Rachel Walker joins Saatchi & Saatchi Australia as chief strategy officer, overseeing its national strategy and planning practice.
Walker brings more than 30 years of experience from the UK and Australian markets to the creative agency. She replaces Iona Macgregor, who joined whiteGREY in October as its chief strategy officer.
Walker has experience in the consumer goods, aviation, defence, automotive and fintech sectors and has won awards for effectiveness and creative strategy – including Effie awards, APG, and Grands Prix in both the IPA Effectiveness and Marketing Society awards.
Walker is also a seasoned judge for various international shows, including AWARD awards and The Effies. The new role marks a move back to the Publicis Groupe network, as she previously worked as Global Strategy Director at Publicis London.
Patrick Rowe, CEO at Saatchi & Saatchi Australia, said: “Rachel will make a huge contribution to Saatchi & Saatchi. She has an incredible track record of working with mature brands, producing impactful campaigns that people love, and with a list of effectiveness awards that is nothing short of amazing. We’re so excited that she’s part of our team.”
Walker said of her new role: “I’m thrilled to be joining the brilliant team at Saatchi & Saatchi Australia. It’s an iconic agency I’ve admired throughout my career, and I am delighted to finally have the opportunity to work with some of Australia’s best brands.”
Walker will work across a range of portfolios, including Vodafone and Arnott’s.
This comes after Toyota Australia handed its retail and value chain communications portfolio to Publicis-owned full-service agency, Saatchi & Saatchi.
The move marks the end of its long-standing relationship with Dentsu Creative, which began in 2015 when the holdco acquired the local independent agency Oddfellows, Toyota’s retail creative agency at the time.
Despite previous reports the win for Saatchi & Saatchi was driven by a global consolidation with Publicis, brought about from the US, both Publicis and Toyota have since confirmed to Mediaweek this was a local decision only.
See also: Toyota hands retail creative account to Saatchi & Saatchi
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Top image: Patrick Rowe and Rachel Walker