Paul Hutchison, chief executive officer of Bohemia Australia, has announced he will be stepping down from his role at the media agency.
In a LinkedIn on, Hutchison wrote: “Our Australian adventures are coming to an end.
“Almost two years to the day since we left the UK for our Australian Adventure, Patty, Penny and I will be returning to the UK. It’s been a wonderful experience and one we will cherish forever in a country of outstanding natural beauty. All three of us feel extremely lucky to have had the opportunity to experience life in Australia.
“We leave full up with wonderful new memories, new lifelong friends and many learning experiences.
“All three of us are excited by what’s ahead when we return to the UK, more of that to come very soon. But for now it’s just a massive thank you to everyone we have met who has helped us settle into life in Australia and made this Australian Adventure and experience one we will never forget.
“We will be back to visit you all, of that there is no doubt.
“And if you haven’t had the chance to visit we’d highly recommend you pop down under to say g’day.”
An M&C Saatchi spokesperson told Mediaweek: “After careful consideration, Paul Hutchison has made the personal decision to return to the UK. Paul has been a valued member of the Bohemia and M&C Saatchi family, contributing significantly during his time with us.
“We respect his decision and are grateful for his passion and dedication. We wish him all the best in his future endeavors. A search is currently underway for his replacement.”
Bohemia Australia appointed Hutchinson as CEO in May 2023, after he spent four years as the chief executive of Wavemaker UK. He stepped into the role in place of Brett Dawson, who was taking on a broader remit within the AUNZ Group.
Hutchinson also led Bohemia’s new positioning and brand refresh that tapped into a combination of intelligence and intuition to “handcraft memorable media.”
In Feburary 2023, he told Mediaweek it was the right time to relaunch the brand, and to solidify the message that Bohemia is sending to the market.
“Based on what I’ve heard, I think for the past couple of years we’ve been a little bit quiet and not as present in the market as perhaps we should have been. People were beginning to say, ‘we’re not quite sure what you’re up to at the moment and what you stand for, but we are very interested to know, because we’re sure there’s something really interesting going on’.
“There’s a lot of respect for the strategic thinking that’s historically come out of this business, the work we’ve put into market, and for the fact that we’ve developed a real hotbed of the industry’s talent. It felt like there was a positive sentiment towards the business, but it’s up to us to go out and restate why clients should want to work with us for their next chapter of growth, and why the talent in the industry would want to come and work here for their next career experience.”
On his move Down Under, Hutchinson said: “The thing that really stood out is just how open and welcoming the market has been here, and the interest there is in the plans for Bohemia. I’ve experienced through meeting many, many partners and clients, just how much positivity there is towards Bohemia – but also the interest in what we’re going to do next.
“For me, the most important thing so far has been listening – listening to our clients, listening to potential clients, listening to Bohemians. I’ve managed to have a one-to-one with all 50 of us so far, that’s at least an hour with everybody. I’m really looking at what we’ve got and what we can build on to craft the next chapter for our growth,” he said.
–
Top image: Paul Hutchison