2025 was not dentsu’s finest year. But Dentsu Creative Australia intends to make 2026 great, with a sharpened focus on creative quality, earned-led thinking, experience innovation, and strategic clarity under its DC26 agenda. Rather than adding layers, Dentsu Creative says the changes centre on clarity and focus by aligning creativity, strategy, experience and earned influence more tightly.
The move follows the recent confirmation of David Halter as chief practice officer and Vanessa Nicol as chief operating officer for dentsu ANZ, with the agency sharpening its focus on what Halter describes as “the work we do and the way we work”.
At the centre of DC26 is a clear belief that “you cannot grow with the status quo”. The agency is aligning leadership, disciplines and delivery around that principle to drive impact for its clients. “This belief applies to our clients’ businesses, but also to the growth of our own people. Everyone wants to grow, learn new tools and be part of different and varied challenges each day. That is what makes agency life unique,” David Halter commented.
“I was lucky enough to inherit a great team of incredibly talented people and strong client partnerships. Our job now is to raise the bar on the quality of our creative product and ensure everything we do drives real impact,” he added. “We know creative can’t operate in isolation if it’s going to deliver impact. The real advantage is how connected we are to all the smart people sitting just down the hall at dentsu. When we bring DC closer to media, data and technology, production, gaming, and sports and entertainment, every discipline keeps doing what it does best, but together we unlock stronger, better growth for our clients.”
Earned thinking moves to the core of Dentsu Creative Australia with Madeleine Page elevated to general manager – earned and social, to lead the integration of earned, social and cultural engagement across the national business in Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane. This change signals a stronger push to embed earned thinking into every brief rather than treating it as an execution on a core creative idea.
Graham Alvarez-Jarratt has been promoted to chief strategy officer, recognising the influence of the multidisciplinary strategy team he has built.
Executive creative director, Zac Pritchard, remains a central figure in the leadership team. He will continue to guide creative output and integrated delivery across the agency’s client portfolio, working closely with Craig Sloane, who has stepped into the role of national head of production, and Vanessa Nicol, to develop new and more effective ways of getting work made.
Gabriel Tamborini continues as chief experience officer, leading the integration of customer experience, design and technology to ensure Dentsu Creative’s ideas connect across the entire brand journey.
Stevie Dobbs continues as Group Finance Director, ensuring the structure is matched by operational and financial excellence.
“This is about being very clear on what we are here to do,” Halter concluded. “Challenging the status quo. Presenting innovative thinking that makes an impact. Producing better work. And creating an environment designed to unlock our people’s best thinking.”
Cover image by Daniel Boud
