303 Perth lures Steve Straw from Lowe Singapore to team up with Richard Berney as associate CDs

303 Perth has made a significant senior hire and a promotion in their creative department. Steve Straw (far left), regional creative director on the Unilever business at Lowe Singapore is joining the agency to team up with 303’s Richard Berney (near left). Both will take up the newly created positions of associate creative directors.

Says 303’s executive creative director Simon Langley (left): “This is a very exciting time for 303 with significant changes to our creative line up. We are delighted to attract someone of Steve’s calibre, and there’s no doubt he’ll be a fantastic addition to the team. As for Rich, he’s consistently been Perth’s top creative, won numerous international awards and is extremely passionate about creativity. I can’t wait to see what these guys achieve as a team across both offices.”

Born in South Africa, Straw comes to 303 with a wealth of experience, including a number of creative director positions in Singapore, including being ECD at Leo Burnett. An international multi-award winner, he recently took home a gold and silver Lion from Cannes for the Samroc Paint and Hardware radio campaign. Straw’s varied portfolio includes brands likeMcDonalds, IBM, Qantas, Renault, Guinness and Nokia.

“303 has always had a great reputation and after having met with the guys, it was an easy decision to make. They’re nice people. They have talent. They do good work.They’ve got great brands to work with and they’re driven by their passion. That usually makes for a fun working environment” said Straw.

Berney is also a multi-award winner who has ranked as Campaign Brief’s top WA creative three years running. He has worked in creative departments in Sydney, London and Amsterdam on clients ranging from Canon and Guinness to Telstra and the recently launched Enjoy the Ride for WA’s Office of Road Safety.

“303 is at a very interesting point,” Berney says. “We have real depth in every department and offices on both the east and west coast. We’re independent and have a long list of the sort of clients that creatives love to work on. Together, we’re going to do greatthings with the whole 303 crew and provide the kind of creative leadership that will capitalise on all the good things happening here.”

303’s creative director, Lindsay Medalia, says having a creative talent like Steve Straw in the ranks will be an undeniable asset: “The fact that he will be teaming up with Richard in his new position is also exciting news,” Medalia says. “One of the strengths of this agency is that we have a chance to work not only on WA accounts but also with national clients and that’s a great drawcard.”