Ogilvy
I joined O&MRS-T&M as a junior writer and in just 4 years was promoted to group head, then creative director; the youngest in South Africa’s largest and arguably best creative agency. Twice recognised as “Employee of the Year” and nominated for the Tommy Young Award (Most Outstanding Young Person in SA Advertising). A regular on many of the most successful pitch teams. I consider working alongside advertising giant and former WPP Global Creative Chief, the late Robyn Putter, as a career highlight.
TBWA Hunt Lascaris [FMC]
I joined TBWA\FMC, a boutique agency in the stable of premier creative group TBWA\Hunt Lascaris, as deputy ECD. This move expanded my creative experience and, through my new role at a board level, gave me an invaluable management perspective too. As well as working alongside Executive Creative Director Jenny Groenewald, I was also lucky enough to work with the quietly brilliant John Hunt, until recently the TBWA Global Chief Creative Officer.
FCB [Lindsay Smithers]
I was invited to join FCB as part of a new team tasked with reigniting the agency’s creative reputation, which quickly saw FCB consistently ranked in South Africa’s top five creative agencies. As well as serving as a board director, I co-led the agency’s largest creative team, working on global brands like S C Johnson, Adcock Ingram, a variety of Toyota brands and Vodac, the retail division of the country’s largest cellular network.
Pump Brand Ideas
My art director and dear friend - the supremely talented Mark Bolton - and I started Pump together. A good few years later, and still hard at work with my remarkable partners Gary McBirnie and Aviva Marock, Pump remains an independent creative agency that punches well above its weight. Industry monitors Yardstick and Objectivity have ranked the agency in the “corridor of excellence” and have rated it “well above industry norms” in key areas, reporting an excellent 84% client satisfaction rating for creative concepts and an outstanding 75+% satisfaction rating for ideas that solicit the desired response. Strategic input has been recorded as “excellent” and relationships defined as “exemplary”. Today, some 24 years after we first opened our doors, Pump Brand Ideas is still inentionally independent; a team of designers, writers, art directors, film makers, content creators, storytellers and strategic thinkers who collaborate closely but work remotely.We remain driven by a craving to do good work, and to build valuable brands by thinking deeply, being insatiably curious, seeking surprise and keeping our shoulders to the wheel. We’ve worked with global brands, category leaders, feisty challenger brands and maverick start-ups. What they all have in common is a hunger for better thinking and work that stands out. Our mission is do the best work we can for smart clients who value the power of creativity.
“To an over-complicated world, experience brings a sense of calm and invaluable clarity.”
brands I’ve worked on.
One of the things I love about the work I do (there is much that I love) is that one day I’m thinking like a lawyer, or convincing people to take a luxury holiday, the next I’m learning all about brewing beer or what makes an articulated dump truck special. These are just some of the brands I’ve touched and that have touched me.
AWARDS
I’ve done or helped with creative work that’s been recognised at the world’s major award shows, and have also judged creative work across multiple disciplines in both local and international award programmes.
Loeries | London International Advertising Festival | Clios | New York International Film & Television Advertising Awards | Cannes
