After four years Matt Eastwood departs worldwide chief creative officer role at J Walter Thompson
After four years at J Walter Thompson Aussie expat Matt Eastwood has departed the worldwide chief creative officer role to pursue other opportunities.
Says Eastwood: “I am incredibly proud of what we achieved creatively during my tenure at J. Walter Thompson. Having assessed my personal and professional goals, now feels like the right time to move on to my next adventure.”
Eastwood, whose role will not be replaced, joined in 2014 from DDB New York, where he was chief creative officer. Prior to Eastwood, the worldwide CCO role at J Walter Thompson had been vacant since fellow Aussie expat Craig Davis departed in 2009.
Under Eastwood J Walter Thompson has moved from 15th in the Gunn Report to 7th for each of the last two years; from 14th most awarded network at Cannes to 7th. The agency won more Lions in 2016 than ever in the 152 year history of the company (80 Lions/122 shortlist); was the 2nd most awarded network at D&AD last year; was network for the year at Dubai Lyn; was Health Network of the Year at Clio and 5th most awarded network overall last year.
Says worldwide CEO Tamara Ingram: “We are reimagining the future of the agency. This was a structural decision that will allow us to be more agile, leverage our collective global bench strength and encourage the burgeoning diverse ‘maker culture’ growing within J. Walter Thompson. We would like to thank Matt Eastwood for his contributions and wish him continued success in his future endeavors.”
6 Comments
One down, who’s next?
John P, Granger or Khai?
Wow the statement from the CEO is a little uncalled for, it immediately contradicts the statement from Matt.
“We are reimagining the future of the agency,”
“This was a structural decision that will allow us to be more agile, leverage our collective global bench strength and encourage the burgeoning diverse ‘maker culture’ growing within J. Walter Thompson.”
Seriously Tamara
1. Matt is a great human being and creative, loved and respected around the world. 2 A global CEO and COO must have equal power – or do suits and CFOs rule? 3 That CEO needs to be taught how to be polite, and at the very least respectful – maybe Sorrell could offer some guidance …
Commodore Thompson must be turning in his grave – sinking ship indeed. The JWT corporate mouthpiece, these spin-sters who cobble together unintelligible public justifications display a bad case of corporate gabblespeak …
Time to re-think what the once-admired JWT stands for.
Certainly not while it has a flawed figurehead and a bonus-seeking CEO who is already the highest-paid female in advertising – Tamara you are a disgrace to the sisterhood
Disgraceful statement from the CEO, how difficult it is to copy paste a PR statement that is more sincere and neutral.
That is an automated message by her comp, she prolly didn’t write the reimagining comment.