Tag: Creative

Melbourne, Australia – Integrated creative, brand, PR, and digital agency Icon Agency welcomed award-winning creative Scott Pritchett as its new senior art director.

Pritchett is expected to elevate Icon’s offering of creative and integrated services across the board, as he will oversee the design and art direction of the company’s creative projects.

Before joining Icon, Pritchett was a senior art director at VMLY&R Melbourne and held the art director role at Dentsu. He also earned numerous recognitions in international award-giving bodies such as One Show, Spikes, AWARD, and Cannes Young Lions, amongst others. 

Icon’s Creative Director Andrew North said, “We’re very happy to welcome Scott to Icon. His previous work is a testament to his skill and we believe his guidance and oversight will support our entire creative team, who continue to produce high quality work across our entire client portfolio.” 

“Icon is committed to solving complex communications challenges, which requires diverse expertise and strong senior leadership. Scott brings a wealth of both,” North added.

Joanne Painter, Icon’s group managing director, also commented,  “Senior appointments like Scott’s are a vital part of our ongoing, sustainable business growth. As we add more senior positions and experts, each with their own experiences and strengths, we expand our ability to solve complex communications challenges and deliver award-winning work for our clients.” 

Pritchett also shared his excitement about working with the Icon Agency team, stating, “The team at Icon are a fantastic bunch and I’m excited to join them in making great, purposeful work.”

Prior to Pritchett’s appointment, Icon Agency has also previously welcomed Simon Hobbs as its new executive director of digital.

Hong Kong – Edelman Hong Kong continues to bolster its integrated creative team with the appointment of Andy Chan as design director and Richard Poon as producer and production manager.

Edelman will leverage Chan’s and Poon’s design and production expertise to further enhance the firm’s ability to deliver outstanding work in full-spectrum service.

Chan brings over 10 years of design experience to the agency, having worked in different design-based companies in the past from product design, graphic design, and advertising art directing to in-house branding at Ogilvy UK and HK, DDB and Cathay Pacific.

Meanwhile, Poon comes from an animation and design background and brings over eight years of experience to the firm. He has worked as a producer, mostly in the broadcast industry, across brands such as Disney, FOX, National Geographic, and CASETIFY. 

Both hires will report directly to John Koay, Edelman’s Executive Creative Director for Hong Kong, Taiwan and Thailand.

“I’m absolutely thrilled to welcome Andy and Richard onboard; they are both very experienced talents in their own fields. The expanded Creative and Digital team of 20 at Edelman Hong Kong offer our clients a focus on truly integrated solutions while the industry transforms its expectations around the role and impact of communications,” Koay said.

The new Hong Kong appointments come after Edelman recently appointed Ex-Straits Times Warren Fernandez as its new chief executive officer in Asia-Pacific.

Hong Kong – Multinational advertising and public relations company Publicis Groupe has launched L’avenir, a leadership and creative development program tailored for high-potential female creatives across its network in the Asia-Pacific (APAC) and Middle East and Africa (MEA) regions. 

The program aims to change the gender ratio amongst its creative leaders across the region and to equip high-potential women with the skills needed for creative leadership roles. 

“Globally at Publicis Groupe, more than 50% of our workforce is female and 41% of key leaders are women: we’ve made huge strides when it comes to gender representation overall. Yet industry-wide, the percentage of female Creative Directors remains comparatively low,” said Natalie Lam, chief creative officer at Publicis Groupe APAC & MEA, who is also the key driver and developer of the L’avenir program.

She added, “To lead the change, we’re launching L’avenir, a tailored creative mentorship program that will nurture high-potential female creatives in two ways: career development, and creativity development.”

Publicis Groupe APAC & MEA will be selecting high-potential mid- and senior-level creatives every year to join the L’avenir program.

“We’ll identify our top female creatives, because true diversity makes the work better. L’avenir is a tailored program that pairs mentees and mentors according to specific skills and potential, backing up their positions as future leaders with a strong portfolio of work,” says Lam.

Fifteen female creatives have already been picked for the program over the last two months. They will be paired with 30+ mentors, including Publicis Groupe APAC & MEA’s Natalie Lam, Chief Strategy Officer Ed Booty, Chief Client Officer Anthony Wong, Head of Creative Technology Laurent Thevenet, and Head of Creativity Jason Williams.

They will be joined by top management and C-Suite leaders from Publicis agencies as mentors such as, Kelly Pon (CCO, BBH China), Sally Anderson (Group CD, MetaDesign China), and Ajay Thrivikraman (CCO, Publicis Groupe, Southeast Asia), amongst others. 

Anna Tomasetti, creative community manager at Publicis Groupe further explains, “L’avenir means ‘the future’, and it is a program where our future creative leaders can reach their full potential through targeted skills development and mentorship. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime career development opportunity for our participants that will contribute directly to Publicis Groupe’s creative and leadership base for years to come.”

The program includes 1:1 monthly mentorship meetings, career growth sessions with chief talent officers, tailored creative training sessions, and leadership masterclasses. Participants will also get to use relevant technology and digital tools. Moreover, they will get to partner with one of Publicis Groupe’s biggest clients in the final three months of the program.

New Delhi, India – Johnson Controls-Hitachi Air Conditioning India, a manufacturer of air conditioning products under the ‘Hitachi’ brand, has appointed advertising agency BBH India to be its new creative strategy and advertising agency partner. 

As part of the remit with BBH India, Hitachi aims to create high-decibel brand awareness and strengthen its brand leadership amongst the ‘New Informed World’ consumer.

BBH India won the business as part of a contested multi-agency pitch and will manage full-service responsibilities for strategic creative design and advertising. Moreover, the agency will also now spearhead the development of both consumer-focused and business-driven marketing campaigns for Hitachi’s HVAC and refrigeration solutions.

Nilesh Shah, senior vice president of business planning and marketing at Hitachi, shared that they wanted a strategic creative partner to help them strengthen their positioning as an Aspirational Premium brand by bringing in a fresh perspective to their brand proposition. 

“We look forward to this creative partnership with BBH and further building on our track record of memorable, creative campaigns across the target audience,” said Shah.

Meanwhile, Dheeraj Sinha, CEO of Leo Burnett South Asia and chairman of BBH India, commented that as a team, they are very proud and humbled to be chosen as a creative partner of India’s most aspirational and premium air conditioning brand. 

“We have a big task in front of us, as the brand is known for its stunning consumer campaigns and has consistently rolled out great pieces of creative work over the years. We are excited to co-create the next chapter of the brand story and level up the brand salience,” said Sinha.

Australia – Creative technology agency whiteGREY has been appointed as the new creative and media agency of record by Planpay, a paytech brand that is part of the Afterpay-backed ASX-listed Touch Ventures portfolio.

Through the partnership, whiteGREY will be charged with carving clear space in the market for Planpay and will be fuelling international growth by highlighting the brand proposition. The agency’s remit includes all strategy, creatives, and planning for the innovative paytech platform, initially launching in the travel sector with rapid expansion to follow.

Lee Simpson, CEO of whiteGREY, said, “Planpay is an ambitious and innovative business, not shy of backing bold thinking. We can’t wait to work with the team to realise the brand’s potential on the local and global stage.”

Meanwhile, Gary Burrows, CEO of Planpay, commented, “whiteGREY has extensive expertise within the brand experience space, alongside an impressive understanding of our sector. The agency’s expertise and full-service offering makes the team the perfect partner for us as we revitalise the lay-by model globally.”

In our recent The Inner State, we interviewed Simon Wassef, whiteGREY’s chief strategy officer, to discuss how creative communications can promote sustainable benefits to businesses, consumers, and society.

Singapore – Global design consultancy Elmwood has made a number of major hires as it establishes its Singapore offer as one of the region’s leading design shops. They include Lisa Balm as creative director, Rachel Goh as head of insights, Kedar Karippail as client services director.

The new appointments mark a major refresh of the agency following Elmwood’s merger with Holmes & Marchant in the region in November 2021.

Goh will be responsible for using data and strategic thinking to help brands craft compelling stories and produce more culturally relevant work. She was previously a partner at Innate Motion, where she delivered insights and empathy-powered strategies for global and local brands across FMCG, beauty, fashion, technology and e-commerce brands. 

Meanwhile, Balm has worked on brands including Citibank, Singtel, Diageo, LVMH and PepsiCo. In her role at Elmwood, she will work alongside fellow creative director Jason Braddy to lead a creative team of more than 25 designers, visualisers and production specialists. 

Lastly, Karippail has over 20 years international brand and advertising experience working across India, New Zealand, Malaysia, Netherlands and the UK, for DDB, Geometry Global, Ogilvy & Mather and Y&R amongst others. She will work closely with Elmwood Singapore’s managing director Celeste Cheong on developing the agency’s overall growth and client strategy, building and maintaining relationships.

Cheong said, “It’s a hugely pivotal time for Elmwood Singapore and design consultancies in general. So I’m delighted that we’ve found the very best talent to help take Elmwood Singapore to the next stage in our journey. I’m really excited to work alongside Rachel, Lisa, Kedar and the existing leadership team to be an invaluable partner to all our clients.”

Meanwhile, Paul Galesloot, global CEO at Elmwood, commented, “Elmwood was created to design meaningful & memorable brands in the multi-platform age. And to do that, you need a team of experienced, truly global, diverse thinkers with an in-depth understanding of insight, idea and iconicity, as well as a broad business and industry acumen.” 

He added, “I’m delighted we’ve put together such a strong, new-look team for Elmwood Singapore, who collectively offer all the expertise required to produce distinctive, dynamic brand experiences that can succeed now and in the future.”

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia – Digital-first agency Lion & Lion has announced the appointment of Desmond Ho as its new group director of creative and digital experience. In the new role, Ho will lead the agency’s Malaysian creative team while driving innovative digital experiences across the region.

He brings with him 19 years of helming creative projects both in-house, and in agencies. His appointment is part of Lion & Lion’s growth plan to further expand their offerings in the digital space, especially with regards to new technologies and developments in the digital, Web3, and social media landscape.

Prior to joining Lion & Lion, he worked internationally in China as head of digital creative solutions for the smart electric vehicle company AVATR. He also previously served as creative director for 180 China, as the e-commerce creative lead for Apple, Nike, and Estée Lauder at Publicis Commerce, and was creative partner at TianYuKong

Ho will report directly to Cheelip Ong, regional chief creative officer at Lion & Lion.

Speaking on his appointment, Ho said, “My passion is creating unique brand experiences through the combination of insights, technology, and creativity that come together to tell a brand narrative. I am very excited by the strategic, digital, and creative focus of Lion and Lion and having worked under Cheelip’s leadership before, seeing him transform agencies successfully both in China and now with Lion and Lion, I am confident in his vision for growth and am glad to lead new possibilities for clients in Malaysia and the region.”

Meanwhile, Ong commented, “As a creatively-driven, digital-first agency, it is hyper important for us to constantly move the needle forward and meet change where it happens. With the opportunities that are unfolding in the spaces of the Metaverse, Web3, social commerce, and e-Gaming, brands and consumers require new experiences that will engage them. Desmond will help accelerate our creative offerings across all digital frontiers to drive progress for our creatives and our clients.”

Singapore – Oftentimes, we honour the collective genius of marketing and creative agencies against the backdrop of a groundbreaking brand campaign, but this time, we want to dive deeper.

The creative collaboration and process that these creative outfits immerse in is no minute feat, and we want to put the spotlight on the driving force that pushes for their success – the leaders.

There’s leadership and then there’s ‘unique’ leadership; and by this, we mean the agency chiefs that choose to let their ingenuity and out-of-the-box thinking influence the way they lead and empower their teams. 

Called ‘Agency Leadership Decoded’, the series will be inviting the top management of leading creative agencies in APAC to share with us how they are innovating their strategies to keep the morale and engagement of their teams in tip-top shape. 

Through each story, we aim to let leaders reveal their distinct leadership philosophies and share how they are letting their passion and prowess in the creative shapeshift into one-of-a-kind corporate initiatives. 

Learn the interesting insights of the following leaders:

Jiravara shares about how she is helping build within teams the ‘Immunity for change’.

Jacqui lets us in on how they are creating meaningful experiences within the agency that enables them to cast meaningful difference for brands.

Virat talks about the challenge of leaders in creating an environment that is resistance-proof to growth.

Madina discusses how strategic and insight-driven huddles can make a difference in teams’ empowerment.

Thomas shares how the agency is creating success from within in order for the team to live out its mission of ‘creating connected brands.’

Singapore – Creative agency Ogilvy Asia has announced a new slew of hires to bolster its creative team in Singapore and Hong Kong, namely Nikhil Panjwani as regional executive director; Dan Parmenter as creative director; Hugo Suíssas as senior art director; and Tiago Silva as senior copywriter.

The new recruits will primarily work within OpenX – WPP’s bespoke team dedicated to The Coca-Cola Company and its portfolio of brands across Asia Pacific – whilst also supporting Ogilvy’s growing client demand in Asia for cross-capability ideas that generate impact across geographies and cultures.

They join an existing team of other hires including Regional Executive Creative Director for Ogilvy Asia Sarah-Leith Izzard and Associate Creative Directors at Ogilvy Hong Kong Stratos Efstathiou and Soenar.

Panjwani joins Ogilvy Asia as regional executive director, based in Singapore. He brings close to 20 years of creative experience, the last seven as creative director for BBH Singapore. Born and bred in Bombay, Nikhil has led teams across India and Southeast Asia to produce award-winning work for leading global brands.

Meanwhile, Parmenter most recently served as creative director for M&C Saatchi Abel in South Africa, steering the creative output of key accounts including Nando’s, Standard Bank and Lexus. A copywriter by trade, he brings strong strategic expertise in ideating and bringing big creative ideas to life, having previously worked as copywriter and creative group head at Ogilvy Johannesburg between 2008 and 2015.

Based in Singapore, Suíssas and Silva have met at Lisbon-based agency Brandia Central in 2013, and have worked together at agencies across Portugal, including excentricGrey, Young & Rubicam Group and O Escritório, serving clients in the auto, retail and banking sectors.

Reed Collins, chief creative officer for Ogilvy in APAC, commented, “We are blessed with such extraordinary creative talent across the region, with this team being specifically built as a microcosm of that around being the best creative partner for our clients’ growth ambitions globally. Our creative bench has never been stronger and ambition greater.”

Australia – Global food and beverage company Kraft Heinz has appointed advertising agency TBWA\Sydney as the creative agency of record for its brand Golden Circle.

As part of the remit, TBWA\Sydney will be responsible for the entire beverages portfolio including the development of the Golden Circle Masterbrand.

Rebecca Preston, Kraft Heinz’s CMO, said, “TBWA has a proven track record of bringing both world-class disruptive, cut-through thinking and a genuine level of partnership to brand creative development. We are looking forward to unleashing their talents across our beverages portfolio.”

Meanwhile, Nitsa Lotus, chief growth officer at TBWA\Sydney, commented, “We are thrilled to be working with such an iconic Australian brand in Golden Circle. It is a leading brand with the heart and soul of a challenger. We are looking forward to partnering with Kraft Heinz to help create the next exciting new chapter in this brand’s future.”

In July 2022, TBWA\Sydney collaborated with Tourism New Zealand, the agency that promotes the country’s tourism around the world, to launch a new campaign, which is an underground network of Secret (Travel) Agents, with a mission to encourage Australians to book a holiday in Aotearoa New Zealand.