Leagas Delaney has promoted Neil Clarke and Jay Phillips to executive creative directors. The pair become the agency’s first ECDs and will report to chairman and founder, Tim Delaney. Clarke and Phillips joined Leagas Delaney in 2025, having previously worked at BBH, creating award-winning work including Netflix Sex Shop, Samsung Openness Medal and Samaritans Minute Unsilenced.

Before this, they spent nearly a decade at AMV as creative leads on Mars Petcare, Meta Reality Labs, HP and The V&A Museum. The pair created award-winning campaigns for Sheba, Whiskas, Snickers, HP and BT Sport, helping AMV win Agency of the Year at Cannes Lions, D&AD and The One Show. 

Previously, they were creative directors at The&Partnership, where they made the highly acclaimed Charge for Samsung and helped launch The Prince’s Trust Tomorrow’s Store in London – a project that helped reduce UK youth employment and won a Grand Prix for design. Their first role was at McCann London, where they created award-winning campaigns for American Airlines, Xbox and Heinz, as well as winning the Cannes Young Lions award.

As ECDs, Clarke and Phillips’ will work to expand Leagas Delaney’s creative output, driving new ambition and innovation across all clients, including Patek Philippe, Bombardier, MSC, Royal British Legion, Whyte & Mackay, Investec, Isio, Lakestar, Pictet and Rothesay. 

Clarke and Phillips stated, “Leagas Delaney is a fascinating place. The client list is wonderfully eclectic. And there’s a real shared ambition to creatively push the agency forwards into the next exciting chapter. It’s an amazing opportunity for us. We both grew up on a council estate in Manchester. If you’d told us back then that we’d end up helping to run one of London’s most iconic creative agencies, full of luxury brands…. we’d have ripped both your arms off. And both your legs.”

Tim Delaney added, “Neil and Jay are that rare breed of creative person: original thinkers as well as born leaders. Their impact has been entirely positive, and I am sure there is more to come. As the industry ties itself in knots about structures, mergers and AI, it is good to have such a grounded, talented team focused on creating distinctive work for our clients.” 

Gareth Davies, UK Group CEO of Leagas Delaney, concluded, “Tim Delaney sets the standard here. For Neil and Jay to have met that highest of bars tells you everything you need to know about the guys and their talent. Their promotions are just reward for their effort and also a statement of our intent.”

Cover image l-r: Neil Clarke & Jay Phillips