogilvy’s expanding digital offering, and starts on December 15. His appointment follows the announcement in September that Ogilvy had acquired leading digital agency Bullseye, adding more than 100 staff to its digital team.
At RG/A New York, Kidney worked as executive producer, taking on the role as account and production lead for several Nike digital brand categories including Global Golf, North American Football, and Men’s Athletic Training. In the past 18 months he was responsible for building and maintaining the categories digital ecosystem and platforms in addition to overall consumer brand experience and maximising Nike’s exposure at key sporting moments like the 2013 Superbowl, the 2014 US Masters, key product launches and events.
“I’m excited to be returning to Australia and be part of what I believe to be the best talent in the country here at Ogilvy,” says Kidney. “I was immediately drawn to Ogilvy’s ethos of placing the consumer need at the centre of the experience and addressing creative and channel considerations from that point.”
Ogilvy & Mather Melbourne general manager Michael McEwan said Kidney’s appointment teamed with the acquisition of Bullseye put Ogilvy Australia in a market-leading position. “We searched far and wide to find the right mix of experience and fit for Ogilvy and this role. Ben is a highly respected digital leader, with terrific local and international experience building teams, businesses and leading clients,” he said.
Added David Fox, CEO of Ogilvy Australia: “We’re thrilled that someone with Ben’s experience is joining the Ogilvy team to further expand our digital capabilities. He’ll be leading an outstanding team and am sure will make real impact on its future growth.”