Howatson+Company has promoted Gavin Chimes to chief creative officer (previously ECD), with Richard Shaw (previously ECD) being promoted to deputy chief creative officer.

Chimes was part of the founding team at Howatson+Company, joining at its inception in 2021. Since then, he has been ranked #6 ECD globally at D&AD, named Australian Creative of the Year and won over 100 awards including Grands Prix, Golds and Yellow Pencils for work such as Matilda Bay’s Rejected Ales, Maurice Blackburn’s Exhibit A-i, 10PM’s Bedverts, Modibodi’s I’m Dying Inside, Belong’s Book of Limbo, and Mastercard’s TOUCH.

This has led Howatson+Company to be named Independent Agency of the Year at global shows including D&AD, Cannes (Good), Spikes, ANDYs, and LIA. Recently the agency was one of eight in the world make the esteemed 2024 Contagious Pioneers list.

Prior to Howatson+Company, Chimes worked at CHE Proximity, Clemenger BBDO, Marcel and Droga5, developing D&AD and Cannes winning campaigns such as Tiger Beer’s Air-Ink, The Lion’s Share, NRMA’s First Saturday and Sloways, and Samsung’s Microcodes.

Shaw joined Howatson+Company in 2022 as executive creative director from CHEP, where he led Samsung, Australia’s largest integrated account in one agency. With almost 20 years’ experience, Shaw has worked at Australia’s best agencies, including Clemenger BBDO Melbourne, TBWA and DDB.

Throughout Shaw’s career, his work, and that of his creative departments, have focused on highly impactful and strategic communications, executed by any and all means possible. His philosophy is that there is no idea too big andf no shape of campaign too different to solve any brief, whether it’s re-launching Australia’s biggest brands to the public, engaging people in a moment in time, or launching a brand from scratch. His work has been awarded at every major global award show for its creativity, craft and effectiveness.

Cover image l-r: Gavin Chimes & Richard Shaw