Chief Creative Officer

DDB New Zealand


•      24 years of Global, Regional & local experience across Africa, Asia, Middle East, Europe &Australasia

•      Won the coveted D&AD Black Pencil in 2022

•      New Zealand's Agency Of TheYear at Spikes Festival Of Creativity 2021 & 2022

•      Axis Agency Of the Year 2020/2021 & 2022 - DDB New Zealand

•      Agency Of The Year at NZ Effies 2020

•      Campaign Brief's Creative 2022 Agency of the Year - DDB New Zealand

•      Campaign Brief's Creative2019 Agency of the Year - DDB New Zealand

•      Ranked #1 Creative Agencyof the year on Best Ads Global Rankings 2019/2021 - DDB New Zealand

•      Ranked #2 ExecutiveCreative Director of the year 2021 on Best Ads Global Rankings

•      Ranked #3 ExecutiveCreative Director of the year 2019 on Best Ads Global Rankings

•      Campaign Creative Agency ofthe year 2019 - DDB New Zealand

•      Campaign Digital Agency ofthe year 2019 - DDB New Zealand

•      Campaign Best Social MediaAgency of the year 2019 - DDB New Zealand

•      Voted 1 of the Most Influential Creative Directors in Singapore 4 years in a row (2015/16/17/18)

•      Campaign Creative Agency ofthe Year 2018 in Singapore

•      Campaign Creative Agency ofthe Year in South East Asia 2018

•      Largest Pitch Win inSingapore - Singapore Airlines (2018)

•      Campaign Overall Integrated Agency of the year for South East Asia (2017)

•      New Business Team of theyear for South East Asia (2016)

•      Creative Director of theYear 2015

•      Largest Pitch Win in Singapore - Singapore Tourism Board (2015)

•      24 New Business Wins in Singapore from 2016 - 2019


Gary is the Chief Creative Officer of DDB New Zealand and over his 24-year career, he has worked on some of the world’s most celebrated global brands across Europe, Africa and Asia. Over this time the work he has helped create has been celebrated over 400 times across all the international advertising festivals.

During his time in Asia, Gary was voted as Singapore’s most influential Creative Director 4 years in a row and led TBWA\Singapore to be the Creative agency of the year across South East Asia in 2017 & 2018.

After his success in Asia Gary needed a new challenge and moved to New Zealand where he joined DDB Group New Zealand in 2019.

In 2020, Gary helped DDB achieve a back-to-back win across the region by winning Campaign’s Agency of the year and then Agency of the year at Axis Awards in NZ as well as Australia’s Award in 2020, a feat that had yet to be achieved by DDB. In 2021 he was ranked #2 Executive Creative Director in the world on Best Ads Global rankings as well as helped take DDB to the #1 Creatively ranked agency on Campaign Briefs global rankings.

This was just the beginning, and in 2022 he continued the success by helping DDB take home the coveted D&AD Black Pencil, the only 2nd Black Pencil ever awarded to an NZ agency and a career highlight.

Following this success, DDB New Zealand took home NZ Agency of the Year at the Spikes Festival in Asia for the second year in a row, bringing home 3 Grand Prix to New Zealand. Finishing off with another win taking home the Agency of the Year at Axis Awards, making it three years in a row, achieving another personal goal on his extensive to-do list.

But if you ask Gary what makes him the proudest, he will tell you it’s the people he has worked with, mentored, and helped grow into the great creative people they are today, without whom Gary would not have this bio.


DDB New Zealand

Executive Creative Director

May 2019 - Present

Location: New Zealand

Role & Responsibilities: As DDB’s Executive Creative Director my role is to build and grow the business of all our clients whilst making sure we have the best talent in the building to create the world class work we expect as DDB. I work hard with the talent to help them grow as individuals and to help them create the work we as a creative company want to make in order to put us ahead of all our competitors whether it is on the local, regional or global stage.

Agency of the Year: Since I have arrived here at DDB in 2019 we have had a big focus on being in the top 20 in Cannes and everything we have been doing has been with this goal in mind. So far we have created the work that we believe will get us there and it’s starting to show results. To date we have won Campaigns Agency of the Year, Axis Agency of the Year, Campaign Brief’s Agency of the year as well as being ranked #1 Globally on Best Ads Global Agency Ranking. I am also honoured to be ranked #3 globally as Executive Creative Director. 

Achievements:  Award 2020 - Agency Of The Year - DDB New Zealand, Campaign Brief’s Agency Of The Year - DDB New Zealand, Axis Awards - Agency Of The Year - DDB New Zealand, Creative Agency of the year - DDB New Zealand, Digital Agency of the year - DDB New Zealand, Best Social Media Agency of the year - DDB New Zealand, Ranked #1 Creative Agency of the year - DDB New Zealand, Ranked #3 Executive Creative Director of the year


TBWA\ Singapore

Position: Executive Creative Director

April 2016 -  April 2019

Location: Singapore

Role & Responsibilities: As TBWA\ Group Singapore’s Executive Creative Director my role is to build the business of our global, regional and local clients whilst making sure we have the best talent in the building. I work hard with the talent to help them grow as individuals and to help them create the work we as a creative company want to make in order to put us ahead of all our competitors whether it is on the local, regional or global stage.

Agency of the Year: When I took over in 2016 we won New Business team of the year at Campaign brief and finished second in Agency of the year for Singapore. In 2017 I am glad to say we won overall Integrated Agency of the year not just for Singapore but for South East Asia as a whole. We then followed this up the following year by winning Creative Agency of the year in Singapore 2018 as well as Creative Agency of the year in South East Asia 2018. An achievement I am very proud of.

New Business Wins:

2015: STB, Centrum, Caltex Lubricants, SCB Employer Brand, Lexus, GRAB, Wrigley's

2016: Nando's, Go Daddy, L'Oreal, SRT, Blackmores, Spotify

2017: SIA Social, Quickbooks, Amway, Skittles + Extra, Netflix, Midea, Buri Energy, Nissan United, Uniqlo, AHC

2018: Geneco, Manulife, Amgen, Accenture,  Abbott Diagnostics, Datsun, HP Printers

Client List: Singapore Tourism Board, Standard Chartered Bank, Singapore Airlines, Airbnb, Netflix, Spotify, MasterCard, adidas, Michelin, Playstation, Caltex, Nandos, SRT, Nissan, Lexus, Wrigley’s, L’oreal and Blackmores.


TBWA\ Singapore

Position: Global & Regional Creative Director

March 2008 -  April 2016 

Location: Singapore

Role & Responsibilities: As a Global & Regional Creative Director for the TBWA Singapore office my roles and responsibilities involve the creative direction and overseeing of creative teams on work from conceptualization through to adaption of global assets across markets in Asia, Africa and Middle East for Standard Chartered Bank, Airbnb, Caltex and many other accounts. 

My responsibilities involve working with the regional offices to maintain and uphold the standard of work whether it is developed on a local market level or centralised campaigns disseminated from a regional office with a global roll out. 

Besides my main role on Standard Chartered Bank. I am also in charge of other multiple accounts such as Great Eastern Life Insurance, Airbnb and Caltex to name a few. 

I deal mostly within the footprint of the Asian market dealing with countries such as Thailand, Indonesia, Vietnam, Malaysia, Korea, China, Japan and Australia & New Zealand. In my time I have also been fortunate to head up other accounts from a regional perspective such as Visa, Corona, Energizer/Eveready as well as multiple local market accounts as listed below.

Accounts worked on: Singapore Tourism Board, Standard Chartered Bank, Singapore Airlines, Airbnb, Netflix, Spotify, MasterCard, adidas, Michelin, Playstation, Caltex, Nandos, SRT, Nissan, Lexus, Wrigley’s, L’oreal, ANZ Bank, adidas, Michelin, Haagen Dazs, Corona, Perno Ricard, Proctor & Gamble, Sentosa Integrated Resorts, Hewlett Packard, American Insurance Association, Japan Tobacco International, Barclays Singapore Open, Vivo City, Suntec City, Keppel Land, Resorts World Integrated Resorts, Nippon Paint, Energizer / Eveready Holdings, ANZ Bank, Great Eastern Life Insurance, Capella Hotel Group, Caltex, Tangs Department Store.


TBWA Hunt Lascaris

Position: Creative Director

Sep 2007 -  Feb 2008 

Location: Johannesburg - South Africa


Role & Responsibilities: My role as Creative Director at TBWA Hunt Lascaris was to manage multiple creative teams in development of campaigns for our clients. My main responsibility was to manage and oversee the Nissan account across South Africa and into Africa where we had to develop and roll out intergrated campaigns for product launches. In my time at TBWA Hunt Lascaris I was fortunate to touch many industries from banking through to tourism.


Accounts worked on: Nissan SA, Standard Bank SA, Tiger Brands SA, MTN, SABC, Diagio, South African Tourism, International Marketing Council, Sasol, Montecasino, Motorola, Telkom, Unisa, Neotel


TBWA\ TEQUILA 

Position: Creative Director

Nov 2005 – Sep 2007 

Location: Johannesburg - South Africa


Role & Responsibilities: As Creative Director my partner and I headed up the creative department overseeing all of the creative teams development of work for Tequila Johannesburg. My role was the upliftment of the creative standard across all our clients. In the 3 years of this position we had won multiple awards and lifted the standard of work.


Accounts worked on: Nissan SA, Standard Bank SA, Tiger Brands SA, MTN, SABC, Diagio, South African Tourism, International Marketing Council, Sasol, Montecasino, Motorola, Telkom, Unisa, Neotel


TBWA\ TEQUILA 

Position: Creative Group Head

Sep 2003 - Nov 2005 

Location: Johannesburg – South Africa


Role & Responsibilities: I was brought over from the United Kingdom to head up the Nissan account due to my automobile experience. I worked closely with our affiliate agency G1 which was the global agency for Nissan in development of all work. We developed product related campaigns for new launches from Film to launch events. I managed a small team of creatives on all marketing activity for Nissan. I was also involved in the overseeing and working with creative teams on other accounts as listed below.


Accounts worked on: Nissan SA, Standard Bank SA, Tiger Brands SA, SABC, South African Tourism, MonteCasino, Sasol, Unisa


23red Advertising & Communications

Position: Creative Consultant

Feb 2002 - Aug 2003 

Location: London – United Kingdom


Role & Responsibilities: I started at 23 Red in a consultancy capacity but ended up being an integral part of the creative department with overseeing and development of all work related to the World Rally Championship. 

We developed everything from brochures to websites to the telementry graphics you see on screen during a World Rally. I was also the main art director for the Volvo account developing all creative concepts through to finished art for the European market. I was also fortunate enough to work on multiple accounts as listed below.


Accounts worked on: PlayStation, Volvo Car Corporation, Volvo Ocean Race, Marks & Spencer, World Rally Championship, Orange Cellular Network, O2 Cellular Network


TBWA\ TEQUILA 

Position: Graphic Designer/Art Director

May 1999 – Jan 2002 

Location: Johannesburg – South Africa


Role & Responsibilities: As an art director my main role and responsibility was on Standard Bank, Land Rover & BMW. We also picked up the MTN account of which I be came a lead art director on the below the line business.


Accounts worked on: Standard Bank, Land Rover, MTN, Bmw / Mini, E-Tv


Lunar Advertising

Position: Freelance Art Director

Feb 1999 – April 1999 

Location: Johannesburg – South Africa


Role & Responsibilities: My main role was to develop the M-Net magazine guide on a monthly basis from concept through to final production. I was also involved in the Gold Reef City Casino pitch which we won and maintained.


Accounts worked on: M-net, Gold Reef City Casino


KSDP Pentagraph

Position: Graphic Designer

June 1998 – Feb1999 

Location: Johannesburg – South Africa


Role & Responsibilities: I joined KSDP Pentagraph straight after college. My main role was to work on the Coca-Cola account developing all graphic work for all markets across Africa. During my time here I worked on the 2006 World Cup Bid for South Afirca developing the logo and all design assets. This logo whilst not successful in the 2006 bid was used again for the 2010 bid which South Africa won as a host nation. I was also involved as a team member of all design development for the Mirage Hotel in Dubai and the new identity for TNT.


Accounts worked on: South African 2006 World Cup Bid, Coca Cola, Mirage Hotel, TNT


Copyright 2018 Gary Steele
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