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Levi Slavin set to return for senior role at Colenso BBDO

StopPress understands that Levi Slavin is returning to New Zealand to take up a creative leadership role at Colenso BBDO. 

This move sees Slavin return to the agency he left in 2014 when he joined New York-based Anomaly.

It will be his third stint at the agency, having also worked there between 2005 and 2007.

During his last tenure at Colenso BBDO, Slavin served as the creative muscle behind several of Colenso’s most popular campaigns, including the range of likeable ads across the DB range.

A source told StopPress that Slavin would likely be appointed to the position of chief creative officer (or the equivalent thereof), taking a central leadership role in the creative direction of the agency. It’s thought he might not be the only creative heavyweight being brought in, either, but that could not be confirmed. 

The return of Slavin has led to a re-emergence of speculation regarding the tenure of long-serving Colenso BBDO creative chairman Nick Worthington.

  • Check out NZ Marketing’s in-depth profile of Worthington and ex-managing director Nick Garrett from 2013 here

Rumours surrounding the impending departure of Worthington, who has been with the agency for over ten years, have been circling for years. However, in this instance, three separate sources confirmed that Slavin’s arrival is part of a succession plan, which may stretch over an extended period of time.  

It’s understood that Worthington will not be leaving the agency entirely, but will rather be reducing his responsibilities over time, dedicating his time to bigger projects at Colenso and probably spending more time on Great Barrier Island. 

One source used the example of Kim Thorp, who moved to the Hawke’s Bay to focus more on his own business endeavours and worked for agencies in more of an advisory capacity. Worthington is a director with solar energy company Sunergise alongside fellow creative, director and co-founder Lachlan Macpherson. 

Colenso BBDO has not yet responded to questions regarding these changes.    

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