DDB Sydney's chief strategy officer, Fran Clayton, is departing the agency after close to a decade as she takes on a new role as chief strategist at Ogilvy ANZ.

Clayton first joined DDB Sydney as a planner in 2013, and was named as chief strategy officer 2016. She moved to McCann Group in 2018 for a brief stint before returning to DDB in 2020, where she remained as chief strategist until now.

"We could not be more thrilled for Fran in this new, larger role at Ogilvy. DDB continues to be a place that keeps its talent well past the ‘normal’ industry cycle and we are lucky to have had Fran here for almost a decade. She did a brilliant job at DDB and we’re incredibly proud, said DDB Sydney Group CEO, Sheryl Marjoram. “We have begun the recruitment process for our new Chief Strategy Officer, so stay tuned.”

Clayton joins Ogilvy in the chief strategy officer role following the departure of Ryan O'Connell, who departed in January to launch a new creative agency, jnr., in partnership with Special NZ managing director, John Marshall.

Ogilvy confirmed Clayton's appointment, with further details to be provided early next week.