After four years WiTH Collective partner/CCO Steve Coll lured to Head of Creative Shop, Facebook Australia and New Zealand
Campaign Brief can reveal that WiTH Collective partner and chief creative officer Steve Coll has departed the agency to take up the role of Head of Creative Shop, Facebook Australia and New Zealand.
Coll leaves after four years with the agency, first joining in August 2015 from Droga5 Sydney, where he had a brief stint as executive creative director. Prior to Droga5 Sydney, Coll held the role of ECD at Havas Worldwide Sydney.
Coll told CB: “It’s rare to get an opportunity to do something completely different at work. So naturally, after 20+ years in creative agencies, including a wonderful 4 years at WiTH Collective, I’m incredibly excited to join Facebook. I can’t wait to start work with Will and the team.”
Will Easton, Managing Director, Facebook Australia and New Zealand told CB: “We couldn’t be more excited that someone of Steve’s caliber is joining Facebook. He is a key contributor to the wider industry and has an infectious enthusiasm about how technology and creativity can co-exist to deliver meaningful outcomes. With the pace and scale of innovation there has never be a more important time for Facebook to collaborate with our creative community.”
Justin Hind, CEO of WiTH Collective, told CB: “Steve has been an amazing creative leader for us over the past four years, he’s done an great job for our clients and a great job in leading our creative teams. Steve made a decision to leave the agency side of the industry and join a leading global technology company for the next phase of his career in a role he’ll excel in. Everyone here wishes him every success in his next phase.”
Coll is one of Australia’s most respected creative leaders, known for transformative campaigns including McDonald’s ‘Inner Child’ at Leo Burnett Sydney; the Walker’s ‘Sandwich’ campaign at AMV/BBDO London, which won the inaugural Grand Prix for Creative Effectiveness at Cannes; and at Havas Australia Virgin Mobile’s ‘Fair Go Bro’, another Cannes winner for Creative Effectiveness; the world’s first petition-signing robot for Save Our Sons and the wearable tech-led ‘Fundawear’ campaign for Durex.
In total, he has won more than 20 Cannes Lions and a Black Pencil at D&AD. He is also the only creative to have been invited to join the board of ADMA.
During the time Coll was ECD of Havas Australia, the agency enjoyed record-breaking growth and its most successful creative period ever. Coll changed the agency creative product to make Havas one of the most integrated and collaborative agencies in Australia.
At the 2012 Cannes International Advertising Festival, Havas Sydney was the fourth most-awarded agency in Australia and New Zealand, and the second most-awarded office in the Havas Worldwide network. In 2013, the agency raised the bar again, with a record 5 silvers at AWARD, Gold at the prestigious Clio Awards and a further 7 Lions, making Havas Sydney the number 1 agency in the Havas worldwide network at Cannes.
Havas Sydney was also named Campaign Brief ‘NSW Agency of the Year 2013’ and was ranked as the 2nd hottest agency in Australia in Campaign Brief’s highly regarded annual review of Australian creative agencies. The agency doubled in size, winning numerous pitches, including eBay and the Australian Defence Force account. As a result, Coll was named ‘Havas Worldwide Person of the Year’.
32 Comments
The PR talks a lot about the distant past – not much to crow about in the last five years apparently.
Shut up nerd.
Good luck, Steve. You the man.
Great that the press is finally out mate. You will smash it there.
Cheers
Ant
PS Cobwebs – if you had a fraction of a percentage of the great work Steve has been involved with and any decency at all, you wouldn’t have made the ignorant and disrespectful comment above.
That 4 years would have felt like 40. No mention of anything about it either, yet another high profile creative pass through those ever revolving doors.
Wonder why?
A talented gentleman with great ideas and a light touch.
All the best Steve.
Congrats Steve – a true talent and class act, to be sure.
Agree with you Ant Gregorio! Steve is incredibly talented and a super nice human being. Well done Steve.
Why didn’t Steve ride the Havas elevator all the way to the top. He could have easily. Global CCO gig based in NYC or Paris, every paycheck feeling like an inheritance.
Will the last creative left in advertising turn off the light please…thank you
Steve is the best creative director I’ve ever worked with. And his story is far from finished. I’d wish you luck mate but you’re a man who makes his own.
One of the best. Facebook is very lucky to have you.
How the once mighty With has fallen. A lot of promise when this hire was announced but nothing
Of substance came out of it. The CHE actually did the data plus creative offering well.
Which leaves With without a creative dept or a point of difference.
Can we have our money back please.?
Actor Dirk Benedict – the ‘Face’ in Facebook…..?
First they take our profit, then they take our bbbrrrrraaains
Congrats and good luck
Congrats Steve – you will be brilliant and it is a wonderful hire for FB who are lucky to have someone of your caliber. .
N
All the best Steve. One of the best modern ad men on the planet.
He stayed far too long if you ask me.
Heres hoping ‘stella gets her groove back’
Far too talented to sit on the side lines.
Good luck Steve, you’ll slay…
Best wishes Steve. The wings at Dr Rudi’s will taste better than ever.
This isn’t a snipe at Steve, I think he’s great but what will he be doing and making at FB? I’ve never seen anything of note that’s come out of there apart from when FB does the friend celebration thing with your photos and mixes it with animation. Am I missing something?
Gentleman and genius. No better combination.
Hey Elephant, Creative Shop is the division of Facebook which works with agencies to help them take advantage of and become more creative with ads across the Facebook platforms. It’s not a role coming up with Facebook initiatives, that’s the marketing dept under Mark D’Arcy.
Steve you are lovely and talented man.
Fb are lucky to have you.
Wishing you all the best.
From the hottest new agency to the total opposite in the space of 12 months. And now no Steve Coll. Could be some interesting meetings with the Dentsu bean counters coming up….
So it’s a sales job?
Kinda – insofar as everything in the industry is. But it’ll be collaborating across briefs with agencies and clients, showcasing capabilities and flexing some creative muscle around FB products. At least, that’s what the other creative shoppers do.
With was a questionable decision but moving to FB is a downright cynical move. Don’t get me wrong, I’m sure the money is great but FB is revealing itself to be the most controversial platform in the world. Have you seen the grilling they’ve been getting in the US Senate? Here’s hoping the US justice dept. gives them exactly what they deserve. How about choosing a company with more scruples?
Congrats and well-deserved Mr Coll.
It was a pleasure working with you a while back and I’m sure you will, as they say, kill it.
If anyone is wondering where the market is going, the market cap for all of WPP is $14 bill USD with over 200,000 employees, Omincom is $17 bill USD.
Facebook is worth $575 bill USD with around 30,000 employees. Google is worth $794 bill USD and Apple just under a trillion US dollars at $955 bill.
Denstu bought a pup and should ask for their coin back.