FCB's new boss will arrive in the country in August. Photo / Supplied
FCB's new boss will arrive in the country in August. Photo / Supplied
The new chief executive of advertising agency FCB has his visa confirmed, flight booked and quarantine spot secured as he prepares to move his family to New Zealand.
Belgium-based Sébastien Desclée will arrive in August to take the reins of one of the biggest and most storied creative agencies inthe country.
Desclée joins the agency from his position as global client lead on Heineken at the Publicis Groupe but he is no stranger to FCB, having served as its president of international markets and CEO of FCB's global production arm Fuelcontent, within the FCB Global network between 2013 and 2019.
The new boss will replace Paul Shale, who left the agency this year amid a string of executive changes across the local advertising industry.
This is not the first time FCB has gone abroad for talent to lead the local firm. In August 2017, the agency appointed Londoner Dan Martin as chief executive following the departure of Brian van den Hurk.
Martin lasted less than a year in the role, leaving by July 2018 after a tough period for the agency marked by a number of senior departures.
Speaking to the Herald from Belgium, Desclée says he understands that staff might be nervous about another exec from Europe flying in to lead the agency, but he says his aim isn't to impose himself on an established culture.
"I've worked with talent from the agency and visited a few times, so I have a sense of what the culture is and this is something I adhere to," Desclée said.
"I'm coming to a place where I believe I share exactly the same ambition and values."
He also says there are some cultural similarities between New Zealand and Belgium that you might not see with the bigger, neighbouring European countries.
Sébastien Desclée has been appointed the new boss of FCB New Zealand. Photo / Supplied
"Being Belgian is about being self-deprecating," he laughs, saying that the very geography of the country between giants means its people have to be adaptable.
"I hope I will be able to demonstrate this to all clients and staff when I arrive in New Zealand."
Advertising has long had a reputation as an industry with cultural problems, often attributable to gruelling work hours, intense deadlines and uncertainty about whether accounts will come or go.
Desclée says it has never been more important for advertising bosses to ensure they build a welcoming culture for staff.
"Culture is crucial to companies and more than ever," he says.
"The typical top-down type leader from the past will have no chance to succeed today because you will not attract the best people to work with and you will not be able to create the best work with who you have.
"We've seen that through that throughout Covid. Where you have a culture of inclusiveness and togetherness, you end up with better business results … That applies not only in our industry but in many other industries too."
Desclée veers away from being too presumptuous about what he hopes to achieve from a commercial perspective when he takes over the agency.
"I think it would be pretentious to say that I know everything about what my objective will be without having a proper period of really meeting and listening to our clients and team members," he says.
"Of course, I have strong ambitions for the agency to continue its legacy of changing behaviour for commercial and government clients. I really want to build on the work that is so profoundly ingrained into the local culture.
"What I will then try to do is see what I can bring from my experience of working in other markets with different clients. I will see if I can add value and perhaps have the business become even more of a destination agency for clients."
While he will still be charting the roadmap for the agency's future in the coming months, one thing that isn't negotiable is the organisation's commitment to creativity.
"Something that I'm sure about is that I will continue to focus on leading an agency that does phenomenal work that moves the needle and gives clients a reason to come to us."
The advertising cliche goes that you're only as good as your last piece of work, and while Desclee might have an impressive CV, the pressure will be on immediately to start delivering results in the local market.
