Former Westpac marketing chief Jenny Melhuish in at Aldi, Mark Richardson exits

News 9 Nov 2022 - 2 min read

Former Westpac marketing chief Jenny Melhuish in at Aldi, Mark Richardson exits

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Tags: Aldi

Former Westpac marketer Jenny Melhuish will step into the top marketing role at Aldi after Christmas after Mark Richardson steps down after six with the retailer, driving major growth through highly effective creative.

Mark Richardson is stepping down after helming Aldi's marketing department since 2017. Former Wetpac CMO Jenny Melhuish will take over from January.

Richardson, a former ad agency exec at M&C Saatchi and the one-time John Singleton-backed Banjo, along with marketing roles at BT Financial and Foxtel, has been instrumental in driving the brand's growth, with brand-led broad reach campaigns landing Effies Effective Advertiser of the year for three years on the trot with longstanding partner BMF. He previously told Mi3 that Aldi's "delegation of authority" of creativity to the agency was the secret to its potency - which he suggested was blowing Australia's supermarket incumbents out of the water by up to 50 per cent on key brand metrics while critically, driving people into stores.

"The past six years have been an absolute career highlight," said Richardson. “The past six years have been an absolute career highlight. It has been a privilege to deliver work that has had true business impact while never losing Aldi’s notable sense of humour. I have nothing but respect for my colleagues and have deeply appreciated their partnership during my time here. My overriding emotion is one of immense pride at having been part of creating an enduring brand proposition.”

Simon Padovani-Ginies, Group Director Customer Interactions, said Richardson's contribution to the business "has been large, evidenced by the success of campaign after campaign. He’s anticipated and sculpted the tone of our brand, delivering memorable work that shaped our business in the market.”

Melhuish left Westpac in September after 14 years with the bank.

“With the cost of living at the forefront of the minds of Aussies, I am looking forward to helping Aldi play a key role in ensuring Aussies know they can shop smarter and be savvier with their supermarket choices,” she said.

“I have a passion for challenger brands, I thrive being in that mindset and seeing and delivering on growth opportunities. What a delight to join the Marketing team who are already doing amazing, award winning but most importantly effective work. I cannot wait to get started.”

The shift comes as Coles hunts a new top marketer following Lisa Ronson's exit.

Aldi recently consolidated more of its media account into Publicis.