No plans to fill Bonadio’s shoes

Enterprise IG is not planning to replace Franco Bonadio, who has decided not to return at the end of a three-month sabbatical from his job as full-time managing creative director.

But while Bonadio pursues a job elsewhere, he will continue to work freelance with the consultancy on specific projects, having signed a six-month contract. He will, however, have no corporate responsibilities.

“I’ve had quite a few offers, but I’ve not decided [what to do] yet,” says Bonadio, who was previously with Landor Associates and Fitch. He is understood to have been approached by a couple of New York identity consultancies, among others.

Bonadio took the sabbatical with the agreement of Enterprise IG managing director Patrick Smith (DW 14 July). Smith knew he would be talking to other consultancies and might not return to the WPP Group-owned branding network.

Smith explains that three of the group’s 14 creative directors – Martin Vintner-Jackson, Nick Payne and Rob Soar – have stepped into the breach, taking more of a leadership role.

“We are three or four months into an experiment, attracting new talent into the business, and it is working well,” says Smith, adding that Bonadio won’t be replaced “at this stage”. He admits that “it is asking a lot of one individual to be the creative visionary, handle clients and do the management thing”.

He says that Enterprise IG is currently approaching its creative vision “as a collective”.