Rob Morrison takes CD gig at OgilvyOne Sydney – business directors Sally Kissane and Michelle Holland promoted to managing partner roles

OgilvyOne, Sydney has appointed Rob Morrison creative director, two months after he departed from his role as creative director direct marketing of sister STW Group agency Shift, Sydney.

Morrison (second from left) was at Shift for only five months, leaving in January to go freelance. Prior to Shift, Morrison was at BWM where he led the DM team on Telstra Business and ING Direct.

Morrison fills the vacuum left after the departure last year of Dana Holder, who is now freelance at M&C Saatchi/Mark, Sydney.

Morrison’s apppointment is part of a restructure of OgilvyOne’s management team, which sees current OgilvyOne business directors, Sally Kissane and Michelle Holland, take on the newly created role of managing partners while Jason Hill (above left) will continue to lead the agency’s strategic direction as head of strategy.

“As a management team there are few challenges that this team hasn’t seen,” says Tom Moult, chairman, Ogilvy Australia. “They have deep experience in virtually every industry and dedicated capabilities in both B2B and B2C. The size and scale of our OgilvyOne offering means we can invest in deep capabilities versus generalists.”

The appointment of Kissane (above left) and Holland (above right) to the role of managing partners followed a global search for suitable candidates.

“Hiring Sally and Michelle proves you should never underestimate the talent on your own doorstep,” says Moult. “Their outstanding combined leadership credentials and their genuine passion for their clients’ business will drive the future of OgilvyOne,” he added.

“We are excited by this great opportunity. We have a talented team of 80+ Direct and digital professionals with an excellent blend of industry experience and youthful energy. We look forward to working with the team to accelerate the growth of one of Australia’s leading Direct agencies” says Holland.

“The core of our business strategy is to strengthen our ties with the OgilvyOne global network and leverage the significant IP and capabilities from our offices around the world,” says Kissane. “Our partnerships with DTDigital, Neo@Ogilvy and Social@Ogilvy provide our clients with the full suite of capabilities necessary for next generation CRM.”

The arrival of Morrison as creative director significantly boosts OgilvyOne’s creative firepower and helps bring its CRM and creative capabilities closer. Morrison’s 20 years of creative expertise underpins his mantra “brilliant creative can’t exist in a vacuum – it has to be built off inspiring strategy.”

Morrison has been responsible for some of Australia’s most effective response-driving DM campaigns including the recent Silver Effie winning Erncorp Mobile Plus program for Telstra Business and multiple ADMA-winning campaigns for ING DIRECT. Recognised as one of Australia’s leading DM creative directors, Morrison has won more than 40 local and international direct marketing gongs.

“Rob’s history of putting creative departments back in the spotlight and his track record of effectiveness driven creative is second to none and we are thrilled to have him on the team, says Holland. “His absolute focus on ROI for clients is a perfect fit with our culture of delivering deep insight, creative innovation and best practice for our clients.”