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Matt Scott and Matt Kingston take over reins at Assignment Group Auckland; Jane Wardlaw moves up the ranks at FCB—UPDATED

After a decade-long innings at FCB, Matt Scott is joining Assignment Group as managing partner of the Auckland office.

Scott, who has been general manager at FCB for the last nine years, joins head of planning Matt Kingston, who left Special Group for Assignment earlier this year. 

These appointments follow on from the departures of former managing partner (and head of strategy) Martin Yeoman and creative director Jamie Hitchcock, who have since started independent shop The Enthusiasts.

Given his 20 years of experience across a range of agencies, Scott is a significant hire for Assignment. 

During his time at FCB, he managed the client service team and served as the lead of some of the agency’s biggest clients, including Air New Zealand, ANZ and Noel Leeming. 

Scott’s strong leadership track record extends well beyond his nine years at FCB. Before that, he was managing director of Draft New Zealand where he led a team of 30 brand and digital specialists between 2005 and 2007.

Further back, he has also held account director roles at MercerBell Sydney and TBWAGGT London.

Assignment Group chief executive Peter Biggs looks forward to having the new recruit on the team.   

“He is profoundly intelligent, an outstanding strategic thinker and a dynamic leader – the ideal combination for a premium strategic and creative platform such as Assignment Group,” Biggs says.

“Matt has strong core values and believes in leading from the front and bringing people with him. He will be an ideal leader of the Auckland office which has built a very strong momentum, due to recent new business wins including TVNZ, T&G Global and Predator Free.”

While it wasn’t easy for him to leave his role at FCB, Scott is similarly enthused about taking on the new challenge. 

“It was difficult to leave a terrific agency like FCB, but I feel there is a wonderful opportunity with Assignment Group,” Scott says. “They have a blue-chip client list and have built and stewarded an extraordinary number of New Zealand’s most loved organisations and brands. I can’t wait to get stuck in and be part of a thrilling new chapter at Assignment.”

He starts his new role at Assignment on 17 October.

Jane Wardlaw moves up the ranks

Following the resignation of Scott, FCB has promoted account veteran Jane Wardlaw to the position of head of account management. 

She has been with the agency for over 15 years, first joining from Publicis Mojo in 2002.

She most recently held the role of group account director, and her promotion will now see her take on added leadership responsibilities in the account team.

FCB chief executive Dan Martin says Wardlaw is the type of person that the culture at FCB is built on. 

“She’s much-loved across the agency, she’s a brilliant suit and she’s been focused on FCB’s success,” Martin says. “This promotion is to acknowledge someone who’s walked the talk at the agency.”

While Wardlaw replaces Scott in terms of account team leadership, she will not be taking over the day-to-day management of his accounts. 

Martin says the FCB leadership team is currently reviewing options in regard to these accounts.  

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