Ryan O’Connell departs Ogilvy Australia after 11 years
Ogilvy Sydney chief strategy officer Ryan O’Connell has farewelled the WPP creative agency after 11 years.
Sharing the news in a post to LinkedIn, O’Connell confirmed that his exit this week had been in the pipeline for three months, though he was cryptic about his next move.
“The enjoyment I experienced is due to every Ogilvy colleague (local and global), every client partner, and every agency partner, that I’ve been fortunate enough to work with. So thank you to everyone. It’s been a blast.” he said.
“So if I love the joint so much, why am I leaving? Fair question. Let’s just say that I’ve always tried to hold on to the energy, fresh thinking and curiosity I had when I was a junior. Maybe it’s time to do something interesting with that . . . More to come on 01.02.2.”
It’s understood that the new role will see O’Connell heading up a new independent agency.
Ogilvy Sydney managing director Michelle Holland said: “Ryan has been an incredibly valuable member of our team and a great example of Ogilvy’s approach to fostering great talent. His understanding of how best to solve business problems and apply great strategy to generate effective, creative and long-term results has been an inspiration to the Sydney strategy team and beyond. He leaves behind a strong legacy, and a strategy team well versed in his approach. He’ll be missed – but always a friend of the agency and part of the Ogilvy family.”
O’Connell first joined Ogilvy’s Sydney office as a senior strategist in 2012, climbing the agency ranks over a decade before his appointment as chief strategy officer in 2021.
At the group level, Toby Harrison continues as chief strategy officer for Ogilvy Network ANZ.
Ogilvy said it is currently “evaluating its strategic resources” and will make an announcement about the senior structure of the strategy team in “due course”.
Mumbrella has contacted Ogilvy for comment.
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