Steve Landsberg has left Ogilvy & Mather of Toronto to return to New York as co-creative chief of DDB Needham, the agency where he began his career as a writer in 1980.

Dennis Stief, ceo of o&m, says he has been searching for a replacement in North America, both within and outside the agency network.

He hopes to name a replacement soon but says that thanks to Landsberg, the creative department is strong and so there’s no immediate urgency to put someone in place.

Landsberg, who joined o&m as creative director in February 1995, has been credited as the force behind the creative resurgence at the Toronto agency, evidenced by award-winning work for clients such as Timex Canada and Jaguar Canada.

He was senior vice-president, creative director at Wells Rich Greene/BDDP in New York before moving to Toronto, and worked at Chiat/Day, McCann-Erickson and Calet Hirsch & Ferrell before that.