Moonsail co-founder Paul Coghlan sets course for Rudder as Samantha Hassall steps up to Managing Director at Moonsail

Moonsail co-founder Paul Coghlan is set to depart the agency at the end of the month to focus on Rudder, a new business aimed at helping in-house marketing teams upskill and steer creative from within, while Samantha Hassall formalises her position as Managing Director at Moonsail.

“The original plan was for Rudder to live under the Moonsail banner,” said Coghlan. “But as Rudder grew, it became clear that this new ship needed a devoted captain.”

Coghlan has decided to dedicate himself solely to the burgeoning venture, leaving Moonsail in a strong position under an experienced leadership team.

“Sam walked in the door a year and a half ago and started whipping us into shape immediately, so it’s only fair she takes the official title of captain of the Moonsail ship,” continues Coghlan.

Co-founder Matt Nankivell will now take the helm as sole ECD. Nankivell has extensive local and global experience working on brands such as Dove, Formula 1, Coke, Hellmann’s and Google, through roles at agencies including McCann London, M&C Saatchi and Ogilvy UK. In his previous roles as Global Head of Art for Dove and Global Creative Director for Baby Dove, he was part of a team that won more than 100 major international awards across D&AD, Effies, One Show and Cannes, including four Grand Prix. After five years helping to build Moonsail, his leadership has attracted a strong team of creatives ready to hoist the sails.

Rounding out the leadership team is co-founder and finance director Juliet de Chalain, whose experience spans 303, Meerkats and Publicis Mojo NZ, where, fittingly, she was on the Cannes Lion-winning team that sailed a pub to the UK.

“Building Moonsail with Matt and Paul has been one of the great adventures of my career,” de Chalain said. “Paul has all our best wishes, leaving Moonsail shipshape and stronger than ever.”

Samantha Hassall (former Group Business Director of Saatchi & Saatchi) has a wealth of national and international agency experience across clients in all sectors, and is supported by a team of dedicated account managers led by French powerhouse Sarah Rocle (formerly the Account Lead at various international agencies including Mcann Paris – L’Oréal ,and Publicis – Renault & AXA) in her current role as Client Partnerships Director.

Hassall says: “Coming home to Perth and having the opportunity to lead a genuinely creative agency full of astounding global experience is something I’m incredibly excited about. I can’t wait to really push the boat out with this incredible team, creatively speaking…”

Moonsail has grown at an impressive pace thanks to the expertise of its people. In its first year it tripled in size and was named Campaign Brief Challenger Agency of the Year. Runner-up finishes followed in 2024 for both WA Small Business of the Year and Campaign Brief Agency of the Year, with a finalist for the same award in 2026. Along the way it has attracted some of WA’s top talent and clients, with high-profile work to match, including Watches of Switzerland and multiple campaigns for Public Transport Authority:

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“Moonsail has a great tailwind heading into the future, and Paul was a huge part of that. We will always be immensely thankful to Paul for his dedication to Moonsail as we built this thing together. I think we can expect Rudder to chart a similar course, and I can’t wait to see where he takes it,” Nankivell said. “I hope this article isn’t just going to be sailing puns.”

“I’m incredibly proud of what we have built at Moonsail, and I couldn’t be leaving it in better hands,” said Coghlan.

Coghlan sets sail for Rudder in the last week of October.

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