Darryl McClay steps down from CEO role at Raydar; MD Troy Fuller takes over from McClay

The Clemenger Group New Zealand has today announced senior management changes at the group’s leading shopper marketing agency, Raydar. CEO, Darryl McClay (left), will step down from his role on June 30th, 2017.  Troy Fuller (right), will step into McClay’s role effective July 1st, 2017 still as managing director.

McClay has been at the helm of Raydar since its inception more than two decades ago.   He started the agency with partner Ray Bolderston in 1995. Raydar ran as a highly successful independent agency through to 2010 before being acquired by the Clemenger Group, and subsequently merging with Clemenger’s BTL agency, Alphabet Soup. Combined, the agency grew significantly and shifted its focus to shopper marketing.  In 2015, Raydar merged with start-up agency Clemenger Shop, to form the pre-imminent shopper marketing agency in New Zealand.

Says Jim Moser, CEO, Clemenger Group: “Under Darryl’s leadership, we have seen Raydar grow to the point where they are now clearly New Zealand’s leading shopper marketing agency as well as a significant contributor to the group’s total offer. Darryl has steered the ship through the acquisition by the Clemenger Group as well as two merges (Alphabet Soup and Clemenger Shop) and has maintained his drive and enthusiasm throughout. He is truly one of the industry’s good-guys and will be sorely missed by the Raydar team and the Group as a whole.”

Raydar with its strong capability in shopper and retail advertising, boast an enviable client list that includes Frucor Beverages, Pizza Hut, DB Breweries, Mercedes-Benz, Sanitarium, Pernod Ricard and Fonterra, among many others. Clients such as Frucor Beverages (22 years) and Pizza Hut (16 years) are long time clients of the agency, illustrating the effect McClay has had on its business.

Says McClay: “I’m incredibly grateful to have worked alongside such a talented and committed team at Raydar, with passionate and smart clients, on some of the biggest and best brands in the market. It was always going to be hard to step away from an agency that I co-founded, but I’m genuinely excited to be exploring other options outside of advertising and looking forward to my next challenge.”

McClay will be succeeded by managing director, Troy Fuller, who came into the agency as part of the merge with Clemenger SHOP. His experience with shopper and brand activation agencies across Auckland, Sydney and London has been an important part of Raydar’s continued growth in the last two years.

Says Fuller: “I’ve worked really closely with Darryl for the last couple of years. He is one of the most authentic and genuine people I have ever met and I have learned a huge amount from him. While I am disappointed, he has decided it’s time to move in a different direction, I’m excited about the path Raydar is on, the success we’re having, and the great people I have around me.”