MICHAEL SIMONS APPOINTED REGIONAL ECD OF DRAFT FCB

Sydney-based DRAFTFCB Executive Creative Director, Michael Simons, has been appointed Asia/Pacific Regional Executive Creative Director.
“Michael’s appointment is both a great credit to the local creative talent here in Australia and an enormous bonus for the local Australian DRAFTFCB offices in Sydney and Melbourne. Michael has for some time now worked with many of the company’s most senior people – to have an ‘official seat at that table’ is a real plus for us and our clients,” said Noel Magnus, Managing Director of DRAFTFCB Sydney.
“Michael’s appointment to Regional Executive Creative Director will also provide an opportunity to further cement the already close working relationship between the Sydney, Melbourne and Auckland DRAFTFCB offices.
Of his new role, Simons says, “It’s more about mentoring and leveraging leadership throughout the region, rather than dashing all over Asia and the Pacific.
“With technology being what it is, I don’t need to be travelling all of the time. Part of the new role will be to establish the lines of communication among the creative teams – steering, facilitating and mentoring to get the most out of our collective creative firepower.”
“This really is an opportunity for me to use my experience and expertise across a broader range of clients and cultures and to help the creative teams throughout the DRAFTFCB creative network. It really is a chance to give something back,” continued Simons.
Adds Magnus: “Michael Simons now has a bigger canvass on which to display his creative and leadership talents. He’s worked with FCB for eight years and previously held Creative Director positions in four agencies across three continents.
“We have anticipated this move for some time. And Michael and I have built up the senior resources within the Sydney office creative team to support Michael’s new role. Michael is still very much focussed on Sydney clients and the Sydney office is in the very fortunate position to have a senior resource under Michael in Simon Edwards who has held Creative Director level positions at two other agencies prior to joining DRAFTFCB Sydney a year ago.”
Simons is replacing Kiwi expat Rob Sherlock as Regional Executive Creative Director. Sherlock has moved to DRAFTFCB’s Chicago office to take a lead role in the newly merged agency. DRAFTFCB Chicago is now the largest advertising agency office in North America and Sherlock will over-see a department of over 200 creatives.