Paul Wilson has been at Saatchi & Saatchi for eight years. Photo / Supplied
Paul Wilson has been at Saatchi & Saatchi for eight years. Photo / Supplied
Saatchi & Saatchi New Zealand managing director Paul Wilson has departed after eight years with the advertising agency.
He will be replaced by Mark Cochrane, who will assume the newly created dual role of CEO of Saatchi & Saatchi and chief growth officer of the Publicis Groupe New Zealand.
Publicis Groupe's CEO of New Zealand and Australia Michael Rebelo said changes within the business necessitated a shift in leadership.
"Publicis Groupe has undergone significant expansion and transformation over the past year in New Zealand – with the acquisitions of Digitas Affinity ID and MBM nearly doubling our footprint in the market in 2019, [followed by] the launch of our PR Network MSL in August 2020," Rebelo said.
"As a result of this expansion, we have needed to look afresh at the leadership structure in New Zealand and have taken the decision to create this new role."
Mark Cochrane has worked with Saatchi & Saatchi and the Publicis Groupe in New Zealand and around the network for over 10 years. He has spent the past five years as the managing director of Saatchi & Saatchi Melbourne, having launched the agency in 2015.
Mark Cochrane will take over the agency at the beginning of 2021. Photo / Supplied
Before joining Saatchi & Saatchi Australia, Cochrane spent two years as the chief executive officer of Saatchi & Saatchi Thailand, launching a unique mobile and content offering hub called 'Live Creativity' across Southeast Asia. Prior to his role in Thailand, he was the group business lead at Saatchi & Saatchi New Zealand on Toyota, DB Breweries, House of Travel and special projects with Air New Zealand.
Outgoing boss Wilson leaves the business off the back of launching the biggest Toyota Hilux advertising campaign in three years.
"Although naturally, it is sad to be leaving after eight years, I also feel a huge sense of pride and satisfaction to be departing on such a high, having produced the world-class work we did for Chorus and Hilux in particular, and in a year like 2020," he said.
"No one has more Saatchi & Saatchi blood in their veins than Mark, so I know he's the ideal person to build on this momentum and take the agency forward."
This brings an end to Wilson's leadership tenure that stretches back to 2016, when he took over the reins from Nicky Bell.
Before that, Wilson held roles as the general manager between 2014 and 2016 and as a business director between 2013 and 2014.
Earlier in his career, he also had stints at Colenso BBDO and DDB.
