Will Green
Jul 30, 2024

Ogilvy names Camilla Clerke global creative lead for Unilever

Clerke will move from Cape Town to London to take up the role.

From left: Camilla Clerke, Nadia Katsiouli and Zoe Hamilton
From left: Camilla Clerke, Nadia Katsiouli and Zoe Hamilton

Ogilvy has hired Camilla Clerke as global executive creative director for Unilever as a replacement for the departing Dan Fisher.

Clerke is currently executive creative director at Ogilvy in South Africa but will be moving to London to take up her new role, in which she will be responsible for “defining, shaping and driving the creative vision for Ogilvy’s work on Unilever’s portfolio brands”. She will report to Liz Taylor, Ogilvy’s global chief creative officer.

Clerke starts on 1 September. Fisher, who is moving to become global chief creative officer at Ogilvy’s boutique agency Ingo, will continue to be involved in the Unilever business during a transition period.

Clerke will work with Nadia Katsiouli, who was appointed global client lead for Unilever in April to replace Jo Bacon. She is also based in London and was previously WPP’s worldwide managing director for Milka and Halls.

Bacon left in February to join M&C Saatchi as chief executive.

In turn, Katsiouli and Clerke join Zoe Hamilton, who was hired as global chief strategy officer for Unilever in January. She was previously global strategy partner for Dove at Ogilvy.

Taylor said: “Camilla embodies modern creativity. Incredibly strategic, wildly imaginative, with an unbelievable work ethic and a fearless but compassionate attitude that endears her to all. 

“She has a knack for seeing where problems are, finding a way in, and motivating human behaviour beyond where it contentedly stands. It’s what makes her so perfect to lead our collaborations with Unilever – known for some of the biggest, boldest, most beautiful campaigns our industry produces. We share a storied history with Unilever, most especially Dove, and Camilla is just the person to launch a new decade of doing the best work of our lives with them.”

Born and raised in Cape Town, Clerke has worked on brands including Carling Black Label and Castle Lager, on campaigns that tackled gender-based violence and promoted bread made from beer byproducts, respectively.

She has been with Ogilvy for three and a half years and before this spent about a decade with IPG. Clerke was with HelloFCB+ for just over two years as ECD and prior to this spent eight years at Hellocomputer.

Clerke said: “I have long admired Unilever for its creative excellence and for showcasing how brave, bold ideas can make a true impact not only on business, but society.

“On a personal note, Dove’s ongoing challenge of conventional beauty standards has deeply impacted me – and I’m ready to bring my best, authentic self forward in service of Unilever and its brands.”

Katsiouli has been with Ogilvy since 2012, leading WPP’s Mondelez team for the Milka and Halls brands since 2020.

She said: "Having the opportunity to work with Unilever and their iconic, global brands has always been an aspiration.”

 

Source:
Campaign UK
Tags

Related Articles

Just Published

1 day ago

Indonesia bans iPhone 16 sales over lack of local ...

Marketing and sale of Apple's latest phones have been blocked in Indonesia after the tech giant failed to comply with regulations requiring 40% of smartphones to be made from local parts.

1 day ago

Is Publicis’ dismissal of staff for return-to-office...

Adland weighs in on where the flexible working debate is heading.

1 day ago

40 Under 40 2024: Crystalbelle Lau Lay Yee, VoxEureka

Lau’s business acumen and hands-on support for her team have led to her being affectionately labelled as VoxMama within the communications agency she co-founded.

1 day ago

What will it really take for adland to divest from ...

Financial profit is often attributed as the main reason agencies continue to work with fossil-fuel clients. Experts in the industry argue that stricter regulation and forward-thinking measures are needed to move away from agencies’ over-reliance on fossil fuels.