Carrasco to depart ECD gig at Mojo Auckland
CB Exclusive (updated) – CB can reveal that Rebecca Carrasco, the ECD of Mojo Auckland, who has only been in the job since June, is leaving the agency on Friday to return to Sydney for personal reasons.
“Given the inherent potential at Mojo Auckland and some fantastic people right around the company, this was a tough decision for me to make, but I am compelled to come home,” says Carrasco.
Back in Sydney, Carrasco will continue with her position on AWARD’s Executive Committee and her PhD in Ideas at UTS.
The highly awarded Carrasco, who replaced Steve McKenzie in the ECD role, startedher career at Colenso BBDO New Zealand in 2003, employed by then ECDMike O’Sullivan after taking out YoungGun of the Year in 2003.
Latershe followed O’Sullivan to Saatchi’s NZ. In 2005 she transferred toSaatchi & Saatchi Sydney, hired by then ECD David Nobay. In 2006she left to set up a PhD on the power of ideas in public communication, and later that year decided to join Lowe Hunt, Sydney, where she met creative director Dejan Rasic. In May 2007 she joined him and Lowe Hunt CEO Ben Colman to form CRC.
Carrasco’s international awards tally includes a United Nations Awardand the Asia Pacific Child Rights Award for her MTV Exit Foundationcampaign, which featured anti-trafficking music videos for bands suchas Radiohead and The Killers. Her work has been recognized with goldmedals at Cannes, One Show Entertainment, One Show, Clio, New YorkFestivals and AWARD. She has also been awarded at The Andys, D&AD,and the London Internationals. Locally, her MTV (Welcome Snoop) workachieved Campaign of the Year at the B&T Awards and AWARD, as wellas the AWARD Client of the Year. In 2008, her own agency was namedAdNews’ Emerging Agency of the Year.
She has been invited to judge Agency of the Year Awards for AdNews,B&T, Australian Creative, and Fairfax Media Marketing. She has beenon juries at The Andys, Clios, New York Festivals, LondonInternationals, YoungGuns, and AWARD. She is on the AWARD ExecutiveCommittee and is co-head of AWARD School. She has addressed TheCaxtons, PADC, and the Youth Marketing Forum.
Her clients have included MTV, MTV Exit, Barclays, iShares, Cerebos,Premium Beverages, BMW Mini, NZ Telecom, Sky City, Tip Top,Masterfoods, Toyota, Frucor, TVNZ, and TV3. She is undertaking a PhD inideas at the University of Technology, Sydney.
23 Comments
Wow! Hope all is OK. A big loss for Mojo.
Will be good to have you back in OZ.
You’re bigger than mojo bec. Good move
Another big announcement, another ecd lasts less than 3 months.
How farked is this industry.
Is there a Mojo curse?
When did it start?
Word is they are merging with Saatchi.
Satchmo?
Satchmo! I love it. Regarding the turnabout, hopefully it’s nothing serious. But seeing her track record over the past decade, it’s seems she can’t stay in one place for very long. Not a bad thing, but what does that say about her ability in building up a place?
In any case, wish her well in her next move.
Yes, 2.22 there is an elephant in the room. Shan’t mention any names as it wouldn’t be fair to er oops – you know who I mean!
5.51 yeah, I’ve noticed that does seem to be the way of it for the likes of Bowman, Burton, DiLialo, Benjamin, Carrasco, seems a lot of good creative types move around, But as for building a place, that’s what she did at CRC…
You know it’s got nothing to do with mojo. It’s all the rain. Have you spent anytime in Auckland during winter? It’s only good for vampires.
Great to have you back, hope its nothing too serious bringing you home though. I’d love to work with you again. Sx
Sydney annual rainfall 1217mm, Auckland annual rainfall 1240mm. It’s that 23mm extra that did it.
What’s the real story? Christ I’m sick of spin.
That’s quite a few gigs in 5 years for her. There has to be a bigger story!
Paul, some people move around some don’t. No big story in that. Especially if you look at the moves – Celenso to Saatchi with Mike and Toby, Lowe to CRC was Dejan. I’ve worked with Bec and if I was going to move shops I’d want her to come with me. She is hard working and a real talent.
A PhD in Ideas? Okay, that for me falls into the same catergory as the ‘Buffy: the vampire slayer’ Masters Programme in a UK university, and the more recent, ‘Harry Potter’ university course. A PhD in Ideas – how absurd! I’m doing a PhD in Wargamming – now that’s an education!
Which Sydney agency has not only just fired its ECD, but also has a connection to Carrasco?
11:15 PM
I’m not sure if you would even get into the Certificate of Dumb Ass. She isn’t doing a PhD in ideas. It’s a PhD on the role of an idea in public communication. It may just help solve the problem we are having getting clients to understand that an idea is what will sell their product. It’s the remedy to Brand Power.
2:57, not sure what you are talking about.
Bec, will be good to see you back in Sydney. I’ll put the kettle on.
By my count she’s done 3 moves in 7 years…Colenso to Saatchi (nz and syd), Saatchi to Lowe which turned into CRC, and then to Mojo…..so 2 before Mojo. Huge controversy in that.
Glad to have you back Rebecca.