Saatchi and Saatchi appoints Leif Stromnes Chief Strategy Officer for ANZ

Saatchi and Saatchi has strengthened its leadership in Australia and New Zealand with a senior strategic hire. The Saatchi and Saatchi Chief Strategy Officer for ANZ role will be taken on by Leif Stromnes, who is set to begin in January 2026.

Stromnes confirmed the move on LinkedIn, noting that joining a new organisation can feel daunting but that the way the agency handled the process made him confident he had chosen the right place.

In his new position, he will guide strategy teams in Sydney and Melbourne, working closely with chief creative officers Mandie van der Merwe and Avish Gordhan. His remit will cover overall strategic direction, communications planning and the agency’s developing use of artificial intelligence in its work for clients.

The move signals a fresh chapter for the agency’s strategic offering across the region, bringing together long standing creative leadership with deep planning experience.

Stromnes brings more than 3 decades of experience to the role. He spent 25 years at DDB Group Australia before leaving in July, where he held senior positions spanning strategy and leadership as the agency navigated changing client needs and media environments.

He first joined DDB in 1999 after relocating from South Africa. Before that move, he held senior roles at TBWA Worldwide and Ogilvy, giving him experience across multiple markets and agency models. This mix of backgrounds is expected to support a broad view of how creativity, effectiveness and long term brand building can be combined.

His career trajectory has placed him at the centre of major client relationships and network level strategic decisions, giving him familiarity with both local brands and global accounts.

For clients in Australia and New Zealand, the appointment is likely to mean a stronger emphasis on joined up strategy across offices and disciplines. With Stromnes working alongside van der Merwe and Gordhan, the agency will be positioned to align planning, creative and emerging technologies such as AI around common objectives.

The focus on communications planning and the evolving use of AI suggests that Saatchi and Saatchi will continue to explore how data, automation and innovation can sit alongside storytelling and brand building.

For the agency, bringing in a leader with long experience in the region and prior network roles offers continuity with local market realities while opening a new phase of strategic thinking. For Stromnes, the move marks a return to a hands on strategic leadership role at a time when clients are looking for clear guidance on how to navigate a changing media and technology landscape.

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