MAM
McCann Worldgroup’s Ben Lilley talks about creativity at Adfest 2016
MUMBAI: ADFEST is pleased to announce that Ben Lilley, Chairman and CEO of McCann Worldgroup Australia, is joining the line-up at ADFEST 2016.
Lilley presides over one of the region’s most awarded agencies, McCann Australia – the agency behind the multi-award winning ‘Dumb Ways to Die’ campaign of 2012. At ADFEST this year, he will present a session titled: ‘Is the Creative Team Dead? Or has it just been hipsterized?’
“Technology has disrupted everything, including now, it seems, the creative team. Or has it? Just as there’s ‘no I in team’, there’s no ‘I’ in technology either. Agency teams remain as vital as ever to developing original, compelling and effective ideas,” says Lilley.
So has the creative team really changed? This session will examine what exactly a successful agency team should look like these days.
Lilley started out as a creative with some of Australia’s most respected agencies, including George Patterson, McCann and DDB, before launching his own agency SMART in 2000.
Described by AdNews as “one of the best known independent advertising success stories in Australia”, SMART was recognised in theAdNews and B&T Agency of the Year, Employer of the Year, Cannes Lions, Effies, Clios, New York Festivals, BRW Fast100 and numerous other global award shows.
In 2011, SMART was acquired by McCann Worldgroup and Lilley was appointed Australian Chairman and CEO. Within two years, McCann made Australian history as the world’s most awarded agency in the The Gunn Report, Won Report and AdAge Awards Report.
The agency’s campaigns include “Dumb Ways to Die” for Metro Trains, which in 2013 was named the most awarded campaign in Cannes Lions history and one of AdAge’s Top 15 Ad Campaigns of The 21st Century.
In 2014, the agency was awarded its 6th Cannes Grand Prix for V/Line “Guilt Trips”. And in 2015 McCann was Australia’s top ranked agency (and 6th in the world) in the global Warc 100 creative effectiveness rankings.
‘Is the Creative Team Dead? Or has it just been hipsterized?’ takes place on Friday 18th March at 4pm.
Delegate Passes to ADFEST 2016 – which runs from 16th to 19th March at the Royal Cliff Hotels Group in Pattaya, Thailand – are now available via www.ADFEST.com
MAM
WPP appoints Jane Geraghty Global CEO of Brand & Design
Veteran leader also named Global CEO of Landor in dual role.
MUMBAI: Jane Geraghty just landed the ultimate brand double-header because when you’re already running Landor, why not take the whole WPP design empire along for the ride? WPP has appointed Jane Geraghty as global chief executive officer of WPP Brand & Design while simultaneously naming her Global CEO of Landor. The dual role, announced via Geraghty’s LinkedIn post, positions her to lead the group’s specialist brand and design agencies at a time when clients increasingly demand stronger differentiation through multidimensional strategy and experience design.
Geraghty, who joined WPP earlier this year as chief client officer, brings over three decades of experience in marketing, branding and communications. She previously served as Global CEO of Landor (2017–2020), President for EMEA (2013–2018) and Managing Director (2011–2016), after earlier leadership stints at Saatchi & Saatchi, McCann-Erickson and Ogilvy in New York.
In her post, Geraghty said she was “thrilled” to step into the role, highlighting that branding and design are becoming critical for clients seeking differentiation. She emphasised the opportunity to harness WPP’s collective capabilities across agencies, noting that AI powered by WPP Open is already reshaping brand creation, management and global collaboration.
The appointment reflects WPP’s push to integrate its brand and design network more tightly, positioning it to deliver seamless, high-impact work at the intersection of business strategy and brand experience.
In an industry where creativity meets commerce, Geraghty isn’t just leading two titles, she’s steering the ship that turns brands from recognisable to unforgettable, one bold move at a time.
