Ogilvy has appointed Kirsty Muddle as its CEO of Ogilvy Network ANZ.
She replaces Sally Kissane, who stepped down from the ANZ CEO role in July after three decades with Ogilvy.
Muddle joins from Dentsu after three years as the CEO of practices & products for Australia and New Zealand.
"Kirsty has an undeniable track record of delivering real value and impact for clients," said Ogilvy Group global CEO Laurent Ezekiel.
"She deeply understands the complex challenges businesses face today and champions creativity not just for its own sake, but as a powerful force that can solve those challenges.
"Her ability to build strong, trusting relationships with clients, always putting their needs first, and her knack for bringing together diverse capabilities – from social and influencer to cutting-edge technology and data – to create truly impactful solutions, makes her an exceptional leader for Ogilvy in this key market.
"I look forward to working with her as we enter this next exciting chapter for Ogilvy."
Muddle will lead Ogilvy’s operations in Australia and New Zealand overseeing all capabilities spanning advertising, PR, social and influencer, customer engagement, consulting and health.
She brings more than 25 years' diverse experience.
Rose Herceg, WPP President for Australia and New Zealand, added:
"When we searched for Ogilvy's new leader, we felt we were asking for a unicorn – a modern marketer built for the emerging world, with strong business experience across the communications spectrum," said WPP President for Australia and New Zealand, Rose Herceg.
"In Kirsty, we found that rare blend; a genuine love for creativity that moves mountains, coupled with experience harnessing the disciplines that creativity needs to thrive in a dynamic, fast-moving media landscape.
"She was truly a standout choice, and we can't wait to see the impact she'll have at Ogilvy, bringing the kind of fresh, entrepreneurial perspective every business needs to stay ahead."
Muddle was also a founding partner at cummins&partners for 11 years.
She also spent nine years at Mindshare, both in the UK and Australia.
Muddle has been awarded Woman of the Year and Executive of the Year twice, and sits on the boards of the Australian council of Advertising (ACA), the Australian Association of National Advertisers (AANA), and Ridgeway; an Indigenous Social Change agency.
Ogilvy was recently appointed by Tourism New Zealand, Specsavers and more.
"Ogilvy is a place where every leader I've encountered has a strong point of view, saw change as an opportunity, and spoke with clarity about AI, data and integration but wasn’t lost in it," Muddle said.
"Importantly, they also never forgot why this business was born – the power of creativity to drive growth. That enduring belief made Ogilvy feel like home.
"I’m humbled to partner with an incredible set of clients and the exceptional talent within both Ogilvy and WPP to harness the network's full power and collectively move us all forward into what’s next.”
dentsu ANZ CEO Rob Harvey thanked Muddle for her time at dentsu.
“Kirsty has been a fantastic leader and a member of our team, helping to establish our Dentsu Creative presence in the ANZ region and recently leading our CXM and B2B practices," Harvey said.
"I’ve really enjoyed working with Kirst for the last four years and wish her every success in this next chapter.
“Whilst we review the future needs of our Creative practice, David Halter, currently our ANZ chief strategy officer, will be expanding his remit to chief practice officer – Creative.
"David is a phenomenal client leader and brand strategist with strong client relationships from all parts of our business.
"He will be supported by Vanessa Nicol, who will step into the interim role of chief operations officer – Creative and will lead our daily operations and delivery.
“Vanessa and David have worked together in previous roles.
"This is a powerful partnership and I’m excited about what David and Vanessa will deliver together alongside the broader Dentsu Creative leadership team.
“Paul Whittaker will continue to lead our CXM practice as the managing director for Merkle Australia.”
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