HelloFCB+ has reorganised its creative department by bringing creative, strategy and social into one centralised thought-leadership hub, and has made some key hires to reinforce this approach.
The momentum gained over the past year has now afforded HelloFCB+ the opportunity to take a critical look at its overall creative offering and to optimise it to match the ever-changing needs of its clients’ business.
Mike Barnwell, Chief Creative Officer of HelloFCB+ explained, ‘The marketplace has gone through some significant changes in the past year and it’s crucial that we as a business evolve accordingly to stay ahead of the curve.’
‘With timelines becoming shorter and budgets tighter, ideas need to work harder and stretch further than ever before. It’s why we make every effort to connect our clients with their audience in the most meaningful ways possible, at every single touchpoint.’
The first appointment is the highly regarded and awarded Jacquie Mullany, who previously headed up VML Johannesburg. She joins as creative director and brings with her a wealth of experience across multiple categories and disciplines – especially in the digital space.
Ntobeko Ximba also joins the team as creative director after spells at both M&C Saatchi Able and Y&R, where he fine-tuned his brand-building capabilities on blue chip accounts like Land Rover, Heineken and Nando’s.
Zodwa Gunuza, who joined the agency a little over a year ago as a senior designer moves into the position of creative director and head of design and also becomes a valued member of the Exco team.
Finally, current head of social, Kerry Gibbs, takes on a new role as social media director, where she will be responsible for driving a multi-channel digital agenda from both a strategic and creative perspective.
‘I am really excited to have such a diverse set of skills in our arsenal and look forward to all the benefits they’ll bring to both our agency and clients alike. Building our team is an ongoing process for us and our work-from-anywhere approach also means geography no longer matters, giving us the opportunity to glean talent from a wider network and cherry pick specialists that address the ever-changing need scope,’ said Barnwell.
