Being voted best ad agency chief by his peers caps a brilliant career for Clemenger, who plans to step down next year after 53 years in the industry

The advertising industry will lose one its longest-serving and most respected members on June 30 next year when Peter Clemenger steps down as chairman of Clemenger BBDO. He has been one of the industry's leading lights for more than 50 years, building Clemenger BBDO into the second-largest agency in Australia, nurturing a small army of senior industry executives and establishing his reputation as one of the toughest people in the business.