Clems Sydney CEO exits after less than a year
Brent Kerby has departed Clemenger BBDO less than a year into his role as Sydney CEO, citing a number of personal projects outside of adland.
Kerby’s resignation comes several months after the creative agency set out plans to merge its Sydney and Melbourne offices into one national offering, Clemenger BBDO Australia, under the leadership of Dani Bassil.
In a statement sent to Mumbrella, Clemenger Group CEO Les Timar said Kerby “played an important role” in creating the national offering and had “developed strong relationships with key clients and team members during his time at the agency”.
Timar said Kerby had agreed to finish his role at the end of the year to provide continuity of leadership ahead of the “imminent” arrival of Bassil as Clemenger BBDO Australia CEO.
“Clemenger Group would like to thank Brent for his valued contribution to the Clemenger BBDO story and wishes him every success,” said Timar.
The merger has also seen the exit of former Clems Melbourne CEO, Jim Gall, who had been with the agency for almost a decade.
Kerby said in a statement: “I wish the Clemenger Group and the Clemenger BBDO team all the very best as the agency continues to evolve. After almost 20 years in great agencies, working with wonderful clients and talented teammates, I’m leaving to pursue two independent ventures. One is an Australian design business called Inartisan, focusing on art, furniture and interiors. The other is a joint venture with Australian technology company JanusKS, who through the platform Projectal are bringing AI to the operational management of creative businesses. I look forward to sharing more detail at the appropriate time.”
Kerby was appointed as Sydney CEO in January this year, replacing Pete Bosilkovski after he left the firm to launch It’s Friday.
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