Kitcatt exodus grows as Golik joins Rapp as ECD

The senior staff exodus from Kitcatt Nohr is continuing at a pace with executive creative director Ben Golik leaving to join Rapp as ECD, just weeks after co-founder Vonnie Alexander and planning chief Richard Madden departed.
The move comes three months after Paul Kitcatt, another of the agency’s founders, quit to pursue a writing career. The other two co-founders, Marc Nohr and Jeremy Shaw left in late 2013.
DigitasLBi, Kitcatt Nohr’s parent group, has only just completed the new management line-up, drafting in DigitasLBi client director Hattie Whiting as managing director and DigitasLBi head of creative strategy Ed Beard as chief strategy officer.
Golik and Sue MacLure, the group data strategy partner, were to complete the management team. It is not known whether DigitasLBi will raid its ranks once more to find a successor.
Australian Golik has been at Kitcatt Nohr over a decade, joining in April 2005 from Harrison Troughton Wunderman, where he was associate creative director.
He started his career in Brisbane as a copywriter at Sawyer Corporate Communications in 1995, then had spells at Portfolio, Publicis Dialog and George Patterson Bates before moving to the UK to join HTW in 2004.
Since then has has won 11 gold DMA Awards, 6 silver and 7 bronze, as well as gongs from Precision Marketing, Campaign, BIMA and John Caples.
At Rapp, he will take up the role of executive creative director, although it is not clear where this leaves the current ECD Jason Andrews.
Rapp confirmed Golik’s appointment but declined to comment on Andrews. Newly promoted Rapp UK president Sophie Daranyi – who joined the agency when it bought Haygarth – said that Rapp was at an exciting stage and “we’re delighted to have Ben join the senior team to help build the business moving forward”.
Andrews joined the agency as ECD in 2012, and was promoted last year to head up its entire UK creative output – including data, technology and media – after chief creative officer Rik Haslam was promoted to a top role at Rapp New York.
He reported to global chief creative officer Ian Haworth, however, Haworth jumped ship last month to join Wunderman, after 14 years at the agency.
Andrews was unavailable for comment when contacted by DecisionMarketing.