End of era as DDB Sydney moves out of Ultimo into Clemenger BBDO’s Walsh Bay office
After more than 20 years DDB Sydney has vacated its Mountain Street, Ultimo office to move into Clemenger BBDO’s Walsh Bay office next week. CB understands the combined businesses will officially become Clemenger BBDO on January 1.
John Lam, Creative Partner at DDB Remedy, has shared a photo of the now-empty DDB building on Mountain Street in Ultimo with the simple note:
“Today we say farewell to the DDB name and to the offices in Mountain Street, Ultimo. Thanks for the memories.”
Former DDB National Creative Director Matt Eastwood, now based in New York, sent CB this note: “DDB was like a family to me. I spent almost 12 years with this amazing group of people. And my days in Ultimo were particularly memorable. It truly was like lightning in a bottle. Some of the most incredibly talented people all working together at the same time.
“We were agency of the year every year I was there. And, as Bill Bernbach always said, you had to be both talented and nice to work at DDB. That couldn’t have been more true than of the team at DDB Sydney.
“I eventually went onto lead creative at the global head office in New York, so it feels incredibly sad to say goodbye to this iconic brand. But I will carry forever the memories of this amazing group of people.
Former DDB Australia CCO Ben Welsh, now based in regional Victoria, commented: “Crazy. So many great people, ideas and memories, good luck everyone.”
The farewell follows Omnicom’s announcement that it would merge DDB Australia with Clemenger BBDO to form a single national agency, bringing together two of Australia’s most storied creative brands under one banner.
According to the original announcement, the merged agency will operate across key offices in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane, with leadership drawn from both legacy brands. The strategic goal is to create a more cohesive national offering for clients, aligning creative, strategy and production under one unified structure while simplifying go‑to‑market delivery across Australia.
