PHD Worldwide promotes Mark Holden to global strategy director role based in London

PHD Worldwide has announced the promotion of Mark Holden to the role of global strategy director, responsible for driving the growing network’s strategic planning capabilities across all regions.  Holden, who is currently managing partner at PHD’s Australia operation, will start the role in January, reporting to worldwide CEO Mike Cooper. 

Recently appointed managing director Toby Hack will replace Holden, taking on responsibility for new business development and agency growth. Holden’s global remit will see him remain involved with PHD Australia across key clients.

“Mark has made a fantastic contribution towards establishing PHD in Australia – namely helping bring in an incredible team of very talented people across different disciplines.  Although we will all miss Mark, PHD is well and truly established – we now have a company that can genuinely and consistently deliver on the PHD vision of finding a better way” said Barry O’Brien, CEO of PHD Australia.

“Mark is one of the industry’s most brilliant strategic thinkers and has continually driven innovation, creativity and though leadership during his time at PHD.  Our history as the world’s first strategic planning media agency has seen us attract some of the best talent, and in Mark we have the perfect person to drive thought provoking opinion and pioneering thinking at a global level, as the network continues to grow,” said Cooper.

Says Holden: “I am very satisfied with what we have established here in Australia.  The culture, people and the systems are of a very high standard. And with Toby Hack joining the team the future looks very bright.  I am also excited about being able to help build upon the success the PHD network has already achieved.  PHD is a wonderful and unique company as it is genuinely driven by a higher purpose – that of finding a better way.  It is a complete privilege to help steer this amazing company and this amazing group of minds.”

Holden, who has this month been named ‘Asia-Pacific Media Planner of the Year’ by Campaign Asia magazine, moved to Australia in 2007 to set up a PHD Australia.  He led the decision to purchase TOTAL Advertising Pty Ltd in 2008 and has been the driving force behind overhauling the company and turning it into an authentic PHD operation. This included bringing in new people, new systems and new training and coaching programmes.

His contribution has seen PHD Australia win 16 new clients in the past 12 months including PepsiCo, Guthy Renker, National Australia Bank and Google – making PHD Australia the fastest growing media agency in 2010.  It has also led to awards – winning Strategic Insight for both 2009 and 2010, Best Innovation 2009, Pro-Bono 2010 and Best Clothing & Retail 2010 at the MFA Awards, while this month’s B&T Awards saw PHD win the commendation in the ‘Media Agency of the Year’ category.

A leading spokesperson and voice of the industry, Holden has also recently co-authored two books called ‘2014 – PHD on the Future of the Media Agency’ and ‘Fluid – Harnessing the Rising Speed of Influence’ with all profits going to UNICEF. 

Holden joined PHD Group in 2001 to run the strategic agency Rocket.  He overhauled the company and within 18 months, won four effectiveness awards and many new clients including GCap Plc, Ansell Healthcare, Adnams Breweries, Time Products (Sekonda Watches) and Shazam Mobile.   After two years, Holden was elevated into the main company to take up the position of executive planning director.  He was part of the team that reinvented PHD, creating the brand positioning and a series of innovative tools that have been rolled out across PHD globally – including ETNA, PHD’s core strategic planning process which uses the pioneering use of fRMI scanning research.  All of this help lead to the rebirth of PHD UK in 2005, which saw PHD named Agency of the Year across all three trade magazines – Campaign, Marketing and Media Week.

In 2006 Holden worked with Peter Souter, the executive creative director at BBDO UK, and writer/director Richard Curtis on the Make Poverty History campaign, which enlisted the help of millions of people and led to the largest crowd-sourcing campaign of all time and dramatic changes to policy.

Holden started his career with Saatchi and Saatchi as a planner before joining OMD where he ran a planning group, which included Gillette, Boots Plc and Volkswagen.  He was responsible for an increase in the agency’s creative output; in the first year, he was personally nominated for 11 industry effectiveness awards, for which he was commended for five and won two.

In 2006, Holden was named as one of the top three best media planners in the UK in Campaign’s Book of Lists and was selected by the IPA (Institute of Practitioners in Advertising) to run the IPA Strategy Group – and be a lead consultant to the IPA on a landmark project regarding the future of advertising.