Initiative management changes continue; Stephen Fisher and David Fish depart

IPG Mediabrands media agency is now without a national CEO, a Melbourne managing director and chief strategy officer following the departures of both Stephen Fisher and David Fish, Mumbrella can reveal.

The agency lost its national CEO, Lee Leggett, mid-last month withLee Leggett departing the agency suddenly, with no immediate replacement being named.

Fisher, who has been managing director of Initiative Melbourne for the past 15 months, has also now left, for personal reasons, while David Fish, the agency’s chief strategist for the past three years has left to take a senior client position with GroupM, leading its Westpac account.

Fish is understood to be heading over toGroupM to lead its new ‘multi agency solution’ for Westpac, which is called The Media Lab,and is being led out of Maxus.

Maxus declined to comment.

A spokesman for IPG Mediabrands confirmed the departures of both Fisher and Fish.

“Steve Fisher has resigned as MD of Initiative Melbourne and is taking leave from the business for an indefinite period,” the company said in a statement.

“The agency is totally supportive of Steve’s wishes. Initiative Melbourne’s management team will continue to run the agency, reporting to IPG Mediabrands Melbourne chairman Mark Pejic.”

The agency is understood to be currently recruiting for a national CEO and that Initiative COO Geoff Clarke is now running the agency.

It is believed that Mat Baxter, the recently appointedglobal CEO of Initiative and former CEO of UM locally is involved in the recruitment search.