Creative Lead Mike Gethin, Business Lead Jade Fonteneau, Strategy Partner Ben Phillips, Creative Lead Justin Schoenmaker.
Australian brand experience agency Akcelo has opened a London office, its first permanent presence in the UK, as part of an international expansion the company describes as a "borderless" model.
The office is based in Farringdon. The founding London team includes strategy partner Ben Phillips, business lead Jade Fonteneau, and creative leads Mike Gethin and Justin Schoenmaker. They report to global CEO Aden Hepburn, global executive creative director Louise McQuat, and global client partner Will Flood.
Phillips joins from VCCP, where he led global brands including Cadbury, Domino's and Barclays. Gethin rejoins Akcelo having previously worked at Deutsch LA, The&Partnership and VaynerMedia.
Schoenmaker brings experience from Xpedition, Pen&Pad and VML. Fonteneau has held roles at Adam&Eve, VCCP and Specsavers' in-house agency, as well as production company Partizan.
Akcelo plans to hire 10 to 20 additional London staff over the next 12 to 18 months.
Hepburn said the London opening would allow the agency to better support clients across the UK and EMEA.
"We built Akcelo to be borderless by design, but having boots on the ground in London will elevate our global offering better to deliver the kind of ambitious, integrated, modern work our clients expect. It's a very exciting next step for us," he said.
Akcelo now has offices in Sydney, Melbourne, Vancouver, Los Angeles and London. The agency recently acquired mobile-first experience shop POPULA.
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