MELBOURNE: Mark Mackay, the former national CEO of the Campaign Palace, is to return to the agency as executive chairman for what will be his third stint at the agency.
The appointment means that Jacques Burger, who replaced Mackay as national chief executive of the agency, will now report to Mackay. Burger will remain as chief executive, based in the Sydney office.
Mackay will be responsible for breathing new life into the Melbourne office and growing the agency's brand after it was eliminated from the National Foods agency roster last year. The agency is also fighting to retain the Origin Energy account.
The move comes almost two years after Mackay resigned as national chief executive of The Campaign Palace. The appointment, effective immediately, is Mackay's third stint at the agency after he left the company in 2008.
He spent some of the sabbatical riding a motorcycle around Australia, and last August became a partner with retail specialist Steve Kulmar in the Melbourne office of Retail Oasis.
At the time of Mackay's departure, it was reported he had refused to support plans to expand the Palace brand into other markets. However, the agency is now set to push ahead with those plans under Mackay.
Mackay's return will mark the second time he has been called upon to resuscitate the Melbourne office, after leading a rearguard action in 2000 that saved the agency's founding office from being closed.
He also also ran George Patterson Y&R for 18 months from 2007, interrupting a 16-year career at the Palace.
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