303 MullenLowe Perth has announced a new leadership structure as it looks to align its business objectives with agency resources for 2023. Current joint managing director Todd Baker is departing the agency after 11 years as he looks to new career challenges. René Migliore and Baker have managed the agency as joint managing directors for the past three years.
Migliore (pictured left) will now oversee all media, creative, strategy and digital teams as managing director of 303 MullenLowe and Mediahub in Perth.
The restructure follows the loss of the large ECU account and several other staff members, including senior creative team Steve Straw and Steve Lorimer, are also leaving the agency.
“2022 has been an incredible year for the agency; we’ve won several new clients, expanded our remit with others and picked up a raft of awards including two Effies and recent PADC awards. Our media and digital teams are growing, and our creative and strategy teams are producing outstanding and effective work. On the flip side, we’ll also be saying goodbye to one of our longest standing clients ECU after 20 years.
“While this kind of growth and change is not unusual within an agency environment, it’s important to take the opportunity to look closely at the business and ensure our structure, capability and resources match what’s required to ensure we keep firing into 2023. As part of that process, we recognised that the agency has matured with a number of great younger team members ready to take on more – which also meant that two managing directors were no longer required as we move into our next phase. So we made a joint decision to no longer manage the business together.”
Migliore paid tribute to Baker’s role in building the agency since the two took on the joint managing director role three years ago: “We’ll be incredibly sad to see Todd depart. He’s been an outstanding leader to the business and our teams, and a brilliant partner to me as joint managing director. He’s played an integral role in the many recent successes at 303, especially Lotterywest, and I couldn’t be prouder of our JMD partnership and what we’ve accomplished together. I also appreciate the role he’s taken in shaping where the business needs to go, planning future opportunities and cultivating great people in the agency.”
Departing joint managing director Todd Baker (pictured right) said during his time at 303 MullenLowe, he had seen significant growth and development across all capabilities: “It’s been an incredible 11 years at the agency, and I feel proud to leave at a time when the team, the client base and the overall culture we’ve developed together is extremely strong.
“But it’s time for me to seek new challenges, and for the agency to flourish in new ways. We have so many outstanding and developing people and passionate clients, I look forward to seeing them all shine and grow together in 2023. I’ll forever be grateful for the time I’ve spent with my 303 MullenLowe family, but I’m also excited to see what’s next – for all of us.”
Adds Migliore: “It’s a bittersweet announcement to be making. I’m saying goodbye to my friend and leadership partner, but similarly feel excited and enthusiastic about the opportunity these changes will provide to a new generation of 303 MullenLowers, and the broader business.”
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