Andy McLeish Appointed Colenso BBDO Head of Planning

Colenso BBDO today announced that Andy McLeish has been promoted to the position of head of planning.

The marketing veteran has been acting head of planning over the past month and shown great ability in the position.

"Andy has really stepped up and done an amazing job balancing communication and business planning since taking on the role informally," says Nick Garrett, Colenso BBDO's managing director.

"Andy's appointment highlights the depth of talent within the agency. He has an impressive background and has proven to be a huge asset to Colenso over the past 18 months, so he was the obvious choice for the role."

Andy joined Colenso in October 2010 from TBWA Auckland, where he was the senior strategic planner, working across clients including ASB, Sovereign Insurance, The Radio Network, Adidas and Mercury Energy.

Prior to that Andy spent 15 years on the client side in various marketing roles, most recently six years with NZ Lotteries. Over that time Andy held a variety of roles from marketing management to strategy, new product development and innovation, finishing as acting marketing director before making the switch to agency.

"It's been brilliant working with Andy. He's passionate about big ideas and the power of creativity, and has made a huge impression in a small amount of time with our key clients," says Nick Worthington, Colenso BBDO's creative chairman.

Andy will oversee brand planning and look to further integrate digital and customer relationship management into Colenso's core planning strategy.

"We've got a world class planning team here, and I'm delighted to have been given the chance to step into the role and lead the team and the strategic function across the business," says Andy McLeish.

Colenso BBDO has built its reputation as New Zealand's leading creative agency and was ranked fifth in the world in the 2011 Big Won report, which ranks agencies according to awards. Andy will continue the agency's focus on delivering highly effective creative campaigns for clients.email. Thank you.