DDB Group Melbourne snares Psembi Kinstan from McCann as ECD replacing Anthony Moss; Matt Pearce joins as head of planning
DDB Group Melbourne has boosted its leadership team with the additions of group executive creative director Psembi Kinstan and head of planning Matt Pearce.
Kinstan (right) joins from McCann Melbourne, where he was executive creative director, while Pearce (left) was most recently a director at Fiftyfive5 Melbourne.
Former ECD Anthony Moss, who had been in the role for over two and a half years, departed in August and is now a freelance creative consultant.
Says Mike Napolitano, managing director, DDB Group Melbourne: “Matt and Psembi are extraordinary talents, and I’m really excited to welcome them both to DDB Group Melbourne.
“I’ve been at the agency for almost a year now, and I know that adding their expertise to our mighty team will lead to Unexpected Work for our clients. Psembi and Matt will also continue to attract more new business opportunities, and talented and nice people, to our Group. It’s a great time to be at DDB.”
Kinstan’s career began in Melbourne and featured a seven-year stint in London before he returned home at the end of last year to join McCann Melbourne. He was the youngest creative director in the histories of VMLY&R London and BBH London and worked across clients including Tesco, Marks & Spencer, Dulux and Audi.
He was also the first creative director to win the Audi UK account since John Hegarty in 1982; the first Australian creative to win a BAFTA for advertising; and the first copywriter to write a Chanel No. 5 campaign after Baz Luhrmann.
Says Kinstan: “DDB is bursting with talent, momentum and the country’s most-loved brands. With Matt’s brilliant thinking and the agency’s leadership, I’m looking forward to DDB Melbourne firing up and creating populist work the whole country will talk about.”
The new role is a return to creative agencies for Pearce, who previously spent seven years as planning director at Clemenger BBDO and worked on iconic campaigns such as Transport Accident Commission’s ‘Meet Graham’, Snickers’ ‘Hungerithm’, and Great Northern’s ‘Beer from Up Here’.
Under his leadership, insight consultancy Fiftyfive5’s Melbourne office doubled in size in less than three years, and added clients including Bega, Medibank, Latitude, and Mars Wrigley to its roster.
Says Pearce: “It was an awesome experience getting back to my insight and consulting roots, leading Fiftyfive5 Melbourne and its exponential growth, but the call of creativity proved too strong.
“It’s great to be back inside a creative agency, and especially one with such exceptional talent and enviable client partners. I’m looking forward to bringing more human and commercial insight to DDB Melbourne’s core and getting stuck in to create Unexpected Work that works.”
Both Kinstan and Pearce begin in their new roles on Monday 6 September, and will work across DDB Group Melbourne clients, including Coles, Dulux, Kmart, New Balance, Porsche, TAC, Jenny Craig and Mobil.
53 Comments
Nice work Pearcy! Legend.
Now there’s a pop up I wouldn’t close. Congrats Psembi. You and your hair will be missed.
Congrats Psembi – massive win for DDB
Psembi is at DDB now.
That’s it for the rest of us. Might as well pack it in.
Congrats Psembi – all those years later, and you’re running the agency across the carpark!
Well done 👍🏼
Explain…..?
This press release is weirdly obsessed with age.
Both absolutely phenomenal talents and DDB is very lucky to have them.
To Mossy? He was kicking huge goals there.
Guess saving an agency from oblivion and turning it around during a pandemic just isn’t enough these days.
HUGE move for DDB, can’t believe they secured these two greats in one hit!
Two of the best. Smart hires DDB Melbourne. Great to see Matt back in the agency world.
Shame to see Mossy leave. Big boots to fill. Hopefully this agency is a better fit Psembi.
Mike, maybe speak to your team more and ask the same question?
Yup, there’s been a few resignations as of late.
Agree’d, DDB were looking on the up big time with Mossy. Wonder what happened.
@@M+D
Umm, Psembi is a machine, now armed with a beast of a network…
We mere mortals stand no chance.
Hyperbole a little subtle?
In one story the brutality of agency rhetoric is exposed. Someone is hired because someone was let go. The explanation is avoided and instead we’re told it’s a good time to be there. Judging by this story that may not be the case for everyone.
It’s a shocker of a place to work. Good work comes out though.
Exactly. This press release is equally about Mossy’s departure without actually focusing on it for more than a sentence. Not sure how you could turf one of the nicest guys in advertising after all those pitch wins.
Built DDB Melbs up from nothing to something. The next joint will be lucky to have you.
Guess being “the youngest ever” is much more important than winning massive bits of business and having proven experience.
Well done to Kinstan and Pearce. But what happened to ECD Mossy? Some massive wins for DDB under his reign, and during the pandemic. Why the sudden change? Opens up a lot of questions.
Why do leaders leave agency’s. These are the things that aren’t spoken about. Sometimes leaders just ‘disappear’ then the new shiny thing is what is spoken about. Prehaps toxic culture and the like is better swept under the rug. But I think not. If only the walls of agencies could do the press release.
What happened to Mossy?
I’m gobsmacked.
He was the best fridge stockist Saatchis ever had!
Mossy was an asset. He rebuilt them after their implosion, and during a pandemic made them profitable. So why did such a smart, nice, well-respected ECD suddenly leave a ‘great agency’ with no solid reason?
I doubt Mossy would stand for any form of a toxic culture. If one existed he’d find a way to stamp it out. Genuinely mind-boggling why you’d get rid of him. But I wish Psembi all the best.
He just makes adz bro… chill
Your mum makes ads
Maybe his fridge stocking skills really dropped off at DDB and that’s why he’s gone
No chance. He was stocking with top-shelf stuff. Look at the business he won during his tenure, an epic effort.
Nice one Mr Pearce! You legend.
But I know I saw this same PR release a year ago. What’s he done since then?
his exit is mind boggling considering the positive PR certain someones spun over the past 9 months
Psembi clearly has a record thinking that has not only helped win big accounts, but also managed to then do good work on them too. Doesn’t mean much if it’s one without the other.
‘Youngest creative director in the history….’ is that really important to you? To anyone?
You sound like you’ve certainly had a few mate.
Even Pearcey made me look good. He is a star.
Just say what you think
What? Am I not enough for the kids?
In two years he’s been an ECD at three places.
Great talent that hopefully can work in a not so great environment.
Well done Matt!
What happened at McCann?
Good luck but Mossy was much loved and an absolutely wonderful ECD. Terribly sad to see him gone.
Tells you everything you need to know about DDB today. Hope these two know what they’re in for…
Maybe the work just wasn’t good enough?
And this is why advertising gets a bad name. Mossy was great to work with, a great leader, passionate about the work and the team, what happened?
Psembi’s work sounds be great, hopefully he can build an agency culture too, DDB needs it now.
actually i did hear recently that the more similar a team the more original the thinking…
A bit of advice from someone who unfortunately needs to remain anonymous. WORK ON YOUR CULTURE. It doesn’t matter how many people changes you make, if your culture is crap. It doesn’t matter how great the work is, if your culture is crap. It doesn’t matter what great processes or new technologies you have in place, if your culture is crap. And culture is not a ping-pong table, beers in the fridge and whacky parties, specially this time around. Culture, now more than ever, is HOW YOU TREAT PEOPLE. There’s a few warning signs in here. You will be well advised to pay attention.
Individual to come along and destroy the great culture someone else built. Happens to often.
Congrats DDB
Any company to get their hands on Mossy is the real winner here – he is an exceptional human being, the captain of creativity, nurturer of relationships, king of culture and always delivers. Not to mention bloody hardworking and trustworthy (a word that often may not be understood in this world)
Can’t help but feel maybe he was a little threatening to those who can’t embrace the success of others and work well in a team.
You’ll be missed Mossy, but my word DDB should be worried for when you come up against them in the future.
Interesting concept – some leaders are threatened by the success of other leaders, so vote them out. No doubt this what has happened as it’s there’s even less doubt as to who was threatened by who.