After three years in the role Saatchi & Saatchi Australia ECD Rebecca Carrasco set to depart early next year to complete her PhD
Campaign Brief can reveal that Saatchi & Saatchi Sydney executive creative director will depart early next year to complete her PhD, after three years in the role. Saatchi’s chief creative officer Mike Spirkovski will step in to work more closely with Saatchi & Saatchi’s line up of Creative Directors in Sydney – Michael Barnfield, Sam Chappell, Piero Ruzzene and Flavio Fonseca.
Carrasco first joined Saatchi & Saatchi in 2018 in the role of deputy executive creative director and was promoted to ECD in August last year.
In 2015, Carrasco moved on from her role as creative director at Clemenger BBDO Sydney to become head of creative shop for Facebook & Instagram, Australia and New Zealand. Prior to Clemenger, Carrasco was co-founder and executive creative director at Colman Rasic Carrasco.
Says Anthony Gregorio, CEO, Saatchi & Saatchi Australia: “Rebecca is a true professional and an amazing person, and we’re sad to see her go. Her commitment to her PhD in identifying the value that creative ideas make to business means we can still take advantage of her brilliant mind in the future. We wish her all the best.”
Adds Spirkovski: “I personally want to thank Bec for the contribution she has made to Saatchi & Saatchi as ECD, helping to manage the creative department over the last three years. I know everyone at the agency will miss her dearly and will want to thank her individually, so we’re grateful to have Bec with us until the end of the year.”
Says Carrasco: “I’ve really enjoyed working alongside some great clients and colleagues at Saatchi, and in The Neighbourhood, but I’ve long-held a plan to return to my PhD on ‘The Value of Creative Ideas’, and with so much change in our industry, now is the time to finish it. I thank Spirko, Ant and Mike Rebelo for all the opportunities over the past few years, and for being supportive of my decision. I hope our paths cross again when it’s done.”
16 Comments
Nice move Bec. You will be missed. I guess this will make you a Doctor of Ideas – God knows we need one.
Don’t go!
But if you have to, at least come back when you’re done.
Interesting to zig when everyone is zagging. A PHD on ideas is a good move.
Start a Uni course on Ideas. Then make it compulsory for every up-and-coming marketer to attend.
Advertising is part of marketing. It’s one of the tactics, you know, the last P of the four Ps. Did you think you were a florist or something?
ok cool. cool cool cool.
I hope you get to finish it this time Bec. It’s a nice idea that will be well worth the time.
One of the best – fighting the good fight for the sake of the industry.
Last I checked ‘ideas’ and ‘advertising’ weren’t the same thing.
Would we say the world is short of ads?
I’d assume no.
Would we say the world is short of ideas in ads?
Hard to disagree.
It’s like light and day when you work with a client who actually gets ideas vs the rest who can’t be bothered – can speak the language, knows they need to be crafted and how to structure their explanation. But most importantly, how they can and should impact decision making once bought into.
Yes, please teach marketers about ideas.
Already a creative more learned than most. Good for you Bec.
Well said, Sir/Madam.
Those of us who intuitively understand what an idea is have always found it difficult to co-exist with those who don’t.
It’s particularly frustrating dealing with those people, who are often and usually persuing other agendas and see things like style and superficial imagery as relevant and important.
The fact that there’s an abundance of the latter in advertising is evidence of this self-evident truth.
Gutsy and/or crazy (ballsy doesn’t work for obvious reasons)
Must feel pretty good.
One of the best. You will be missed Bec but hope to cross paths on the other side.
Congrats Bec. Massive respect.
Anyone who’s worked for you knows you were always going to do something unique. Typical of you that it’s not the typical upward scramble. This is much more interesting, it’s actually a big idea. Can’t wait to see what you do with this Bec.
Go and get some Bec.
Big loss for Saatchi but good for the industry. We need more people in positions of influence to help good ideas live. But let’s be honest, you just want everyone to call you Doctor Carrasco.