Milla McPhee Heads to ABC, Droga5 to Unveil "Strategy Restructure"

Chief strategy officer of Droga5 ANZ, Milla McPhee, has departed the agency to take up a new role as director, audiences at the ABC.

Milla starts with the public broadcaster on September 8th, and will report into ABC managing director Hugh Marks.

An agency spokesperson told LBB, “We can confirm Milla McPhee has accepted a client-side role that’s close to her heart. While we’ll miss her, we wish Milla the very best of success with her upcoming opportunity and thank her for her wonderful contribution to the agency.

"Her departure also signals an exciting new strategy restructure, with more news to be shared soon."

Milla took up the CSO role in June last year, succeeding Hugh Munro in leading strategy for The Monkeys before the agency was rebadged to Droga5 in August the same year. Hugh went on to found indie agency Rick Barry alongside former BMF CCO Alex Derwin.

Previously, Milla was head of brand and creative strategy for Amazon in Europe, leading brand and strategy development across Amazon’s global portfolio of brands. During her career, she has helped develop strategies for some of Australia’s most complex and trusted brands including NRMA, Telstra, Optus, Tourism Australia, Australia Post, and Qantas.

Milla said of her new role, "It is an extraordinarily rare opportunity to help reflect how a nation sees itself. The ABC is one of our most vital public institutions and enduring cultural icons. Its role as our most trusted source of understanding and shared meaning has never been more essential. 

"I’m honoured to join the leadership team at such a critical moment for media, creativity, and Australia’s cultural identity."

Hugh, the former CEO at Nine, became the ABC's MD at the end of last year.

“Milla clearly has an incredibly strategic and creative mind that will be invaluable as we continue to strengthen the relationship between the ABC, its programs and services, and all Australians," he said.

“She will bring a unique perspective and audience focused approach to the leadership team, contributing to the ABC's delivery of memorable and distinctive content experiences."

At an industry event earlier this year, Milla stressed the importance of advertising that understands the local audience -- that type of work is best set-up to travel globally, she argued.

“Because you are trying to please everybody, and in pleasing everybody, you inevitably end up pleasing nobody, or just not having a very punchy idea. Global insights are often quite weak. So this is why ideas that originate, particularly in a country like ours, and then are taken to travel, tend to be far more effective.”