Ogilvy Melbourne names Hilary Badger’s replacement
Following Thursday’s announcement of Hilary Badger’s departure from Ogilvy Melbourne, the agency has appointed a replacement executive creative director.
Ant Simmons has moved up into the role, after nearly 18 months as the agency’s group creative director.
During his time at Ogilvy, he has led campaigns for brands including AAMI, GIO, and the Mondelez portfolio. He worked closely with Badger on building Ogilvy’s creative output and capabilities.
Prior to Ogilvy, Simmons held roles at Clemenger BBDO, McCann, DDB Group, and more.
“It’s been a highly productive period at Ogilvy, a strong reflection of the talent in the agency and the ambition to create effective work across all client teams. With arguably some of Australia’s most trusted brands as clients we are in a privileged position to apply creativity to solve their commercial ambitions,” he said.
“I couldn’t be more excited about working with Gavin, Danielle and the Melbourne team who are all the best in the business. And of course, continuing to work with Toby Talbot who not only inspires the best creativity but also seems to have an endless supply of ‘ugly-cry’ inducing funny stories.”
Ogilvy Melbourne’s managing director, Gavin MacMillan, said Simmons’ “strong creative nous” combined with a focus on craft has seen him grow and flourish within the agency.
“He’s been a champion of developing world-class work particularly within the FMCG sector and brings great perspective and observations on the world around us, and how it affects consumer behaviour. His natural ability to mentor and lead is a great fit for Ogilvy, and we’re excited that he has chosen to take this next step with our team,” he said.
MacMillan also thanked Badger for her impact on the agency. On Thursday, it was announced that she is moving to Publicis Groupe’s Leo Australia, as its new executive creative director.
“We are also incredibly grateful to Hilary for her role in fostering creative talent and leadership, and we’ve loved having her as part of our award-winning team,” MacMillan said.
“But we also recognise her desire to take the next step in her career and wish her well. Her ability to build great talent around her has enabled us to have full confidence in Ant’s ability to shift into this broader leadership role.”
Ogilvy ANZ’s chief creative officer, Toby Talbot, said: “Ogilvy has long been recognised as an agency with creativity and effectiveness in its DNA. We believe in return on creativity – ROC – and having someone of the calibre of Hilary Badger take that belief and supercharge it across iconic Aussie brands has been a privilege for me.
“I wish Hil only the best. She will always be a friend to me and to the broader Ogilvy family. But now is a new chapter.
“With Ant’s global view and local knowledge teamed with Max McKeon, our new Sydney ECD, this is the time for borderless creativity to really come into its own for Ogilvy Australia,” he said.
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