Social@Ogilvy, the unified social and influence division of Ogilvy Australia, has announced the appointment of seasoned international social strategist Cleber de Almeida as its new Social Strategy Director in Sydney. De Almeida joins the Australian team after spending more than 15 years with Ogilvy in Brazil. During his tenure, he served as the strategic and operational lead for major global clients and, more recently, managed Coca-Cola’s LATAM social capability. He brings extensive multi-disciplinary leadership expertise spanning creative strategy, data intelligence, community management, real-time activation, and the execution of unified regional roadmaps. An innovator in the digital space, de Almeida has pioneered the integration of artificial intelligence and social data into large-scale content production. Notably, he spearheaded the Game Time Loop for Coca-Cola during the FIFA World Cup, managing the global initiative for WPP’s dedicated OpenX unit. Ogilvy Network ANZ CEO Kirsty Muddle highlighted the strategic value of his hire in today's fast-paced media environment. "Social today sits at the intersection of creativity, data and speed," Muddle said. "It takes ideas strong enough to earn attention, the intelligence to know where and when they will matter, and the capability to act in real time. Cleber brings all three and knows how to use WPP Open to connect them."Daniel Young, Ogilvy’s Group Managing Director of Social and Influence, echoed these sentiments, praising de Almeida's legacy of modernization within the network. "Throughout his Ogilvy career, Cleber has been recognised as a beacon of innovation, creativity, and modernity," Young noted. "He brings a unique blend of global brand experience teamed with innovation and leading-edge social application. We’re excited to have this expertise both within the Australian and regional team."Reflecting on his transition to the Australian market, de Almeida expressed enthusiasm for continuing his long-standing journey with the global network. "Ogilvy has been my home for many years, and it’s been a privilege to be part of a global team that has developed what is now a world-leading social and influence capability," de Almeida said. "I’m looking forward to working within a new region that is clearly driven by constant innovation and an ability to apply both proven tools and approaches and develop new ways of thinking to drive growth."

Ogilvy has named Kirsty Muddle as the new CEO of Ogilvy Network ANZ, taking the reins of the agency’s operations across Australia and New Zealand. Muddle, a seasoned creative industry leader, will oversee all aspects of the network, including advertising, PR, social and influencer, customer engagement, consulting, and health services.Muddle joins Ogilvy from Dentsu, where she has been serving as CEO of Practices & Products for Australia and New Zealand. In that role, she led Dentsu’s practices in creative, PR, government, customer experience, Salesforce, insight, data and technology, commerce, and B2B marketing and media.With over 25 years of experience across a range of roles—from founding new businesses to leading large established organisations—Muddle brings a strong mix of media expertise, data and tech knowledge, and creative leadership. Her record includes building innovative strategies that help clients grow their brands while fostering connected, high-performing creative teams.Laurent Ezekiel, Global CEO of the Ogilvy Group, commented: “Kirsty has an undeniable track record of delivering real value and impact for clients. She deeply understands the complex challenges businesses face today and champions creativity not just for its own sake, but as a powerful force that can solve those challenges. Her ability to build strong, trusting relationships with clients, always putting their needs first, and her knack for bringing together diverse capabilities – from social and influencer to cutting-edge technology and data – to create truly impactful solutions, makes her an exceptional leader for Ogilvy in this key market. I look forward to working with her as we enter this next exciting chapter for Ogilvy.”Rose Herceg, WPP President for Australia and New Zealand, added: “When we searched for Ogilvy’s new leader, we felt we were asking for a unicorn – a modern marketer built for the emerging world, with strong business experience across the communications spectrum. In Kirsty, we found that rare blend; a genuine love for creativity that moves mountains, coupled with experience harnessing the disciplines that creativity needs to thrive in a dynamic, fast-moving media landscape. She was truly a standout choice, and we can’t wait to see the impact she’ll have at Ogilvy, bringing the kind of fresh, entrepreneurial perspective every business needs to stay ahead.”Speaking about joining Ogilvy, Muddle said: “Ogilvy is a place where every leader I’ve encountered has a strong point of view, saw change as an opportunity, and spoke with clarity about AI, data and integration but wasn’t lost in it. Importantly, they also never forgot why this business was born – the power of creativity to drive growth. That enduring belief made Ogilvy feel like home. I’m humbled to partner with an incredible set of clients and the exceptional talent within both Ogilvy and WPP to harness the network’s full power and collectively move us all forward into what’s next.”Before her time at Dentsu, Muddle was a founding partner at cummins&partners, where she spent 11 years establishing the agency’s creative reputation. She also worked for nine years at Mindshare in both the UK and Australia, honing her media expertise and exploring the intersection of human behaviour and data. In addition, Muddle has received multiple awards, including Woman of the Year and Executive of the Year twice, and serves on the boards of the Australian Council of Advertising (ACA), the Australian Association of National Advertisers (AANA), and Ridgeway, an Indigenous social change agency.Muddle will officially join Ogilvy in early 2026. Her appointment comes at a time of momentum for the agency, which has recently won accounts including Tourism New Zealand and Specsavers. Ogilvy was also recognised at the 2025 APAC Effie Awards as Network of the Year, with wins including Gold in the Youth Marketing category for Ogilvy Sydney’s “A Masterclass in Government Sex Talks,” Silver for “Flying High in a Frugal World” for KFC, and two bronze awards.Kirsty Muddle succeeds Sally Kissane, who stepped down from the ANZ CEO position in July after 30 years with Ogilvy.