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A few new chairs get pulled up, while one big chair gets left vacant

Another big departure at Saatchi & Saatchi. And elsewhere some fresh human arrivals at MediaWorks TV, Fairfax Media, DB Breweries and The Pond.

Saatchi & Saatchi has had a pretty good run of form recently, releasing a few big brand campaigns and, in two separate pitches, winning Elections NZ account and the Voting System Referendum business. But after news surfaced a couple of months back that Saatchi & Saatchi’s executive creative director Dylan Harrison was upping sticks for a gig at DDB Sydney after just one year in Auckland, the last thing chief executive Nicky Bell and the Saatchi gang needed was another high-profile departure. But it seems that’s what they’ve got, because Angus Wardlaw, the much-lauded UK creative director who signed up in April, is departing.

Bell didn’t want to comment on Wardlaw’s departure, so no word on a replacement yet or whether the search has begun, but one dirty mole says Y&R’s recently departed creative director Vaughn Davis has been seen in the vicinity.

DDB is also still without a creative director after Adam Kanzer left in May. A few months back, executive creative director Toby Talbot said the 2IC is not a hire you can rush into given the amount of time ECDs spend on super yachts in the south of France. And, with a host of creative talent filling the gap, it doesn’t seem to have affected the quality of DDB’s creative output.

Clemenger BBDO’s Phillip Andrew also said a few months back that finding the right creative director is a long process, and it’s even longer now because he says there’s currently a dearth of creative directors on offer. This was why he says it has taken the agency so long to replace Paul Nagy, although with the hiring of Andrew Holt as the new managing director, Duster has apparently been freed up for creative duties.

Into the regions

MediaWorks TV’s sales team has added Terry Fergusson as general manager, regional sales, taking up the role vacated by Graeme Underwood, who was recently promoted to general manager, national sales.

“Terry has gained valuable management experience since previously working for Mediaworks TV,” says director of sales, Linda Farrelly. “We are thrilled that he can now return in this management position. The already successful and capable regional agency and direct sales teams will benefit greatly from his expertise and plans to further develop the regional sales department.”

The appointment is effective from Tuesday 16 November.

New Digits

Charlotte Ring, the former digital strategic manager for Starcom Hong Kong, has taken up the role of digital advertising manager for Fairfax Media New Zealand. And digital platform and channel development general manager Nigel Tutt says her appointment is very exciting for Fairfax’s growing digital presence.

“Charlotte’s agency background will ensure a strong customer focus in digital publishing and her strategic experience means we can expect to see fantastic results for Fairfax Digital,” he says.

You’re pullin’ my chain

DB Breweries has appointed Rob Richardson to the newly-created role of general manager – supply chain. He will report to DB Breweries’ managing director, Brian Blake and will sit on the company’s executive management team.

Richardson has extensive supply chain and brewery management experience and his most recent role was head of brewing operations for Heineken UK (formerly Scottish and Newcastle), where he worked for 24 years in a wide range of supply chain and commercial functions, including roles as director of sales in North England, director of customer services for the UK off-premise business, regional distribution director and brewery manager at Berkshire Brewery.

Design-driven

Sam Eichblatt is the latest writer to join The Pond and she’s had her work published everywhere from Auckland to London in publications like Architecture NZ, ProDesign, various BBC titles, Dish and Sunday-Star Times.

Eichblatt previously worked as editor of the now defunct Pulp magazine and was last seen in a full-time role at AGM Publishing, where she launched an architectural products website called Selector (she also worked in an editorial and advisory capacity on related AGM projects).

Check out her profile here.

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