The Monkeys, part of Accenture Song, has promoted Milla McPhee to chief strategy officer and Ben de Castella to head of planning, effective immediately.
McPhee expands on her Accenture Song remit as managing director of strategy for growth markets, to now lead strategy for The Monkeys.
Previously, she worked in strategy at Adam&eveDDB London and Droga5 New York and was also client side as head of brand and creative strategy at Amazon in the UK
McPhee succeeds Hugh Munro, who left The Monkeys to launch his own creative indie agency: Rick Barry. He founded the new shop with ex-BMF’s chief creative officer Alex Derwin.
See also: Alex Derwin and Hugh Munro unveil new shop, Rick Barry
Commenting on Munro’s departure, Accenture Song ANZ president and group CEO of The Monkeys, Mark Green said: “As part of this change, we are farewelling Hugh Munro who has been such a force within our strategy department for so long. He leaves with our heartfelt thanks and best wishes for his next adventure.”
Commenting on her new role, McPhee added: “What a privilege it is to lead strategy for Australia’s foremost creative business, inside the world’s most sophisticated technology powerhouse. Every day, we show brands how provocative thinking can transform their business, and it’s a joy to do so alongside the best in our business at The Monkeys/Song.”
De Castella has helped develop several recognised creative campaigns during his three years as business strategy director at The Monkeys, including Canadian Club’s Over Beer? and Telstra’s Footy Country.
His previous roles include group strategy director at VCCP London and strategic planning director at Digitas Hong Kong, where he worked on brands such as Transport for London, Compare the Market, and Nike.
“When I joined The Monkeys, I knew it was home to some of Australia’s most iconic and effective campaigns,” he said.
“Over the past couple of years, I’ve found out what an incredible bunch it takes to make that happen – not least our tight-knit team of brilliant Planners. I couldn’t be more excited about the new role and what we’re going to achieve together next.”
Green added: “We are pleased to see both Milla and Ben continue to thrive and take on wider responsibilities. Both have an impressive record driving growth for some of the world’s leading brands and are perfect partners to help us lead our strategy department.”