McCann Australia CEO exits after just one year

The CEO of McCann Australia is leaving the agency after just one year.  Nicole Taylor joined McCann as chief executive in June last year after serving in leadership roles at DDB and George Patterson, both in Sydney, for the past decade.

A press release from McCann says Taylor will be taking up a new role in Europe, closer to her family in the UK. “We are sorry to see Nic leave us and appreciate her decision to move closer to her family, which we understand was a difficult one to make, said McCann Worldgroup APAC president Charles Caddell, in the release. "She has been a great asset to us, not least in leaving behind a very strong management team that she built. We have every confidence in them continuing to drive our operations as they do today.” 

Taylor had reinforced McCann's management in Australia by bringing in a number of new leaders during her tenure, the press release noted, and as such the agency will not replace Taylor's position as national CEO.  The agency in Sydney is now led by the trio of managing director Hazelle Klønhammer, chief creative officer Darren Spiller, chief strategy officer Fran Clayton, while Georgie Pownall, heads up McCann Melbourne as managing director.

“While I wish that my time at McCann was longer, I am leaving at a time when our agency is buzzing with a renewed sense of purpose and belief," Taylor added.

Her departure comes just weeks after McCann confirmed that Caddell will also be stepping down as APAC president by the end of the year.