Darren Spiller exits Host/Havas as chief creative officer
The chief creative officer of creative agency Host/Havas, Darren Spiller, is exiting the agency after less than two years in the role.
Spiller joined the agency in January last year from DDB, where he was its chief creative officer for five years.
Spiller is exiting the agency after 18 months
The chief creative officer, who also had a three year stint at Fallon US, said he was leaving the agency to spend more time with his family and would announce his next move in “due course”.
Host/Havas will not be replacing Spiller, instead the agency will split the role between ECD’s Seamus Higgins, Ant Melder and Jon Austin.
“We are approaching the first birthday for Host/Havas and by any measure, it’s been an excellent 12 months. It was always my intention to help deliver the successful integration of Host and Havas Sydney before stepping aside to allow others to take it forward. The agency is in the shape of its life, so now feels like the right time for that to happen.
“The ECDs are incredibly talented and more than capable of taking the reins, and I wish them all the very best,” Spiller said in a statement.
Spiller joined the agency as its first ever chief creative officer when Host and Havas were merged to for Host/Havas in October.
Host/Havas CEO, Laura Aldington, added: “I have been lucky enough to call Daz both a great friend and a great colleague over the years. It has been a genuine pleasure to partner with him again in the creation of Host/Havas and I am grateful for everything he has done to set us up for success. He leaves us in very safe hands with a formidably talented line up of creative leaders, and I’m excited about where they’ll take us next.”
Anthony Freedman, Havas Group Chairman, thank Spiller for his passion, time and commitment to the agency.
The agency’s biggest client, Defence Force Recruting, is currently in the process of reviewing its creative account with Host/Havas’ contract ending at the beginning of next year.
Meanwhile, in June Host/Havas lost Red Rooster and Oporto accounts to Leo Burnett.
Host/Havas’ clients include Air New Zealand, Cha Time, Defence Force Recruiting and Ebay.
Spiller was behind Devondale’s ‘Cyclops’ ad starring a little girl with a one-eyed doll and its ‘Soy Aftertaste Face’ campaigns.
Abigail Dawson was Mumbrella's senior content journalist covering event content. She left Mumbrella to move into an agency role in 2020.
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