AdPartners set to move in with BWM

In the restructure of its operations the Photon Group announced yesterday, one key brand missing from the Australian Agencies division is AdPartners. The agency will continue as a stand-alone agency, but move into the BWM offices in Ultimo. Shaun Branagan, who was promoted to ECD in November last year, retains his role as ECD. Executives from AdPartnerswere not available at the time of posting to comment.

NeilShoebridge reports on the move in a wider piece on the Photon Group, published in today’s AFR. He writes that there won’t be a fire sale, with none of the 50 companies Photon owns here or overseas to be sold. However, Shoebridge writes, in the three weeks since he officially started at Photon, chief executive Jeremy Philips, has closed the online marketing firm Future House and developed a plan to merge other companies. “The ad agency AdPartners, for example, has been folded into a larger agency, Belgiovane Williams Mackay.”

“Philips was understood to be planning to fold some small publicrelations, internet and research companies into larger businesses inthe group,” he writes. 

Shoebridge also speculates that BMF non-executive chairman Matthew Melhuish will be named as the new head ofthe Australian Agencies division. He suggests Stewart Bailey fromthe Bailey Group as the new head of the Australian Field MarketingDivision and Nigel Long from Naked Communications to be named as headof the international division with Naked’s Jon Wilkins to be appointedas business development director. 

BMF could not comment on whether Melhuish would be running the group, referring calls to Photon. However, he has recently stepped back from the day to day running of the agency to become non-executive chairman and his role includes additional responsibilities at Photon. An announcement is expected later this week.