Imagination appoints former Clems Melbourne ECD Chris James as executive creative director

Australian experience agency Imagination has welcomed Chris James as the new executive creative director of its Sydney and Melbourne offices.

With a creative and digital career spanning more than two decades, James brings a wealth of expertise spread across digital, branding, product, experience design and communications. As a digital and interactive specialist, his deep understanding of technology, connected experiences and the power interactivity can bring to an idea sets a high bar for creativity at Imagination.

James holds one of the country’s most impressive CVs as a digital leader. Over the course of his career he’s been ranked #2 Digital Creative Director globally by the Won Report, #1 in Australia/NZ by Campaign Brief and led the digital creative offering for some of Australia’s largest and most awarded agencies — most recently spending 2.5 years as digital ECD and head of creative technology at Clemenger BBDO Melbourne.

As executive creative director, James’ role is focused on further driving the Imagination vision to create world-class physical experiences powered by technology.

Says James: “I’ve been working with Imagination since February as a digital consultant and I was flattered when the business approached me to take the ECD gig. The opportunity to lead a creative team that already delivers brilliant solutions that marry the physical and digital worlds was an offer too good to be missed. In the last 6 months Imagination has opened my eyes to a world of creative and engagement opportunities outside advertising and I can truly say I’m like a kid in a candy store.”

Known for work that varies from large scale live events, digitally enabled buildings to futuristic innovation labs, Imagination is at the forefront of defining how brands engage with their audiences.

Says James: “I haven’t been this excited about a creative opportunity in a long time. Imagination is globally renowned when it comes to physical and live experiences, so to have a different approach to creative leadership sends a pretty strong message to the market.”

Says Heath Campanaro, director of Imagination Australia: “In such a short time Chris has demonstrated his ability to lead our creative offering across the board. We’ve long led the way in digital and technology experiences at Imagination, and it made complete sense for us to focus our creative leadership in this area. Chris’ appointment is a defining moment for us and demonstrates our commitment to a future where technology, measurement and data are at the heart of connected brand experiences.”