Marketforce restructure sees big changes with Dixie Marshall elevated to Managing Director and ECD Paul Coghlan exiting the agency
In a major restructure at Marketforce, Dixie Marshall has been appointed Managing Director and Paul Coghlan will leave the agency following the decision to make the Executive Creative Director role redundant.
Marshall (pictured left) previously led Marketforce content agency, Flare, which has enjoyed extraordinary growth over the past two years. She joined the agency in 2018 from her role as head of Dentsu Aegis Network’s Perth content agency The Story Lab. She is the first woman to lead Marketforce.
Marshall was the first woman AFL boundary rider on Australian TV, she has been a 9 Network senior newsreader and Director of Strategic Communications for the WA Government.
Marketforce Group Chief Executive Office, Adam Marshall, said Dixie Marshall’s focus would be on driving creative excellence across the Marketforce digital, creative and content departments.
Coghlan (pictured right) will leave the agency in late February with Adam Marshall citing the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic for the restructure of the agency’s creative department. Coghlan joined the agency from J Walter Thompson Perth in June 2018 replacing Pat Lennox and Ben Green who left to start their own agency
“I acknowledge and thank Paul for his part in the rebuilding of Marketforce over the past two years and wish him well in his next adventure,” Marshall said.
Joining the creative department as Senior Art Director is Paul Michael Liam Donnelly. Donnelly’s previous roles include head of design for News Corp (WA), and creative positions at some of WA’s leading creative agencies. He has worked on a range of creative content for some WA’s biggest companies and organisations. His experience stretches across digital, design, film, animation and coding. Also joining the creative department as a Junior Art Director, is Jess Marshall.
Adam Marshall said said before Coghlan departs in February, the agency will have a new Creative Director in place along with a new senior/junior team.
Dixie Marshall’s elevation sees another award-winning journalist and producer Christien DeGaris appointed to head up Flare.
Most recently, DeGaris has been the Executive Producer of WA’s only current affairs programme, Flashpoint, winning WA’s most prestigious TV award at the 2020 WA Media Awards. DeGaris has a long history in journalism and broadcasting. He has been a breakfast radio presenter and reporter, a chief of staff, a television crime reporter and regional bureau chief. In addition, DeGaris has worked in various government roles.
In other changes, Craig Sadler rejoins the business to manage operations, and Brannon Heath has been recruited to the role of Head of Marketforce North. The internal changes will take place immediately.
“Marketforce has a rich history of leadership in advertising and strategic communications, this latest evolution of our business has clients, and their modern communications needs, at its heart,” said Adam Marshall.
15 Comments
Paul’s a ledge, will do well wherever he goes.
That’s very sad. Paul is a great operator and wasn’t supported properly. It’s not the job of the ECD to bring in new business.
There wasn’t the opportunity for him to do great work as they don’t have any large clients, apart from Lotteries.
First Basil, now this…
I give it a year before Dennis Commetti is running The Brand Agency.
By the end of the year all employees will be required to change their last name to Marshall!
Marshall law will be upheld!
Congratulations Dixie. The only woman to be running a major Perth ad agency since Derry left 303 and joining a small and rare club of female leaders in the industry. Now following in the footsteps of Marketforce leaders who made a huge impact on the Perth business and advertising landscape.
Paul is a huge loss, he kept the creative ambition alive, and he is a rare gentlemen in our business.
Paul is indeed a rare gentleman with a great creative and analytical mind. A humble quiet achiever. They aren’t many of his caliber in Perth or elsewhere, nationally or internationally.
The agency has so far failed to find an audience … and so, of course, the least politically connected cops the bullet.
@Ruth. Nice attempt to spin this – it has been a long time since MF were a major agency. There are a slew of communications businesses in Perth run by women.
And there has been another Marshall hired as junior art director? Any relation?
Jess Marshall is a quality young person. Well done on gaining her services.
I agree Ruth BG. It’s great seeing a strong woman taking over from the men at MF. They need some strong leadership with all the pitches happening at the moment.
Love the enthusiasm here. Let’s not forget that there is an established CEO and agency leader in Adam Marshall (no relation to Dixie) still driving the Marketforce bus. Dixie is Managing Director but Adam has been and continues to run the business
Now that Dix is there, does this mean that Marketforce will now have the state Liberal account?
Baz our new City of Perth Lord Mayor was congratulating Dixie on her promotion this morning on the Rumour File.
Sorry for Paul. Great news well done on the promotions.
To lead and manage any business successfully usually requires a degree of relevant experience.
Look at most successful ASX 200 companies and their CEO/MD typically comes with a history of operating similar business or in similar roles. A business can appoint an outsider or person without the direct relevant experience, but if that is done then there is typically a wider management team with the experience to supplement the shortfall in the CEO/MD role.
A business can appoint highly skilled professionals, good managers and experts in their respective fields to leadership roles, but the challenge is that if their respective fields are not related to the core business, and if there is no senior management team to supplement this experience shortfall, then the people leading the business don’t have the expertise to run it well and grow the business.
Marketforce at one stage was the largest, strongest and most successful communications company in Western Australia, but through those successful times it had always been led by experienced individuals with an in-depth understanding of the industry and business they operated.