Advertising agency FCB appoints Paul Shale as CEO

Paul Shale previously ran independent agency Consortium. Photo/Supplied.

Long-time marketing expert Paul Shale has been given one of the toughest jobs in New Zealand advertising.

Beyond the pressure that comes with running any high profile business, the newly appointed chief executive of FCB has inherited an agency that's just come through its toughest year in recent memory.

Shale joins FCB from a stint as the CEO of Roadtrippers Australasia, a web and mobile travel planning platform that uses GPS technology to allow people to discover interesting experiences and locations while travelling.

Prior to that position, Shale was founder and CEO of Consortium, an Auckland-based marketing services agency.

FCB global vice-chairman Bryan Crawford said Shale's experience in senior management roles in several advertising multinationals ensured that the future of FCB would be in good hands.

"I'm excited at what Paul will bring to the table, to build on the agency's continued success," Crawford said.

While FCB has enjoyed a strong run in recent years, 2018 was not kind to the agency.

Shale steps in to take the position of previous CEO Dan Martin, who left the agency in July last year.

Martin's departure came off the back of the agency laying off over 20 staff, following on from client losses.

The losses included the Paper Plus account to independent agency Contagion and the VW account to network-owned DDB.

The agency also faced a loss of business with Noel Leeming taking some of its advertising work in-house.

The tough times didn't end there for the agency, with major client Vodafone taking its business to DDB at the end of last year in what was regarded as the biggest account move of 2018.

Right before the Christmas break, FCB was also informed that it had lost of the pitch for the Farmers account against competitor Clemenger Group.

Taking over in a period that staff refer to as the "Vexit era", Shale will have to get a few runs on the board to bury the woes of 2018.

Shale is no stranger to tough challenges, having taken on a few complex projects when running Consortium.

Shale's agency was behind the innovative work that saw the 42 Below alcohol brand grow so rapidly.

The agency was also engaged by AUT University to help prevent its university status being revoked. Shale's work with AUT saw him recognised as one of 10 key contributors to the university with an AUT Decade Award in 2010.

But the ad industry can be notoriously unforgiving. And after 12 years of business, Consortium closed its doors in July 2015.