M&C Saatchi Australia snares Leo Burnett ‘s Andy DiLallo for chief creative officer role

M&C Saatchi Australia has pulled off the creative coup of the year, snaring Andy DiLallo from the chief creative officer gig at Leo Burnett to the newly created role of chief creative officer.

DiLallo, one of the most awarded creative directors in the region, has been at Leo Burnett for eight years, joining as joint ECD (together with Jay Benjamin, his creative partner at the time) in April 2008 from Saatchi & Saatchi New Zealand.

DiLallo is one of Australia’s most celebrated Creative Directors. After arriving in Australia only 11 years ago, his volume of awarded work can only be described as extraordinary and has him ranked the fifth ‘Top Chief Creative Officer’ in the world.

The appointment will enable Tom McFarlane, who remains as M&C Saatchi Regional Creative Director, to focus on key business within the agency’s global network which has undergone significant recent growth.

Ben Welsh will continue as Executive Creative Director across the expanding M&C Saatchi Group in Sydney while Paul Taylor will continue as ECD of the growing Melbourne office.

Says McFarlane: “After searching locally and internationally for over 12 months, Andy remained our target. His creative credentials, leadership experience and global perspective made him the perfect candidate for the job.

“With CEO Jaimes Leggett now well and truly settled in and doing a remarkable job, along with Chief Strategy Officer Justin Graham, now is the perfect time to step up a gear creatively.

“Together Andy, Jaimes and Justin [pictured left] will be a powerful partnership, and nobody knows better than me the value of a strong agency partnership – having been privileged to work side-by-side with Tom Dery for over 20 years building M&C Saatchi into one of the most successful agencies in Australia.”

Adds Leggett: “Andy is world class. His creative record speaks for itself. With the talent we have in the agency and the clients on our roster, I have no doubt that Andy will take the work to another level.”

Says DiLallo: “I believe the only thing to fear is complacency. Change is something to embrace. The time has come for me to change direction, but not course.  M&C Saatchi is one of the great Australian advertising brands, hugely respected among both clients and peers.  I’m ready to help Jaimes and Justin lead M&C Saatchi as they continue to grow and shape Australia’s biggest brands.

“Our industry has never been more progressive and M&C Saatchi is perfectly positioned to help lead the way.”

Says Pete Bosilkovski, Managing Director, Leo Burnett Sydney: “Andy has been an important part of our team for a long time and while we’ll certainly miss him, we’re also thrilled for his next move. Change brings new opportunity for the company and with succession planning already in place, we’re excited about the new creative chapter it opens.”

 Andy DiLallo career highlights:

– 5th on Big Won rankings of Word’s Top Chief Creative Officers

– More than 1,000 local and international awards, including:

– 51 Cannes Lions, including

– 6 International Grand Prix

– 20 One Show Pencils

– 100+ AWARD Pencils

– Acceptance into the CLIO Hall of Fame.

– His work on WWF Earth Hour, resulted in the largest mass-participation event in history, recognised by UN.

Prior to Leo Burnett, DiLallo and Benjamin (the latter is now chief creative officer of Saatchi’s New York) were joint executive creative directors of JWT Sydney after joining as deputy CDs in December 2006 from senior positions at Saatchi & Saatchi New Zealand. Before their NZ stint, the pair were brought out to Australia by Saatchi & Saatchi, Sydney in 2003, hired by then ECD David Nobay, who was their boss at Bozell, New York.

Benjamin and DiLallo played a big role in five Campaign Brief Agency of the Year titles during their five year stint at Saatchi’s both in Sydney and Auckland.