Crave taps McCann NZ creative directors Veronica Copestake and Adam Barnes for joint ECD roles

Crave has appointed former McCann NZ Creative Directors Veronica Copestake and Adam Barnes as Executive Creative Directors, a dual appointment that marks a decisive moment in the agency’s evolution and a clear statement of intent for what comes next.

Together, Copestake and Barnes will lead Crave’s creative output with a mandate that has always sat at the heart of the agency: make things that matter. Work that moves culture, drives business, and earns its place in the world.

Co-Founder James Blackwood moves into the role of CCO and Chairman, with a focus on growth and elevating Crave’s creative product across Australasia.

“This is the creative team we’ve been building towards,” says Blackwood. “Veronica and Adam don’t just raise the bar; they’re the kind of leaders who bring everyone else up with them. That’s the culture we’re building at Crave. Restless, rigorous, and genuinely passionate about the work.”

“Veronica and Adam are exactly what we were looking for: exceptional creative leaders, great humans, and two people who genuinely understand where the industry is going,” says Daniel Hopkirk, Co-Founder and CEO of Crave. “We were deliberate in this search. We wanted the best, and we found them. We built Crave to make things that matter, and these two are going to help us take that further than we ever have.”

Together Copestake and Barnes bring almost 20 years of experience working across the biggest brands in some of the world’s leading agencies. Along the way their work has been recognised in all the major award shows achieving consistently great results. Most recently at McCann (formally DDB) they have created a series of New Zealand’s most iconic campaigns for AA Insurance, Volkswagen, McDonald’s and more.

Says Copestake and Barnes: “For a small indie agency, Dan and Jimmy have big ambition. It’s exciting to bring our skills and knowledge of working at big agencies for the last 20 years to help fuel that ambition. Once our partner in crime Kate Lines got on board, the lure grew even stronger… Then they took us out for Margarita’s and we knew we’d made the right call.”

Copestake and Barnes are effective June 22nd and will be based at Crave’s Auckland studio.

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