When I caught up with Andrew Dimitriou in London recently, he was on the second day of his new job at DEPT. We met at a coffee bar in Shoreditch, a smart post-industrial space with plenty of raw wood and exposed pipes. Andrew looked as relaxed and upbeat as the venue: when he shared his news, I understood why.
After an incredible 25 years at various iterations of Young & Rubicam – now VML, of course – he’d joined DEPT as its first Global Chief Client and Growth Officer. The role makes him a partner in the fast-growing network, reporting to global CEO Dimi Albers. Shortly after our initial chat in London, I sat down with him for a more structured interview.
First of all, what led him to DEPT? “To start with, there were a lot of changes going on in the industry, which caused a moment of reflection. Although I’d regularly changed countries during my career, I’d basically spent 25 years working for the same organization. I began to think: ‘Where are the next 25 years going to take me?’ And that’s exactly when Dimi called. Sometimes it’s all a matter of timing.”
When Andrew dug into the company, he was inspired by its “future-facing capabilities for clients”. As he puts it: “I could see there was a lot of runway there for me, which was exciting.” He appreciated DEPT’s 50-50 structure, an even split between technology and marketing. “They can deliver an end-to-end digital experience for clients – and they can do it quickly. They genuinely have the speed and tenacity they talked about in our first conversations.”
He found the culture magnetic. “These are people who’ll always say ‘yes’ to a challenge. And then they’ll say, ‘but we can do even better than that.’ Which is refreshing.” In addition, the agency is partner led: over 200 employees are equity stakeholders. “When you’re a DEPT client, you’re very often dealing with an owner. The buck doesn’t stop elsewhere.”
Adjusting for rapid growth
His role has multiple strands, including overseeing client services. “DEPT will be all of ten years old next year, but it’s already got in excess of 4,000 employees. We’re now at a size where we need systems and processes, especially when we’re dealing with large global clients.”
On the growth side, he’ll be responsible for enhancing relationships with existing clients and netting new ones. The third strand is marketing. “I can put that very simply: I just need to tell the world what I’ve discovered here. It’s a superb agency, but to an extent it’s one of the industry’s best-kept secrets.”
DEPT’s structure enables it to tackle a wide variety of work, from traditional film to branded content, commerce, design, data-driven solutions and digital experiences. All underpinned by its profound knowledge of AI.
“I always like to think of creativity as a canvas for solving business problems,” says Andrew. “The key is how you bring that canvas to life. We can do that in a whole range of different ways.” He mentions recent campaigns for eBay, “Turning Nothing Into Something You Love” and Just Eat, “Home of the Hotspots”, as examples.
A nomadic career
Back in his native Australia, his very first experience in marketing was at a branch of direct mail agency Carr Clark Rapp Collins. “But like most young Australians, I took a break from my career to go backpacking around the world.”
On his travels he met his future wife, Jen, a New Yorker. Staying in New York now became a priority. Luckily, his wife had worked in advertising and got him a meeting with the legendary Dot Giannone at Y&R, who was on the accounts side. (Dot, universally admired in the industry, recently passed away.)
“She took a punt on this random backpacker, for which I’ll be forever grateful. I was only 23 at the time. But it was the start of the dotcom boom, in 98 or 99, and I think they needed young people who could breathe!” He laughs. “To be fair to her, she saw something in me and sponsored me. I entered Y&R as a trainee.”
So began his global career journey, which spanned the US, Mexico, Brazil and France, where he stayed for seven years before moving to London last year. Following the VML merger, it was time for new chapter. Friends and colleagues have noticed his air of rejuvenation since his arrival at DEPT. “I can’t decide whether it feels like being a kid in a candy store, or the first day of school.”
The opportunity to get to grips with AI is just one of the many aspects of the job that has fuelled his excitement. The agency has an AI Greenhouse that’s a source of knowledge, education and solutions for staff and clients.
“I’ve always said that life needs to be a learning journey. And here at DEPT, the amount of learning I’m doing has accelerated that journey, which is fantastic.”