Creative innovation studio R/GA Australia has announced a lineup of new hires and promotions within its creative team.
Hailing from New Zealand and Wales, Rachel Blacklaws and Andrew Singleton join as creative directors, calling Melbourne their creative home.
Joining from respective roles at TBWA\Australia, the copywriter and art director duo bring a wealth of experience from stints at Dentsu, McCann and Grey, working with brands like Menulog, Adidas, Nissan, ANZ, Lucozade and WorkSafe.
Blacklaws and Singleton said R/GA has real ambition to look at creativity in a new light.
"The studio is in the midst of a transition, which will see them injecting creativity and innovation into every touchpoint – it’s a super exciting time for us to join. Having seen under the hood, we can honestly say they’re doing things differently to any other Aussie agency," they said.
In Sydney, senior copywriter Kate Ross and senior art director Courtney Fay have been promoted to associate creative directors.
With a passion for smart tech, digital, and social impact, Ross and Fay have been pivotal in their five years at R/GA. They have been behind the work including Uber’s ‘Vaccinate the Block’ and Nike’s ‘For Every Body,’ an AR-enabled retail experience celebrating female diversity and community.
Alex Morris, R/GA’s newly appointed senior copywriter, joins from London. Teaming up with Morris is Aaron McCann, promoted to senior art director.
R/GA’s creative expansion aligns with Seamus Higgins rejoining as chief creative officer for Australia in June of this year. Higgins closely partners with Ben Miles, VP, executive creative director, brand design, APAC, to co-lead the studio’s creative offering across integrating brand, experience, and communications teams.
Higgins said R/GA has always embraced non-conformity, and now its taking a new approach that centres on a diversely disciplined, but unified team navigating all phases of a project.
"We’re continuing to build a studio that harnesses creative tension to unleash next level creative innovation," he said.
Miles said this team is a cross-section of hyper-collaborative talent, all focused on the bigger picture of client business.
"How they work is a break away from outdated structures, exploit the intersection of their skills, and deliver groundbreaking work that meets new client needs," he said.
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