After eight years with Whybin\TBWA Melbourne chief executive Andrew Scott decides to move on; agency MD Kimberlee Wells to take CEO role

CB Exclusive – After eight years with the Whybin\TBWA Melbourne office, CEO, Andrew Scott has decided to move on from the agency. As a result, current managing director Kimberlee Wells will take on the CEO role.

In what Andrew ‘Scotty’ Scott openly jokes about as “perhaps the most clichéd reason possible” he is “looking for a new challenge”.

In a 25 year career spanning New Zealand, Australia and the United Kingdom, Scott has earned a solid reputation for building shops into creative power houses– doubling staff numbers, doubling revenue and facilitating award winning creative departments.   

Says chairman of the Whybin\TBWA Group, Scott Whybin: “Scotty is a builder. He always has been. Perhaps it’s that entrepreneurial kiwi thing, but Andrew is happiest when the business has almost unreasonable plans for rapid growth ahead of it. He did it with FCB from ’99 to 2004. When he left that agency, it was in great shape. He did it with Saatchi’s in New Zealand with Mike O’Sullivan and Rocky. During that period, they won everything under the sun. He’s not only one of the best CEOs I’ve ever worked with. He’s also one of my best friends. Of course, I’m unhappy about him leaving but I truly understand and respect his personal reasons for doing so.”

In his eight years at Whybin, Andrew has guided the agency through its most rapid expansion and a re-focus of its creative work.

During his tenure, staff numbers went from 38 to 110; revenue more than doubled, winning major clients such as ANZ Bank, McCain and Medibank; and the agency has seen a surge in local creative rankings and creative awards, including top prizes at international shows. Recently the Melbourne Whybin office was awarded Best Asia Pacific Agency at the New York Festivals.  

In the past four years, working alongside Scott Whybin, Andrew reshaped the agency with key leadership appointments, such as bringing in Paul Reardon as executive creative director, Mike Napolitano as lead of the Nissan business, and general manager, Ricci Meldrum to run the ANZ business throughout Asia Pacific and Kimberlee Wells (left) as managing director.  

Of his move, Andrew Scott says simply, “I’m a builder. I don’t like standing sentry duty. My job here is done. I’m ready for the next one.”

Says Whybin\TBWA regional CEO Paul Bradbury: “The difference Scotty has made to the Melbourne office over the last 8 years is incredible. In the last 12 months he’s been working on a transition plan to ensure that this difference will be felt for years to come.”  

Within Andrew Scott’s transition plan comes the announcement of Mike Napolitano moving up to become managing director and Kimberlee Wells moving from managing director into the role of CEO.

“This is great news for us,” says Whybin. “Mike Napolitano has been fantastic in his role as head of the Nissan business. He’ll continue that role, but now we’re also putting his great leadership skills to further use as our managing director.”

Whybin says Wells “carries the hallmarks of a truly modern CEO — smart, strong willed, with a background in digital and direct marketing, she brings a unique blend of strategy, data and technology to the table. Kimberlee shares, as we all do, a genuine love for big, brave campaigns that make brands famous.”