Kirsty Muddle has been appointed CEO of Ogilvy Network ANZ, where she will oversee the agency’s operations across Australia and New Zealand. Muddle is tasked with leading all Ogilvy capabilities across the region, including advertising, PR, social and influencer, customer engagement, consulting, and health.
Muddle joins from Dentsu, where she currently serves as CEO of Practices & Products for Australia and New Zealand. In that role, she leads Dentsu’s practices across creative, PR, government, customer experience, Salesforce, insight, data and technology, commerce, and B2B marketing and media.
She has more than 25 years of experience in the creative industry, including building new businesses and leading established organizations. Ogilvy noted her history of fostering innovation, supporting brand growth, and building connected creative teams.
“Kirsty has an undeniable track record of delivering real value and impact for clients. She deeply understands the complex challenges businesses face today and champions creativity not just for its own sake, but as a powerful force that can solve those challenges,” said Laurent Ezekiel, Global CEO of the Ogilvy Group.
“Her ability to build strong, trusting relationships with clients, always putting their needs first, and her knack for bringing together diverse capabilities – from social and influencer to cutting-edge technology and data – to create truly impactful solutions, makes her an exceptional leader for Ogilvy in this key market. I look forward to working with her as we enter this next exciting chapter for Ogilvy.”
Rose Herceg, WPP President for Australia and New Zealand, added: “When we searched for Ogilvy’s new leader, we felt we were asking for a unicorn – a modern marketer built for the emerging world, with strong business experience across the communications spectrum. In Kirsty, we found that rare blend; a genuine love for creativity that moves mountains, coupled with experience harnessing the disciplines that creativity needs to thrive in a dynamic, fast-moving media landscape.”
Reflecting on her new role, Muddle said “Ogilvy is a place where every leader I’ve encountered has a strong point of view, saw change as an opportunity, and spoke with clarity about AI, data and integration but wasn’t lost in it. Importantly, they also never forgot why this business was born – the power of creativity to drive growth. That enduring belief made Ogilvy feel like home. I’m humbled to partner with an incredible set of clients and the exceptional talent within both Ogilvy and WPP to harness the network’s full power and collectively move us all forward into what’s next.”
Before joining Dentsu, Muddle was a founding partner at cummins&partners, where she spent 11 years helping the agency build a strong creative reputation. She also spent nine years at Mindshare and has been named Woman of the Year and Executive of the Year twice. Muddle currently sits on the boards of the Australian Council of Advertising (ACA), the Australian Association of National Advertisers (AANA), and Ridgeway, an Indigenous social change agency.
Muddle, who will begin her role in early 2026, replaces Sally Kissane, who stepped down as ANZ CEO in July after three decades with the agency.
