Matt Eastwood promoted to chief creative officer of DDB New York – replaces Eric Silver

CB Exclusive – In a major step-up in the DDB world, Matt Eastwood, the national executive creative director and deputy chairman of DDB Australia has been promoted to chief creative officer of DDB’s New York office,taking up the role at the end of the year.

Eastwood (left) will be replacing Eric Silver, who has been a year and a half in the role. Silver will be moved elsewhere in the network.

Eastwood told CB: “It’s not often that you get to leave a job that you absolutely love, to go to a job that you’re equally as excited about. But, after having lived in New York for four years, it’s definitely in my veins. So, I’m thrilled to have another chance to live and work there. Right now, however, it’s very hard to say goodbye. I have an amazing creative department around me, probably the best I’ve ever worked with. In many cases we are both colleagues and friends. The next few months of farewells is going to be tough.”

Eastwood is no stranger to the States, having a short stint as chief creative officer of Y&R New York for a year during 2004/05. Before Y&R, he was chairman and executive creative director at the New York office of M&C Saatchi. Prior to that, he held creative posts at M&C’s offices in Melbourne and London. Originally from Perth, he has held senior writer gigs at JMA Perth and Saatchi & Saatchi, Sydney.

Says Marty O’Halloran, DDB group chairman & CEO of DDB Australiaand New Zealand: “Matt has been an instrumental figure at DDB Sydneyover the last four years, guiding the agency to win countless awardsand accolades, including AdNews Creative Network of the Year,Australian Creative Hotshop and Campaign Brief Agency of the Year.Matt’s passion for the industry has resulted in pioneering work acrosssome of DDB’s biggest brands including McDonald’s, Telstra and TourismAustralia.”

“On top of these achievements, Matt leaves behind an enviable line-up ofcreative talent that will ensure DDB continues to push the benchmarkwithin the industry. Key figures including creative director MarkHarricks, creative director for McDonald’s Adam Rose, digital CD MattGrogan and award winning senior team Steve Wakelam and Grant McAloon,ensuring DDB goes from strength to strength and remains one of theadvertising powerhouses both in Australia and globally.”

Adds Eastwood: “The past four and a half years at DDB Australiahas been an experience I will never forget. We’ve won many, many Agencyof the Year awards, watched the business grow in size and strength andhave done some incredible work for our clients. I’ve also had thepleasure of working alongside one of the best management and creativeteams I’ve ever met.

“When I met with Senior Management at DDB New York, I was thrilled todiscover how similar our culture and values actually were. DDB is aglobal family, and I am both excited and humbled that DDB has honouredme with the opportunity to help shape the creative product at DDB NewYork, our head office.”

O’Halloran is now working alongside DDB group managing director,Chris Brown, undertaking a detailed recruitment process to find thebest talent in the market. For the next three months Eastwood will remain inSydney in his current role to ensure a smooth transition.

Says Brown: “Obviously we are sad to see Matt leave but are proudhis achievements here in Australia have been recognized globally. Weare now looking for the right person who can build upon this. One ofthe benefits of moving within the network means we can manage thetransition properly and are currently undertaking a rigorousrecruitment process to look for exactly the right creative leader forthe agency and our clients; we won’t be making any hasty hires. We arelooking for a leader that will continue to inspire the wealth ofcreative talent at DDB as well as put their own stamp on the agency andensure that we continue to be at the top of our field.”