OMD Auckland GM Zac Stephenson departs agency; David McCallen joins strategy team

OMD has accepted the resignation of Auckland general manager, Zac Stephenson (left). Stephenson has been with OMD since 2008 and has played a valuable role in the agency over the last nine years. He will be sadly missed by the team.

Says Andrew Reinholds, managing partner, OMD: “Zac’s been part of the OMD family for almost 9 years now, so it’s a very sad day for us all. He’s got a fantastic opportunity at Ikon and we wish him all the very best for this next exciting chapter in his career. We think they’re very lucky to have him.”

Boosting OMD’s strategic offering is strategy guru David McCallen (above, right). McCallen recently joined the agency to head up the strategy department. He was previously with Colenso BBDO. With considerable experience totalling 18 years, across both client and agency business, McCallen is already bringing a dynamic approach to the agency.

His agency background has incorporated both brand and customer experience and he is now applying this to media.

Says McCallen: “This is a really interesting time for the industry and a great time to be joining the agency. Steadily we’ve been building a market-leading position in data and analytics and the opportunity now lies in fusing that with a human-centred and experience-driven approach to communications.”

McCallen has worked for some of the world’s biggest and best agencies and has picked up numerous local, regional and international awards. In the UK and New Zealand, McCallen has worked across Unilever, Guinness, The BBC, Sainsbury’s, T-Mobile, Vodafone, EA Games and News International, Lotto and BNZ.

Says Reinholds: “We’re thrilled David has joined us to lead our Strategy team. His skill-set across data, direct and brand is truly unique and is perfectly aligned to the direction the agency is heading in. Throw in the fact he’s a massive Manchester United fan, has impeccable taste in music and is a top bloke, what else could you ask for?”