Emotive snares former CHEP Australia CCO Gavin McLeod as first-ever Chief Creative Officer

Independent creative agency Emotive has appointed Gavin McLeod as its first ever Chief Creative Officer, marking a major creative hire as the agency continues to expand its ambition and output. McLeod, formerly CCO at CHEP, who departed in March this year, has been working with the agency in recent months before officially stepping into the role this week.

For McLeod (above right), the move represents a personal shift from the traditional holding company world into the faster, freer world of independents. He joins Emotiveʼs leadership team alongside Founder and CEO Simon Joyce and Executive Strategy Partner, Sebastian Revell, and will work in partnership with Head of Earned Creative, Jessica Cluff (above left), who joined Emotive from Poem in April this year.

McLeod has over 20 years of experience fostering creative and collaborative cultures at some of the world’s most innovative creative agencies. Prior to joining CHEP, McLeod spent over two years at Ogilvy Sydney serving as ECD. Prior to joining Ogilvy Sydney in June 2019, McLeod was ECD at AKQA San Francisco.

At AKQA he led a 65+ interdisciplinary team, dedicated to delivering breakthrough creative and technology innovation for some of the world’s best-known brands including Audi, Activision Blizzard, IBM Watson and Levi’s. Prior to joining AKQA at the end of 2016, McLeod was responsible for opening the Sydney office of R/GA, where he pitched and won work with Telstra, ANZ Bank, Macquarie Bank, Nike, Samsung, Toyota, Coke and Google. ​He has also held creative leadership positions at TBWA Australia where he was ECD from March 2011 and M&C Saatchi Sydney where he rose to ECD digital and direct.

Says Simon Joyce, Founder and CEO, Emotive: “This year we turned 10. It is a big milestone but for us it has never been about looking back. Gavʼs appointment is about building momentum for the next decade. His arrival turns our purpose – creating ideas that change how people feel – up even louder and signals the next step in Emotiveʼs evolution. Gav brings a unique skill set for our clients: a true digital native with a passion for AI and a proven ability to get the best out of creative teams. In just six weeks he has already made an impact with two pitch wins, and I know he will play a huge role in shaping both our work and our culture.”

Says McLeod: “What struck me straight away is that Emotiveʼs independence isnʼt just structural, itʼs a mindset. The team has a fierce determination to do things differently and to do them properly. After years in holding company land, the chance to create big ideas with the speed and freedom of a nimble, fame thinking agency was irresistible. What excites me most is the calibre of people here. Creativity runs through their veins and itʼs not something they switch on for the office. From writing screenplays to producing award-winning documentaries, their side projects and passions feed directly into the work. That breadth of experience is a huge advantage for clients because it drives the kind of ideas that truly change how people feel. Add an office by the beach and youʼve got the perfect environment for great creativity.”

Says Cluff: “Gav hasnʼt settled in – heʼs taken off. In a matter of weeks, weʼre two from two on pitch wins together and it feels like weʼve hit a creative flow and earned each otherʼs trust, fast. And trust is key when youʼre pitched the idea of a fully clothed photo shoot in the surf at Coogee.”

Emotive enters its next chapter with strong momentum, from recent new business wins like Perfection Fresh, to a roster of over 20 cross-category brands, underpinned by a market-leading client tenure of 4.7 years. That momentum is being matched by investment in people, with recent senior hires including Jess and Sebastian as well as Sarah Scott Paul (Director of People and Culture) and Michelle Lomas (Head of Partnerships and Talent). With full independence and a leadership team strengthened by Gavʼs arrival, Emotive is set up to deliver its most ambitious work yet.

Image by Julian Wolkenstein