Richard Ralphsmith joins Ogilvy Melbourne as ECD

Ralphsmith's appointment is effective immediately, and follows on from a stint with Ogilvy's Sydney office. Prior to this, his most recent role was as creative director of Clemenger Harvie Edge.

Ralphsmith boasts over 18 years' of experience in both local Australian and international markets, including time spent with M&C Saatchi in Sydney, London and New York. He also worked with Batey in Singapore.

Among the clients he has worked with are Mercedes-Benz, Qantas, McDonald's and Schweppes.

Ogilvy Australia CEO Andrew Baxter said Ralphsmith’s had both a strong creative pedigree and important skils in emerging platforms. "Not only is Richard a proven and award-winning creative, but he understands how to work collaboratively across a number of specialist areas which is a vital component within the Ogilvy model,” he said. “We’re looking forward to him joining our successful team and bringing his energy and creative enthusiasm to a range of our clients.”

Ralphsmith said Ogilvy Group Melbourne had a reputation for one of the "best-managed" offerings in Australia. "My task is to ensure that we employ all of these strengths, challenging ourselves to continually improve the creative work that we produce,” he said.

The new ECD will oversee all creative output across the Ogilvy Melbourne office, including work for clients such as Officeworks, Myer, BMW, AAMI, McCain and the Bank of Melbourne.