Australia – Special has appointed acclaimed creative duo Peter Defries and Alan Wilson as regional group creative directors for Uber and Uber Eats, further strengthening its leadership across the APAC region.
Defries and Wilson bring 14 years of creative partnership to the role, returning to Australia after nearly a decade in New York. During their time in the U.S., they served as executive creative directors at BBH NY, where they led work for the J.M. Smucker Company’s portfolio of FMCG brands, along with major accounts including Walmart and Cadillac.
Their work has been recognised with more than 30 international awards. In 2022, both were named among D&AD’s Top 20 Executive Creative Directors worldwide.
“We’ve been massive fans of Special for some time now. Watching from the other side of the world, we were consistently blown away by the breakthrough work they produced, especially with Uber and Uber Eats. So when the opportunity arose to be part of it, we couldn’t say no,” Wilson shared.
Defries added, “Leaving New York wasn’t a decision we took lightly—it gave us some of the best experiences of our careers. But the chance to come home and join this extremely talented team, pushing creative boundaries at a world-class level right here in our own backyard, was simply too good to pass up.”
Defries and Wilson will join Celia Garforth and Lauren Portelli as part of Special’s leadership team on the Uber account across APAC. Garforth and Portelli have played a key role in growing the agency’s strategic and creative remit with Uber and Uber Eats in the region.
The partnership now spans ANZ, Japan, South Korea, Hong Kong, and Taiwan, with all work led from Special’s Sydney office. In 2024, the team’s work was recognised with a Gold Effie for the ‘Get Almost Almost Anything’ campaign in ANZ. Special also operates an on-the-ground team in Tokyo to support the expansion of Uber’s business in Japan.
Tom Martin, partner and CCO at Special Australia, commented, “We’re pumped to have Pete and Alan boomerang back to Australia and back into Special. We’re at our best when we bring together top-tier humans who get what it takes to make great work and do it with care, craft and real collaboration.”
Cade Heyde, global partner of Special, added, “The magic of Special Group comes from the extraordinary people behind it. Celia and Lauren have been instrumental in building our creative reputation across APAC. And now, with Peter and Alan joining them, we believe we have one of the best, most exciting teams in the world.”
