Stephen de Wolf has been chosen as chief creative officer of BBH London, the first time in its 38-year history that BBH has hired from outside for the top creative role. De Wolf leaves Clemenger BBDO Melbourne where he was chief creative officer to take up the role.
De Wolf joined Clemenger in 2014 as creative director, was promoted to executive creative director in 2017 and chief creative officer last August. During his six years at Clemenger, he helped guide the agency to its worldwide position in 2017 as both D&AD Agency of the Year and Cannes Lions Agency of the Year, the first time any Australian agency has received such an accolade.
Neil Munn, group chief executive officer of BBH, stated, “We searched far and wide for a leader with impeccable creative standards, who can also evolve our business. We have found the right person. Stephen brings pedigree, talent and an infectious energy to succeed.”
His work has been applauded around the world for both creativity and effectiveness. Two years ago, he was ranked the #1 Creative Director in the world by the Cannes Lions Global Creative Index. In 2017, Stephen he won 56 Cannes Lions, including two Grand Prix, for his campaigns on a range of clients including TAC, Mars and Airbnb. His Meet Graham road safety campaign for the Transport Accident Commission (TAC) was the most awarded creative campaign in the world that year, and also picked up a D&AD Black Pencil.
De Wolf was also behind Clemenger’s Snickers Hungerithm, which gauged the mood of the internet and adjusted the price of Snickers in 7-Eleven stores accordingly in real-time. Other notable highlights include Airbnb’s Until We All Belong campaign for equal marriage rights, and Myer’s Naughty or Nice Bauble, a bauble with Christmas “magic” – it changed from green to red to indicate how naughty or nice people had been.
Prior to Clemenger BBDO Melbourne, de Wolf spent three years as creative director at 18 Feet & Rising, the start-up now known as And Rising. He joined a year after the agency was founded, and worked on clients including Nationwide, Virgin Media and Akzo Nobel. Before then he had been creative group head at JWT Sydney and Saatchi & Saatchi New Zealand.
Joakim Borgström, worldwide chief creative officer of BBH, commented, “Stephen is a talent of the highest calibre and I’ve been jealously following his ideas for years. If I could, I would love to dive into his brain to see what he is cooking, and how he is cooking it. I can’t wait to see what he brings to BBH London. It’s going to be amazing.”
Stephen de Wolf added, “BBH London is a beacon of creativity. I’m excited to be joining the brilliantly inspiring Jab and the most creatively charged and passionate leadership team. I know we have what we need to make some of the best work of our lives.”
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