Fri, 21-Nov-2008
O’Grady moves to Coke
Published: Jul 20, 2007
Singapore – Coca-Cola Asia Pacific has appointed ex-Saatchi & Saatchi Business Director Leonardo O’Grady as its new Integrated Marketing Communications Director, where he will work as part of the regional brand team across all marketing and communications initiatives in Asia Pacific. His responsibilities will cover a range of products within the Coca-Cola portfolio. “There are big plans for 2006 which will require relentless efforts on the part of all,” said O’Grady. “My initial challenge will be one of getting into and understanding the conditions and nuances of each market while keeping pace with the programmes we expect to roll out -- it’s an exciting time of change at Coca-Cola, and one I’m proud to be part of.” In his four years with Saatchi, O’Grady was part of the team that brought in brands such as Guinness, Lexus Asia Pacific, Ritz Carlton, Cerebos and more recently UOB. Although he said it was difficult to leave the agency, he found the pull of Coca-Cola hard to resist, calling the appointment an “extraordinary opportunity”. “My friendship with them (Saatchi) and my immediate team make it very hard to leave, but the Coca-Cola role is something I have wanted to do for a long time,” he elaborated. “Leonardo was an integral part of our agency and we are sad to see him go, but this is a fantastic next step for him,” said Michael Rebelo, Saatchi CEO, quipping that it “would be good to see a little bit of Saatchi in Coca-Cola!”