Executive creative director Vince Lagana has decided to depart The Monkeys to explore new interests and opportunities after three years with the agency.
“I’ve really enjoyed these three years as ECD at The Monkeys but now feels like the right time in my career to pursue other new and exciting opportunities," Lagana says.
"I’m proud to have worked on some of Australia’s biggest campaigns and most iconic brands. I’m thankful to all of the client partners.
"It was also an honour to build and lead a creative department which is hands down one of the most diverse and talented group of people in the country. It was a privilege to work with them, and the rest of The Monkeys’ crew.
“My time at The Monkeys was intense, but also exceptionally rewarding. I’ve known Scotty (CCO and co-founder Scott Nowell) and Greeny (CEO and co-founder Mark Green) for over 20 years, and I wish them and The Monkeys family much continued success in the future.”
During his time as ECD at The Monkeys, Lagana oversaw campaigns including; Every Home Is Worth Protecting for NRMA Insurance, Still Simply the Best for the NRL, Over Beer? for Canadian Club, ABN Rescue for CGU, When Will She Be Right? for United Nations Women and most recently, Australia is Why for Telstra.
He is also credited with the recent and widely popular Meat & Livestock Australia (MLA) Lamb campaigns - New Australia-Land and Make Lamb, Not Walls.
"Vinnie has done so much in the three years he’s been with us, the quality of his work is only matched by the quality of the human behind it," The Monkeys co-founder and group chief creative officer Scott Nowell says.
"He’s been wonderful to work with, he will always be a big part of The Monkeys story and we wish him the very best with the opportunities in front of him."
Prior to joining The Monkeys, Lagana was the ECD at Leo Burnett Sydney, where he helped create the highly awarded Coke Small World Machines, Bundaberg Rum’s Road to Recovery, and Samsung’s S-Drive, LifeLIVE, brainBAND and Pocket Patrol initiatives, all of which have been recognised across the globe.
His work for Coca-Cola has been accepted into both the MOMA in New York, as well as the Clio Hall of Fame.
During his time at Leo Burnett, the agency was ranked in the top 10 creative companies in the world, twice by the Gunn Report, and in 2017, was named AFR’s 4th Most Innovative Company in Australia.
Previous to that, Lagana spent two years as associate creative director at Goodby, Silverstein & Partners in San Francisco where he led the Nintendo account as well as co-writing “I Want to Say”, an awarded HP documentary on the profound effects touch screen technology has on autistic children’s development and communication skills.
He started his career at Saatchi & Saatchi Sydney. His work there for Toyota’s “Border Security” still remains Asia-Pacific’s most awarded automotive campaign.
During his career to date, Lagana and his teams have won hundreds of awards at all local and international awards shows, including over 40 Cannes Lions and multiple D&AD Pencils.
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