Wunderman Thompson’s Gavin Bain named Ad Person of the Year at 2021 Campaign Brief Awards
Gavin Bain joins a rare group of industry professionals that have won the Advertising Person of the Year Award twice. The Wunderman Thompson Perth Managing Partner previously won in 2014. Ken James, Mike Edmonds, John Driscoll, Stephen Wells and Bruce Shorter have also won this award twice.
Gavin Bain had a big year in 2020. Firstly, he facilitated the sale of Meerkats into WPP AUNZ and Wunderman Thompson.
It could be argued that the last profitable sale of a functioning advertising business in the Perth industry was The Brand Agency (also to WPP). To make Bain’s achievement all the more special it was delivered in the middle of a pandemic and global lock down. And if all that wasn’t enough it turns out that the sale is actually more like a reverse takeover with Bain and some of his key people running the new business.
No clients were lost in the sale and re-brand, leaving quite a few people green with envy in Perth around the sale and successful rebrand. Bain now finds himself running the second largest agency in Perth.
In terms of new business in 2020 Bain delivered the HBF Digital Transformation – the single biggest digital transformation project anywhere in Australia. Whilst doing all this Bain has maintained his industry leadership as head of the Comms/Ad Council in WA and held down a place on the national board of directors.
Read the full story in the special Campaign Brief Awards issue, out next week.
View the shortlist of names for the Ad Person of the Year Award.
12 Comments
So well deserved, you rock Gav!
Congratulations Gav!
Fantastic news Gav, congratulations
In an industry with ~45% female representation there aren’t enough women on that list.
Absolutely agree.
Interesting question. CB can you answer these questions.
How many women were nominated and how many women actually nominated women for this award?
Congrats Gav-star, enjoy the spot light clever man 🙂
Congratulations and well deserved Gav
Congrats Bainy!
@Who Run The World?
CB calls for nominations from the industry and from these a winner and the finalists are selected. Anyone can nominate. This year 4 women and 9 men were nominated. We would definitely welcome nominations from you next year. Cheers
Nice one mate.
Congratulations this is wonderful news.
Looking at the shortlist and previous winners it really highlights the gender bias in the industry. Looking forward to a time when this gap is addressed as an industry.
Well done mate.