Y&R execs return to Patterson after sale

McLennan, chairman and CEO of Young & Rubicam Brands, who left Patterson's for Y&R three years ago, will assume direct control of the agency, to be renamed George Patterson Y&R, in addition to his responsibilities overseeing the enlarged group, which now include the operations of Patterson's parent The Communications Group (TCG).

Senior Y&R Brands executives, chief strategy officer Mike Morrison and chief creative officer Matt McGrath, also former Patterson's alumni who left at the same time as McLennan, are expected to take up senior strategic and creative roles respectively within the new group.

The appointments are part of a restructure initiated following WPP's takeover of TCG, which also includes Zenith Media, Australia's second largest media agency and the country's largest PR firm, Professional Public Relations, making Y&R Brands Australia's largest marcoms group. Details of the restucture were being finalised as Media went to press though both TCG chief executive Ian Smith and COO Mark Bayliss have said they will step down following a brief handover. TCG chairman Alex Hamill will be chairman emeritus of the merged entity. At least two more senior TCG staff are also thought to be leaving in the wake of the buy: Jane Neale, MD of Patterson's Sydney office, and Douglas Nichol, who runs the direct marketing operations.

Current Wunderman head Christine Gardner has been tipped to take a senior role overseeing the group's one-to-one operations. Both James McGrath and Anthony Heraghty from Patterson's Melbourne office are also thought to be in line for high-level roles in the new entity. Zenith Media will be folded into MediaCom, as WPP's rights to the Zenith brand in Australia have almost expired. Media will be run by MediaCom's current chief executive Anne Parsons.

Management of Professional Public Relations and design consultancy Underline Fitch will remain unchanged.

The merger of the two marcoms groups brings together some key accounts under the same roof, including Campbell, a global Y&R account whose Australian Arnotts brand is handled by Patterson's, telco Telstra, which had shared business with both Y&R and Patterson's, and Fosters, which has beer brands handled by Patterson's and white spirits by Y&R. Additional reporting by Heather Jacobs