Darko Silajdžić is leaving DDB to establish Imminent

After eleven years at the agency, Darko Silajdžić is leaving the position of Executive Group Chairman DDB Prague. His next steps lead to fashion and culture.

Its former department DDB Fresh, which focuses on the area of sustainable fashion for clients from non-fashion industries, is being separated from the network agency, and former CEO Darko Silajdžić is leaving with it.

“Sometimes you have to take a step that you wouldn’t have expected a few months ago, but in many ways is the best possible,” explains Silajdžić, adding, “It just proves that the DDB Unexpected Works philosophy really works.” The DDB FRESH brand with this step ceases to exist, the new independent agency will operate under the name IMMINENT and will expand its activities in addition to fashion to “objects of culture” in the broader sense of the word. It will continue to work closely with DDB, both on ongoing projects and on acquiring new orders. Together with Silajdžić, the existing team headed by Veronika Babkovova, co-founder of the project, is moving to IMMINENT.

This departure will not have a direct effect on the DDB executive. Silajdžić handed over the management of the Prague branch to Jan Faflík two years ago, DDB FTW is led by Gaving Cheng as CEO. “From the point of view of the functioning of the agency, nothing has changed,” explains Faflík, “We will of course miss Darko with his experience and his enthusiasm, but he has built strong foundations on which it is a pleasure to build. I look forward to our new partnership.”

Under Silajdžić’s leadership, DDB experienced a successful period. The agency almost tripled in number of employees and expanded its operations to include DDB FTW (a global gaming agency) and the aforementioned DDB FRESH. She also built her own production company Fame Factory.