Tara Ford promoted to chief creative officer of DDB Sydney; Ben Welsh expands remit to DDB national chief creative officer role
Tara Ford has been promoted to chief creative officer of DDB Sydney, making her the first female Chief Creative Officer of a major Australian advertising agency. Ben Welsh expands his remit to national chief creative officer across the Sydney and Melbourne offices.
Ford is one of the most established creatives in the region with hundreds of awards under her belt, for both creativity and effectiveness, including a Cannes Grand Prix.
Throughout her career, she has worked in agencies across London, Amsterdam, Melbourne and Sydney, including Wieden + Kennedy and TBWA.
Since joining DDB two years ago from TBWA\Melbourne, Ford has driven creative excellence for the agency’s clients, including McDonald’s, Virgin Australia and Volkswagen. Her contribution played a significant role in DDB winning Campaign Brief Agency of the Year, as well as #2 Pacific Agency of the Year and one of the top performing Australian agencies at the Effie Awards.
Additionally, Ford is passionate about giving back to the industry, mentoring young creative talent through the Cannes ‘See It Be It’ program, RARE and AWARD School. She is also a member of the AWARD Committee and on board of the Communications Council.
Ben Welsh (pictured below with Ford), who recently expanded his remit to national chief creative officer across the Sydney and Melbourne offices, said it was a natural decision to elevate Ford into the new position.
“Tara has been a fearless leader to the creative department in her time at DDB and still the best hire I’ve ever made in my 30-year career. She has attracted great talent to the agency and is a role model to creatives in DDB and the wider industry.”
Says DDB Sydney managing director Priya Patel: “Tara’s promotion shows how serious we are about creativity as a business. We believe creativity is the most powerful force in business and Tara plays an instrumental role in achieving our mission of being the most creative agency in Australia.”
Says Ford: “I’m exhilarated to take on this new role at DDB. It has been a superb environment to flourish and learn. The talented people here have been incredibly supportive, special thanks to Ben and the team. We have some amazing clients who desire world-class creative. This is a killer combination. I’m genuinely excited about where we can take the agency next.”
The move follows Damon Stapleton’s appointment to DDB Regional AUNZ chief creative officer in July this year.
22 Comments
No one has worked harder and deserves this more. Everywhere Tara goes her talent sees the agency and clients thrive. Congratulations.
Congratulations Tara. You’ll rock it. Hopefully you will be the vanguard of more women leading in creative.
I have been lucky and privileged enough to work with Tara in the past. She is incredibly talented and a great leader. On top of that talent she was the hardest working person in the agency. If someone was going to be first it was always going to be her. Congrats and I hope you’ve made the path easier for next woman.
I love that photo – very DDB – in a good way.
Congratulations Tara! Amazing achievement!
Congrats Tara, well deserved. Bravo DDB.
Congratulations, Tara. Continuing to inspire.
Employ well, and let the people you’ve entrusted shine and do their job.
Good on you Ben. Takes real confidence and EQ to hand the reins over.
Both legends.
Heck yes, GO TARA. What an absolute powerhouse. Strong female leadership is poppin’ at DDB Sydney. Exactly what this industry needs.
This has nothing to do with her being female and everything to do with her being at the top of her game.
Brilliant news.
Congratulations Tara!
Congratulations Ben!
Although what’s this nonsense about “best hire I’ve made in 30 years”?! 😉
Don’t worry Ant. If you hadn’t desecrated the bar, it would have been you.
Well done Tara.And well done Ben. Keep up the great work.
Brilliant News. Tara is a rockstar.. Calm, Smart, Empathetic, Collaborative. You go girl. X
Congrats to all involved. Lots to like in this news.
Congrats Tara, well deserved
Well done to DDB for such a clever and well executed line of PR. They took a hard working, accomplished woman and appointed her to a senior leadership position, which was a great headline. They then supported and proudly telegraphed her taking on all manner of industry commitment over and above her agency role, no doubt taking away from her time at the agency, something many companies would be reluctant to do. But again it made for great headlines. And now they have, within two years, promoted her again to a position which also makes for a damn good headline. It’s no doubt good for Tara, but it’s also an incredibly clever and beautifully executed story for DDB. There are a quite a few big agencies in this country with hard working, accomplished women in very senior creative roles (this isn’t the first Australian female CCO title), but this is the first time a company has so proudly created and telegraphed a role like this. And for that, congratulations DDB. This is the kind of change our industry needs and it takes a very confident leader to initiate it. Well done Ben Welsh.
Wonderful news – congrats Tara!
Would love to see what she and other Senior Creative women are being paid relative to their male counterparts.
Come on CB!!
From Creative to CCO in 2 years. A wave worth riding.
Creative in London, Senior Creative in Amsterdam, Senior Creative in Melbourne, Creative Director in Melbourne, Executive Creative Director in Sydney, Chief Creative Officer in Sydney. A 20+ year career in a male dominated part of the industry. Hardly a wave. More like an ultra marathon up a mountain.
Too true. Many brilliant female creatives sit as senior creatives for years (even decades) while some male creatives are promoted to creative director roles within years of entering the industry of after winning their first Lion. I’ve known women who were told they have to wait for promotion as there were already too many senior creatives (all men) in the department. So even if it’s just a few years as a CD or above on record, bet there were many more years of performing like one.