New wave rider TBWA CEO Sean Donovan
Sean Donovan, the new man at the helm of advertising giant TBWA, talks about his key priorities and the relationship between the CEO and the group’s founders, Reg Lascaris and John Hunt
The new man in charge of the TBWA advertising and communications group is an active weekend surfer and he’ll need all his longboard skills in 2017 to ride what is shaping up to be a gnarly industry year. Sean Donovan replaces as group CEO the well-respected Derek Bouwer, who quietly left the organisation late last year. The TBWA group includes the advertising agencies Hunt Lascaris and OpenCo, strategy and research agency Yellowwood, design agency Grid, public relations agency Magna Carta and specialist marketing agency HDI Youth Marketeers. Donovan is a brand and strategy expert. He has worked in the financial services industry and joined TBWA six years ago, co-founding and running sister agency OpenCo, and most recently running the group’s three coastal agencies before being given the big job. He will continue to look after those operations, keeping a close eye on the Spar account, which is run out of Durban and remains one of the jewels in the group’s account line-up. TBWA co-fou...
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.
Subscribe now to unlock this article.
Support BusinessLIVE’s award-winning journalism for R129 per month (digital access only).
There’s never been a more important time to support independent journalism in SA. Our subscription packages now offer an ad-free experience for readers.
Cancel anytime.
Questions? Email helpdesk@businesslive.co.za or call 0860 52 52 00. Got a subscription voucher? Redeem it now.