Levi Slavin promoted to creative director at Colenso BBDO, Steve Clark joins as planner

ColensoBBDO, Auckland has promoted Aussie expat Levi Slavin to creative director and lured SteveClark to the role of Strategic Planner from a strategic planning rolewith Mojo.

Slavin has been promoted less than six months after he returned to Colenso as deputy CD from Saatchi & Saatchi London, joining fellow Colenso CDs Steve Cochran and Aaron Turk.

SaysColenso ECD Nick Worthington: “It’s great to have Levi on board; he hasbeen here less than six months and is already making a huge difference.”

Slavin, an Aussie originally from Marketforce Perth, worked at Colenso in 2006, andleft a legacy of iconic work like Trumpet ‘Undies’ and thelaunch of Frank soft drink. He then moved to Saatchi & SaatchiAuckland and has spent the last two years at Saatchi & SaatchiLondon, working on campaigns for T-Mobile, Carlsberg, P&G andCadbury.  Most recently he completed the first global campaign inGuinness’ history, working with director Antoine Bardou-Jacquet on acampaign that has run in USA, China, Africa, Ireland and the UK.

Clark started in the advertising business in the mid 80’s in London atLowe Howard Spink in the days when Frank Lowe and Geoff Howard Spinkran the business and Lowe was a creative powerhouse.

Havingworked for 4 years as a media planner he jumped at the chance to joinBBH as a media manager in 1990, working on Levis, Shell and G shock andwinning awards for work in TV, Outdoor and print. He progressed throughthe ranks to become a group media director.

When BBH openedtheir own media agency in the late 90’s, Clark became a foundingpartner looking after their biggest accounts One2One, Cadbury TreborBassett, WHSmith and Levis.

By 2001 he felt that it was timefor a break so took what was to be a year off to travel the world. Oneyear quickly became nearly four before Clark rejoined the world ofadvertising, and established channel planning at Mojo.  For the lastyear he has been working in strategic planning at Mojo under MartinYeoman.

Clark’s move from Mojo to Colenso will see him workingalongside his good mate and former colleague, Colenso BBDO ECD NickWorthington, who he used to work with at Mojo and BBH London.

Says Colenso BBDO planning director James Hurman: “Luckily for me,Steve’s stepped out of channel specialisation and into the broaderplanning world. But his unique pedigree in channel planning does makehim a brilliant compliment to the planning team and to the creativeprocess.”

Says Clark: “Colenso is a recognised leader of innovative, creativecomms and an agency that likes to push the boundaries.  It’s anexciting place, creating great work that’s recognised around the world.”