Bullfrog’s Matilda Hobba, Simon Bagnasco + Alex Speakman to depart agency to start new venture
Bullfrog partners Simon Bagnasco, Alex Speakman and Matilda Hobba have confirmed that the trio will depart the independent creative business to start a new venture with more to be revealed later this month.
Hobba (above middle) joined Bullfrog in February last year as its first managing director after stepping away from the industry for a period of time to focus on other pursuits. Both Bagnasco and Speakman joined the business in May last year.
Speakman (above right), partner and chief strategy officer at Bullfrog joined the business after 11 years with Saatchi & Saatchi. He was previously chief strategy officer and whilst at Saatchi & Saatchi, helped found the Melbourne office.
Prior to Bullfrog, Bagnasco (above left) was head of creativity at Saatchi & Saatchi having joined the business in 2017.
Whilst at Saatchi & Saatchi, Speakman and Bagnasco played pivotal roles in driving the success of the Saatchi & Saatchi brand in Australia. In 2022 – off the back of work for the Royal Australian Mint and Toyota – WARC’s World Creative Rankings named Saatchi & Saatchi the most awarded agency in APAC and the 7th worldwide. Bagnasco was also ranked #1 ECD in Asia Pacific Region by One Club Global Rankings.
In a collective statement, Speakman, Bagnasco and Hobba told CB: ‘The three of us have always wanted to create our own thing, and it felt like the right time to do just that. We can’t reveal any details about our new company at this moment, but will do so on the 22nd of April when we start trading. We wish the team at Bullfrog all the best and look forward to watching their future success.”
11 Comments
Four partners gone in twelve months – what’s happening over there?
I feel like I’ve seen that photo before, but someone else was standing on the left.
Go you Good Things!
Why buy into an agency your planning on leaving. Something just not adding up here
Didn’t think this would turn out well.
Never understood the hype in the first place.
Bullfrog keeps losing people – at all seniorities – and seems to have a pretty high turnover of clients, too. No recent pitch wins either.
The comment that this was planned and amicable makes no sense considering they were apparently partners and the initial announce was all about long term value.
Turns out you can’t believe all the PR hype.
Something’s muddying the pond.
Hmm – hopping from one partnership to another in quick succession. Hope the next venture doesn’t croak.