DDB Sydney has appointed the agency's New Zealand alum, Rupert Price, as its new Chief Strategy Officer. He takes on the remit left by Fran Clayton in April when she departed the agency to join Ogilvy Network ANZ.

Price, who has a 25-year career spanning agencies in London and New Zealand, has spent the last 12 years as Chief Strategy Officer at DDB Group Aotearoa, during which he has won numerous creative awards and guided the agency to four NZ Effies Agency of the Year titles.

Previously, Price has held positions at Interbrand as Director of Strategy, Head of Planning at Ogilvy NZ and Ogilvy London, and Board Planning Director at Saatchi & Saatchi London. His experience across these various roles has equipped him with a deep understanding of strategic planning and creative execution. In his new role, Price will lead DDB Sydney's planning department with a focus on delivering effectiveness through emotionally charged creativity.

DDB Group Sydney CEO, Sheryl Marjoram, said: "I couldn’t be happier to have Rupert joining the team. We’ve long been admirers of his impact and momentum across the Tasman and it’s always a special moment to be able to recruit much loved and respected DDB’ers within the network. His passion, commitment and results speak for themselves and I can’t wait for everyone to see what’s next for DDB Sydney."

Price's departure from DDB Group New Zealand is met with mixed feelings. Priya Patel, DDB Group New Zealand CEO, said, "We’re incredibly proud of the strategic powerhouse Rupert has built here and want to thank him for over a decade of incredible work. The team and I will miss him but we love the fact that he is only a short flight away."

Price himself acknowledged the difficulty of leaving his long-term role at DDB Group Aotearoa. "It was a tough decision to leave the agency I’ve called home for the last 12 years but the opportunity to work with the Sydney team to continue their trajectory was too good to pass up."

Price will commence his transition to DDB Sydney immediately, dividing his time equally between Sydney and New Zealand until the end of August. From September 1st, he will take on the Sydney role permanently.