R/GA Australia lures Whybin\TBWA Sydney creative director Gavin McLeod for ECD role

R/GA Australia has lured Whybin\TBWA Sydney creative director Gavin McLeod to become its founding ECD, effective January 15.

McLeod told CB: “I’m obviously extremely excited about starting work at R/GA. I’ve long admired them from afar and have always considered them the digital yardstick.

“Nick [Law] and Bob [Greenberg] have a unique vision for R/GA which they have articulated over many Skype chats over the past few months. It’s a viewpoint which I completely buy in to and is refreshingly different. I look forward to delivering on it in the new year.”

McLeod joined Whybin\TBWA in March 2011. Before that, he had four years as creative director of M&C Saatchi/Mark, Sydney where it was consistently the most awarded direct agency in the country, boasting several “agency of the year” accolades as well as being the second most awarded in the world in 2006 and the third most awarded in the world in both 2007 and 2008, according to the WON report.

Apart from being awarded at every major award show, McLeod has chaired juries at AWARD, AdFest and ADMA as well as judging at D&AD, The Caples and Cannes.

Also coming on board on Jan 15 is a designer and producer, who will be joining creative director Josh Rowe, who was hired two months back. Rowe worked with McLeod while both were at M&C Saatchi/Mark.

The agency, with founding client Qantas and a few others soon to be announced, is temporarily housed in Grosvenor Street, Sydney for the next six months until a permanent premises is found.