Innocean Australia hires ex-cummins&partners national ECD for creative leader role

BY Matthew Leong

December 4, 2024 8:12

Innocean Australia hires ex-cummins&partners national ECD for creative leader role

(L-R): Jasmin Bedir, Giorgia Butler, Brendan Willenberg

Innocean Australia has announced that it has hired Brendan Willenberg to serve as its executive creative director (ECD).

An award-winning creative with a career spanning more than 20 years, Willenberg’s career began as a copywriter at creative solutions organisation, McCann, in late 2006. In 2012, the EXPANSIONS East FM radio show host moved to Clemenger BBDO where he worked for over a decade before leaving the creative agency in July 2022 as its ECD.

After Clemenger BBDO, Willenberg spent time at creative agency AW – which, at the time, was known as Archibald Williams – as its creative partner and ECD. Prior to his new Innocean gig, Willienberg filled the ECD position at full-service agency cummins&partners for approximately 10 months.

Innocean’s chief executive officer, Jasmin Bedir, spoke on Willenberg’s hiring, praising the experienced creative on his expertise and what it can provide the agency with.

“I’m so excited to welcome Brendan to Innocean and our team. Brendan is just as excited about building an end-to-end creative company and growing our agency as we are, but also brings the maturity and tenacity to put this into action – we feel like we have found our perfect match,” Bedir said.

“He brings incredible agency and brand experience to Innocean – but what we like the most is that he is a self-described ‘slight unicorn’ – a big brand/platform creative leader with brilliant digital and CX skills, which is exactly what we have been building. Growth and making our best work yet are Innocean’s focus for 2025.”

(L-R): Jasmin Bedir, Giorgia Butler, Brendan Willenberg

With the role commenting effective immediately, Willenberg succeeds Wesley Hawes – Innocean’s former ECD who departed the company for 72andSunny in late October 2024 – to serve as its chief creative officer.

Commenting on Willenberg, Bedir thanked Hawes for his contribution to Innocean.

“We had a great four years together, and we wish him nothing but the best,” Bedir said.

Giorgia Butler, Innocean’s chief strategy officer, added: “We’re thrilled to have Brendan bring his considerable firepower to the slate of impactful, cohesive, end-to-end media and creative solutions we have planned for 2025.

“Our clients will continue to benefit from the advantages that come when we connect the whole picture together and it doesn’t hurt that he’s also just a very good egg.

“Jasmin and I couldn’t be happier to welcome Brendan on board.”

Willenberg praised Bedir’s work with Innocean while sharing his excitement at this new stage of his career.

“Jas has transformed Innocean into an offering with a formidable set of disciplines at the same time that I’ve undertaken a similar creative odyssey,” he expressed.

“Our paths have collided at the perfect time. Between Jas, Giorgia, and myself, I’m excited to bring our creativity and chemistry to the phenomenal client roster and the broader Australian market.”

Willenberg enters Innocean over one month after it was revealed that it would be launching a media planning and buying division within its agency.