Leif Stromnes To Leave DDB Group Australia After 25 Years With The Business

DDB Group Australia’s managing director of strategy and innovation, Leif Stromnes, will be leaving the business at the end of the month.

Departing after 25 years with the business, Leif reflected on a question he’s been asked throughout his time at DDB: “Why have you stayed at the same agency for most of your working life?”

“For me, it’s because I have always felt proud to be part of DDB,” he posted on socials.

“Proud of our people. Proud of our work. Proud of our clients. Proud of the pitches we won. Proud of our awards. And proud that I never wasted a single moment feeling like I was in the wrong place.

“I can honestly count the bad days on one hand, and that is testament to the amazing role that culture plays in a creative business.”

Leif has been managing director of strategy and innovation for the agency since 2015, having previously worked as Sydney’s managing director. He first joined the agency as head of strategic in 2000, working his way up to chief strategy officer before taking the managing director role.

“Although our industry is being challenged, it’s still a human-to-human business and the desire to collaborate and solve problems using the unreasonable power of creativity will endure,” Leif said.

“So whilst it seems that everything is changing, so much of what we have always done will never change. And that is worth building our future around.”

Leif’s departure follows that of similarly-tenured DDB veteran Andrew Little, who stepped down as DDB Group AUNZ CEO in March after 25 years with the business. Andrew started as managing director of DDB Melbourne and was then promoted to CEO DDB Group Australia in 2013. This was followed by a promotion to president and CEO ANZ in 2021. His partnerships with Westpac, McDonald’s, Coles, and Volkswagen marked some of the most consistent and successful agency-client relationships in Australia.

In light of these changes, New Zealand CEO Priya Patel and New Zealand chief creative officer Matty Burton took on expanded roles as Regional CEO and chief creative officer for DDB Group AUNZ respectively.

The past month has also seen DDB Group Aotearoa NZ managing director Nikki McKelvie step down amid a restructure, and Tribal DDB’s National ECD David Jackson leave following RooBadge bringing home three Lions from Cannes.

In June, LBB revealed that DDB Australia had been named one of the creative agencies for DoorDash in the country.