DDB Australia chief creative officer Ben Welsh steps down after five years with the agency
DDB Australia’s chief creative officer Ben Welsh has announced he will step down after five years in the role.
Says Welsh: “After five amazing, action-packed, never-a-dull-moment years with DDB, I’m going to call it a day.
“I’ve achieved everything I set out to do, thanks largely to the brilliant people I’ve had the pleasure of working with here, and there are so many things I want to do beyond.
“I’ve always believed in hiring people more talented than me, and then empowering them to do what they do best. I’m incredibly proud of this creative department and this agency. If we were in a position to have a farewell drink, I’d give each and every one of them a hug.”
Welsh joined DDB in 2016 from M&C Saatchi, where he spent almost 20 years as executive creative director, and then creative chair across Asia. It was a return to DDB for Welsh, whose first role in Australia after moving from the UK was as a senior copywriter at DDB Melbourne.
Over the past five years, the agency has been named Campaign Brief’s Agency of the Year, won a slew of new business, and created award-winning and brand-building work across the DDB client list, including Westpac’s Life Moments, Foxtel’s Grave of Thrones and, more recently, Volkswagen’s Walkinshaw Station, the Tiguan horror posters, and Golf Ad Break Championship.
Says Andrew Little, CEO and president, DDB Australia and New Zealand: “Ben is a wonderful leader, creative, and colleague, and I’m grateful for everything he’s done for DDB across the past five years. We wish him all the very best for the future.
“I’m looking forward to seeing the creative department continue to create big, clever, Unexpected Work for some of the most famous brands in the country.”
Welsh will finish up at the end of September, and a replacement will be announced soon.
56 Comments
an absolute gem in the agency, and as kind as you can imagine.
see ya soon, Ben!
Surely Accenture…
I spend 4 years working with Ben at DDB and I can honestly say that he is one of the smartest, sharpest and nicest people I’ve ever worked with. Big loss for DDB. Good luck for the next chapter, sir.
Best of luck Ben. Been a pleasure.
Cue collective tears from the whole department. We’ll miss you so much Ben!
One of the smartest and kindest people i’ve ever had the pleasure of working with. A brilliant leader, he will be sorely missed.
The next one better be very good.
One of the best. Can’t wait to see what you do next Ben.
It’s rare to find a driving force who’s happy to let others have the spotlight. What you did to help change the industry during your time at DDB didn’t go unnoticed. This industry needs more like you Ben.
The most talented and kindest man in the business. I very much look forward to seeing what you do next Ben.
The man with a beating heart on his sleeve.
The confidant. The friend. The myth. The master.
And never, anything, ever other than the nicest man in advertising.
Utterly lovely.
My good friend and fellow lover of words. (And not frightened to cry in presentations. A lot.)
of a man.
Talented, kind, generous, funny, clever and a joy to work with.
A true giant.
Lilliput are bereft
A class act.
Said he would come in, build DDB back up (post Telstra) and leave it for the next gen of leaders.
And he has done exactly that.
So many people in this industry have Ben Welsh to thank for discovering and/or nurturing their talent.
There’s more to Ben than being the Sam Neill of Advertising but it’s a pretty sweet tag.
Can’t wait to see you in your next role.
The best decision DDB ever made was hiring him. And it’s possibly the worst decision letting him go.
Absolute advertising legend!
Ben, you were an amazing boss.
Then an awesome friend.
Then a brilliant boss and friend.
Then back to awesome friend.
You’ve always had my back on both counts.
Along the way, I learned so much from you – loads about work, but just as much about how to be a first class human being.
How it’s not just what you do, but the way that you do it.
You changed my life – and I’m far from the only one.
See you soon x
A man so smart, so inspiring, and so bloody lovely that it inspired my first Campaign Brief comment.
Getting to know Ben was one of the best parts about working at DDB.
A leader like this is hard to find. A friend like this is even harder to find.
You deserve some wine above 20 this time.
Legend.
Good on you, matey. Your first comment.
Now get down in the sewer with the rest of us.
I genuinely hope Ben made the call. I suppose that’s why there’s been a barrage of press coverage building management up of late.
Wolfie
I’ve worked with so many different CD’s and ECD’s over the years – and can confidently state that no one in the industry has a heart like Ben; which if you’ve met him, you’d know too.
Besides all of the ground breaking, inspiring work he’s been responsible for at DDB, his greatest contribution in the office – and the entire industry – has been making the snarky advertising world a much nicer place to work.
Such impossible boots to fill.
Such a huge loss for DDB.
shocked to hear the news – after so much incredible work over the last few years. what’s next? can’t wait to see!
Ben, i will always be so grateful for your endless support and friendship during both stints at DDB. You are a true representation of “talented and nice” – cant wait to have that beer as soon as we can.
One of the absolute best and a huge loss for DDB. Learnt so much from this lovely man starting out and proud to call him a great friend today.
I’m sure the call was Ben’s. The guy is so deeply respected. I have no doubt it would have been planned out over the last year if not longer. Ben made tough calls on some people and had been waiting patiently for the right person to take charge. Well done Ben!
All the best amigo. It was a pleasure.
Nice to read overwhelmingly positive comments for a change. I met Ben once many years ago. He was well liked then and that doesn’t seem to have changed. Well done and good luck.
A gentleman and a scholar. In whatever’s next Ben, I wish you all the best.
Matt Eastwood 2006-2010
Dylan Harrison 2010-2014
Toby Talbot 2014-2016
Ben Welsh 2016-2021
You’ve omitted Tara Ford who was promoted to CCO Sept 2019
If memory serves me correct, Matt Eastwood and Dylan Harrison were never CCO’s.
Can’t wait to see what’s next. Watching this space.
Favourite ECD ever to work with ! Lucky to whomever gets Ben next!
One of the very best. May the road continue to rise for you, Mr Welsh.
Truly the kindest person in advertising.
Ben always made my work better, challenged me to think outside the box and made time to hear my ideas.
I feel privileged to have worked with him for the last three years.
Will miss our Avalon car pools BW!
L
Ben you are a divine human. Congratulations on all your great work at DDB and look forward to seeing what you do next.
Seen so much praise on this site, let alone for an ECD! All the best for the next gig, Ben!
Ben certainly is a legend of the industry not just for what he has put in here at DDB. With no Ben, no Mossy and no Damon, I hope there’s a plan. Or maybe this was all part of it.
Ben, you always made the work better and smarter. It was a joy to work with you. You are a true gentleman with a quick wit, a lovely turn of phrase and always available for a glass of good wine.
If you are a big agency with big brands call him.
He honed his skills on these accounts at M&C and applied them brilliantly to DDB’s complex list of automotive,finance,airline and retail clients.
He’s seasoned,senior and worldly.
Not many of ‘em around these days.
All the best Ben.
He won awards,won big clients,didnt lose any big clients and hired particularly well over his 5 year tenure.
Not much more a CCO can do.His replacement better be good.
Worked briefly with Ben as a client. A great guy who always pushed us creatively and always felt like we were in good hands. All the best.
Pissed off.
Who’s going to mind the children now dads gone?
@Legend. I haven’t worked with any of them but surely the work we’ve all eyeballed from Ben & Damon is enough of a hint. Thanks Ben for making us all super jealous over the years.
This could be the absolute worst thing for DDB possible, or the most unimaginably amazing thing ever. What it definitely won’t be, is something in-between, like DDB disappearing into obscure mediocrity over the next few years where it has very comfortably sat for a very long time. Let’s face it, DDB is an agency short on ideas pretending to be long on craft. They don’t rock the boat and get by polishing very, very average ideas into something palpable. No disrespect to anyone there, but they all know the game. Nobody will be talking about DDB 2020 like they spoke about Crispen Porter, Mother or Strawberry Frog back in the day. So losing a responsible pair of hands to another responsible pair of hands? Cool. Best of luck to both.
So the CEO and CCO from NZ; the MD and two CCO’s in Sydney and the ECD and MD from Melbourne all gone in 12 months. Massive turnover.
…what’s your point?A very long comment that leads nowhere and comparisons that lack reason or validity.
Sure, but in 10 years will there be any Australian agency whose 2020/21 era is going to be spoken about like Crispins, Mother et al? Anyone?
Dear DDB.
I wish I spoke for every one of my peers, but I know I speak for many. Having an agency that does brilliant work that my colleagues and competitors notice and talk about is very rare. Having someone so human and engaging who produces that work is rarer still. We know platitudes and false friends. We know when someone is talented and nice. And we definitely know when someone is neither talented nor nice. Thanks DDB for making this so patently clear. We will miss you Ben. And look forward to working with you soon at your next destination.
Look back at the vacuous shit that most agencies post on here. Mums sauce. The one off bee hive. Palau Pledge. Maybe strong in concept (not that sauce shit). Definitely not in reality. Yet under Ben, DDB delivered really strong work for proper clients like McDonalds, definitely Westpac, VW and award winning work, not least Thrones, Christmas Tree, VW brake. Hence winning CB agency of the year a year back. Yet management who have overseen years of bla before Ben’s arrival allow him to leave, with such a bland statement. Very disappointing.
One person down here stops focusing on the local market and it disintegrates before our eyes. Damo, Ben, Mossy. Gone. What’s left. A vanilla custard square. No wonder the clients are all looking to move.
Little by little DDB dismantles.
One of the kindest, most thoughtful and selfless people I worked with in Advertising.
Just read that DDB is one of four finalists for another Creative Agency of the Year Award.
Another in a long list tributes to Ben’s creativity and leadership in his 5 years as CCO.
Letting him go seems very shortsighted by DDB.