• by Steve McClellan  @mp_mcclellan, June 3, 2014

WPP’s JWT has tapped Matt Eastwood to be its Worldwide Chief Creative Officer, a post that has been vacant at the agency for five years. Eastwood will join JWT in mid-July and report to JWT Global President Gustavo Martinez. He will be based in New York.

Eastwood joins JWT from Omnicom’s DDB, where he was Chief Creative Officer, New York. Eastwood has overseen a number of recent and well-regarded creative projects, including the iconic “Yeah, that kind of rich” work for the New York Lottery and last year’s highly awarded “Hashtag Killer” campaign for WATERisLIFE, as well as work for Hertz and McDonald’s.

His career has spanned numerous agencies, specialties and countries, including Australia, the U.K. and the U.S. He has also been a judge at several industry awards shows, including The One Show, Cannes, London International Advertising Awards, among others.  

Having spent three years at DDB earlier in his career, Eastwood rejoined DDB Australia in 2006 as National Creative Director and Vice Chairman. He then joined DDB New York in 2010 as Chief Creative Officer.

Martinez said of Eastwood’s appointment, “Matt Eastwood has everything I have been looking for in a global creative partner. He is a highly awarded creative with an international sensibility, living life as a New Yorker. He is respected by clients and knows how to build global brands.”

Eastwood added that joining the company as it “hits its 150th anniversary and sets out to define the next chapter in its history is an opportunity I simply could not pass up. Working alongside Gustavo, someone I’ve long admired, is the icing on the cake.”

The role of Worldwide Chief Creative Officer has not been filled since Craig Davis’ departure from the agency in 2009.