Industry leader Mark Coad takes role as partner and senior advisor at 24HRBP
Business growth consultancy, 24 Hour Business Plan (24HRBP) announces Mark Coad will join the firm as a Partner and Senior Advisor, significantly strengthening its advisory capabilities and marking a strategic milestone for the Australian arm of the fast-growing business advisory firm.
Coad will work with 24HRBP as part of his broader portfolio of consulting and Board-level roles.
Coad is one of Australia’s most respected marketing and communications leaders, with more than three decades of experience leading some of the country’s most influential agency networks and advising major brands and Boards.
Mark Coad and Andrew Baxter (left to right).
Founder of 24HRBP, Andrew ‘Billy’ Baxter, said Coad’s engagement reflects both the firm’s ambitions and the increasing demand for senior, commercially minded advisory support.
Baxter said: “Mark is one of the most experienced and respected leaders the media industry has ever produced.
“This is a major achievement for 24HRBP. Mark brings deep strategic thinking, proven leadership at scale and an unrivalled understanding of how organisations grow, adapt and perform under pressure. His decision to work with us is an endorsement of our model and where we are headed.”
As a Partner, Coad will work closely with 24HRBP’s Australian team, providing guidance across strategy, leadership, governance, and performance. He’ll also have a strong focus on client success, delivering the proven 24HRBP framework via its unique 4x 6-hour workshop model.
Coad said 24HRBP’s practical, outcomes-driven approach was a key reason for getting involved the advisory firm, saying “what attracted me to work with 24HRBP is its focus on real-world impact.”
“This is not advisory in theory, it’s about helping leaders solve real problems, quickly and effectively and build their businesses for growth. Billy has built a business that understands the realities of leadership today, and I’m excited to work with the team to help organisations move faster, think clearer and deliver sustainable growth.”
Most recently Coad was CEO IPG Mediabrands Australia, one of the country’s largest professional services firms, where he spearheaded the industry’s first major transformation of automated systems, using robotic technology to fully automate repetitive tasks; this game-changing transformation work was later adopted globally by IPG.
Previously he was with Omnicom Group, first as MD of OMD Melbourne and later as CEO of OMD Australia, where he led the business to prominence. He was later CEO of creative agency Clemenger Harvie Edge before returning to the media sector as CEO of PHD Australia. Throughout his senior leadership tenures, he has always been a trusted advisor to clients and organisations navigating change, growth and complexity.
Coad’s influence across the media and marketing industry and beyond is far-reaching; he has held Board positions on the MFA and ADMA; he is a Board Director of the Melbourne International Comedy Festival and on the Board of Trustees of the Commando Welfare Trust. He is also a longstanding mentor for the Marketing Academy’s scholarship series.
Coad’s affiliation with 24HRBP further reinforces the firm’s commitment to building a senior advisory bench with deep industry credibility and hands-on leadership experience, as demand grows for flexible, high-calibre business support beyond traditional consulting models*.
Baxter concluded: “If you are running a medium-sized enterprise through to a major company of a 1000+ people, there is no better advisor than Mark to partner with to create a strategic business plan geared for growth. It is an asset to be able to call him part of our team.”
