Communications Group looking for local to ring agency changes

By DITA DE BONI

The Communications Group NZ says it will name a new chief executive in two weeks to replace recently sacked head Noel Browne.

The chairman of the Group, Ian Elliot, suggested yesterday the company would like to appoint a New Zealander to the role.

The Group was interviewing "chief executives in New Zealand, including candidates from different industries [other than advertising], figures from the Bates Worldwide Network, and expat New Zealanders running agencies in other parts of the globe."

The ideal candidate would have an understanding of the new economy, know how the advertising industry had changed, and be someone who was good in the broader market and could help shape a client's business strategy.

"We don't want people who will just produce pretty ads for a client. We want someone with the ability to to discuss business strategy, to use creativity to deliver a return on investment for the client," Mr Elliot said.

To that end, investments would be made in the New Zealand staff and more staff would be hired.

"Within six months, the marketing communication skills of the staff currently working for the Group will be much higher, the structure of the business will be different, and there will more high-quality, business strategy skills in top management."

Mr Elliot was untypically reticent about commenting on Mr Browne's departure, saying only that "lawyers were talking to lawyers" and the Group was "not focused on the past."

This is in sharp contrast to his previous comments to various media, which were overtly critical of Mr Browne's performance and prompted the deposed chief executive to seek nearly $1 million from his former employers through the Employment Tribunal.

"It was very clear to us that Noel didn't have what it takes," Mr Elliot told the National Business Review two weeks ago, after issuing a statement saying the Group did "not have the confidence in Noel's leadership to drive the agency forward in these times."

Mr Browne said yesterday that he was still unable to comment on the matter because of legal proceedings, but had expressed hurt over the comments of his former employers.

In an earlier statement to the weekly industry broadsheet Fastline, Mr Browne said he was "saddened at leaving a company I had devoted virtually all my working life to, in such an unsatisfactory way."

Mr Browne had 32 years of experience with the Group, mostly through George Patterson [Bates] in Melbourne.

Several former staff members spoken to by the Business Herald said Mr Browne's communication with his staff was limited, and morale had been low in the organisation for a long time before his exit.

While speculating that the employment termination methods employed by the Australians were "probably not the best," another source said, a "new spirit and energy has entered the place since Noel's departure. It was just what we needed."

But outside the organisation, some industry figures continue to express surprise at Mr Browne's departure.

They say he had overseen a period of mergers within the Group capably, maintaining a low staff turnover in his four years with the company in New Zealand.

The Communications Group New Zealand became the holding company of The Bates Palace, 141 Palace Plus and The Media Palace in 1998, when Bates New Zealand merged with the Campaign Palace (NZ).

The Communications Group itself belongs to UK-listed Cordiant Communications Group, formed in December 1997 on the demerger of Saatchi & Saatchi and Cordiant.

A number of staff have left in the past few months, including media director Anna Chitty, who went to Sydney, and several from the account service team. The organisation has also not yet found a replacement for creative director Jill Brinsdon, who left in April.

One person willing to talk about Mr Browne was ex-AAA executive director David Innes.

"My personal point of view is that in his work for the 3As [in the last year as president], Noel was great," he said.

"He did more than his share of the work and when he said he'd do something, he did it."