Saatchi & Saatchi Sydney snares Taxi Toronto’s Jason Lonsdale for head of planning role
Hot on the heels of the appointment of Damon Stapleton as ECD, Saatchi & Saatchi Australia CEO Michael Rebelo has lured long-standing planning partner Jason Lonsdale to join his leadership team as Executive Planning Director at the Sydney agency.
Kiwi expat Lonsdale worked closely with Rebelo at London’s Charlotte Street where in his capacity as International Planning Director, he was the pan-European strategic lead on T-Mobile’s multi-award winning ‘Life’s for Sharing’ campaign. Prior to that Lonsdale was global planning director at RKCR/Y&R on Land Rover and LG.
Earlier this year, Lonsdale moved to acclaimed Canadian creative hot shop TAXI as Head of Planning, but Rebelo’s call to arms proved “too good an opportunity to miss”.
Rebelo said in October that he would create a world-class creative and strategic partnership team to lead the agency.
“Getting Jason to lead the intellectual output of Saatchi & Saatchi is nothing short of a coup’. We’ve made some great and effective work together in the past and we share similar points of view on where the role of planning can make the biggest difference to our clients. Coupled with Damon joining, I feel nothing but optimism about our future.”
After a spell in the music industry, Lonsdale started his advertising career at Colenso BBDO, Auckland where he was responsible for brands such as MINI, Pepsi and Mars as well as the successful re-launch of Air New Zealand.
Lonsdale says he is looking forward to returning to his spiritual home at Saatchi & Saatchi, and to the antipodean advertising industry where his career began.
“I started at Colenso BBDO and I’m excited about returning to that part of the world. Mike and I work incredibly well together, and Damon’s reputation is second-to-none, so the chance to join them in transforming the Sydney agency was pretty irresistible. All three of us are dedicated to kick-ass creative work, and I can’t wait to get started.” says Lonsdale.
Lonsdale will join Rebelo and Stapleton in his new role on February 1, 2012.
15 Comments
Anamorphic Nobby.
Congrats Jason. And best of luck with your aspect ratio.
he looks like me.
Welcome Jas. Will be good to have you in Sydney.
‘Snare’ is nice. Less worn-out than ‘lure’. Although that predictably makes an appearance.
Should be plenty more in the Thesaurus for next time, though.
This is going to be great amigo.
Will be great watching the episode where he is both lured and then snared, maybe he could then be snaffled and pinched in the next episode.
How many ECD’s, CEO’s and Head of Planning types can one agency have? Seriously every year its just roll out the next bunch.
I need to exercise more.
Peter: surely an agency needs one of each?
Nice to see Nobby back at The Rocks.
Same shit. Different spoon.
whilst your at it spending money at saatchi’s, get that pool table re covered and the legs levelled oh and the cues are shit too. Nah some good work will be coming out of Saatchi’s again soon.
FYI @ macca – the trusty saatchi pool table (a witness to scenes of debauchery over the years), has gone missing in action during the renovation. Word on the street is it might turn up at Leos, just like most of ex Saatchi employees.
Dirty Merc
You should check to see if anyone’s looking over your shoulder before you comment