R/GA Sydney lures Andy Wright from national GM position at Interbrand for managing director role
R/GA Sydney has further strengthened its senior management team with the addition of Andy Wright as managing director. He joins R/GA from Interbrand, where he held the role of general manager across the agency’s Sydney and Melbourne offices.
Reporting into R/GA’s founder, chairman and CEO, Bob Greenberg, Wright will be responsible for driving and shaping the office’s long-term strategic roadmap and vision, developing new business and overseeing recruitment of the top talent in the region. He will be initially working alongside 12 year R/GA veteran Ameer Yousef who, after a period of transition, will be transferring back to R/GA New York after successfully opening the Sydney office in January 2013 and overseeing its subsequent growth.
At Interbrand Wright held responsibilities across the Sydney and Melbourne offices. In Melbourne, Wright grew Interband’s operation while also winning new clients, including Australia Post and Medibank. In Sydney, he drove new projects and capabilities focusing on customer experience, digital branding and employee engagement for new and existing clients.
He has also led the award winning rebranding of Queensland Art Gallery, the conception of Penguin’s e-commerce offer, Bookworld, and was a regular commentator on retail and arts branding in Australia as well as being recognized in AdNews’ 40 under 40. Before working at Interbrand, Wright was with ACP Magazines (now Bauer) for three years in the role of Marketing Director responsible for award winning titles from Zoo Weekly to Rolling Stone and Empire.
“Andy’s history of executing award-winning, innovative work for major brands while strategically growing an office, both in headcount and revenue, made him an ideal choice as R/GA Sydney’s new Managing Director,” says Greenberg. “His appointment will allow the solidification of a long-term management structure for the Sydney office, creating a fantastic foundation for further growth.”
Since officially opening its doors in January 2013, R/GA’s Sydney office has grown to 25 in headcount, with significant hires made in creative, technology, client services and experience design. The appointment of Wright will enable the office to expand both its client roster and its own multidisciplinary teams, while also helping the office continue to create innovative new digital platforms for brands in the Pacific Rim Region.
“R/GA is still relatively a young agency in Australia and I’m delighted to be working with a team who is already flying high.” says Wright. “As clients begin to embrace new business and marketing models in Australia, I strongly believe that we’re uniquely positioned to offer our clients products and services that will enable more frequent, meaningful interactions with their consumers.”
Originally from the UK, Wright has also previously held marketing roles with digital companies including Ask Jeeves and Lycos where he launched the world’s first ever viral chart. He began his career with Dulux pioneering the web’s first colour visualization tool that gave users the ability to virtually trial different colour schemes on real photos of their home.