Marketforce leadership moving on

Advertising agency Marketforce is going through a clean sweep of its leadership, with Paul Coghlan recruited to replace senior creatives Pat Lennox and Ben Green, who are leaving in June to start their own consultancy.

These changes follow last week's resignation of chief executive Paul Everingham, who left after less than six months at the helm.

The ad agency’s owner, Clemenger BBDO, has transferred Melbourne-based Jim Gall to Perth as chairman and acting chief executive of the business.

Marketforce said today that executive creative director Pat Lennox and senior creative Ben Green shared their intentions with the company in early January, so that the agency was able to recruit a replacement.

Their planned move also follows the departure last year of Mr Lennox’s partner Nicole Lennox Gray, who had been a group director at Marketforce since 2012.

Marketforce is ranked by Business News as WA’s second largest advertising agency.

It is listed in the BNiQ Search Engine with 70 staff, behind The Brand Agency with 90 staff.

Mr Coghlan is currently executive creative director at J Walter Thompson in Perth, which he joined 18 months ago after a 10-year stint with local agency Meerkats.

Clemenger executive chairman Robert Morgan described Mr Coghlan as a new age creative leader totally comfortable with the opportunities and challenges presented to creativity and the digital/data age.

“Paul is also a highly engaging educator, investing time lecturing and tutoring and just last year was appointed Head of Award School in Perth, the pre-eminent training program for aspiring Creatives,” Mr Morgan said in a statement.

Mr Gall said Mr Coghlan would be a chief creative officer, which was a national role with much wider responsibilities than a creative director.

"Its a more transformational role, looking at the whole creative process across the business," Mr Gall said.

“He will bring great creative leadership to the Clemenger BBDO Network, as well as further enhancing our reputation as the most powerful creative network in Australasia."