Host has changed its structural tack and appointed two executive creative directors. Bob Mackintosh steps up internally to become Sydney ECD and former Monkeys creative director Noah Regan will head up the new Singapore unit. Regan left The Monkeys in September to scope out Singapore.
The move marks the end of Host's proposition as 'an agency without a creative department'. The firm said its collaborative values remain the same but that growth dictated structural change.
"We felt it was time to evolve our model," said founder and group CEO, Anthony Freedman. "With Bob and Noah we now have the best of both worlds. Smart creative people at the heart of our business whilst still retaining a modern department that extends outside our building, with a long list of great creative collaborators".
Sydney ECD, Bob Mackintosh said, “Noah and I along with our teams will develop work internally, but as has always been the case, our 'department' will include independent creative groups, teams and individuals, within Australia and around the world.”
Mackintosh recently steered campaigns including ‘Festival of Play’ for Lego, ‘Share a Coke and a Song’ for Coca-Cola and ‘Kiwi Sceptics’ for Air New Zealand, which was awarded the Grand Prix for Branded Content and Entertainment at Spikes Asia.
“The original Host model was ahead of its time - an agency with no creative department that actually championed creativity," said Singapore ECD, Noah Regan. "It encouraged collaboration; it promoted diverse thinking from outside the one department or agency. I'm excited to be part of the next exciting installment: a global micro network sharing ideas and talent across three continents.”
Regan has created many highly awarded campaigns as creative director and partner at The Monkeys, the AdNews 2012 Agency of the Year. Prior to that he created several high profile campaigns at DDB London for Volkswagen, Harvey Nichols and Marmite.
Next up, Host is looking to open offices both in Shanghai and San Francisco. Freedman told AdNews that there was "no firm timeframe for the opening of the new offices but Host is in active discussions with potential clients and potential founding team members".
Freedman added that there would be "local talent involved in any new international office" but that the firm did not yet have people on the ground in those locations.
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