Norwegian expatriates Lars Killi and Jo Johansen join the local office as executive creative directors, taking over from Paul Grezouk who had been executive creative director for nine years. Grezouk quit in order to devote more time to music company Schtung, in which he is an equity partner. The newcomers have a reputation for being creative trouble-shooters having instigated a creative renaissance at McCanns' offices in Prague and Moscow.
For the past two years, they worked as creative directors in Prague and are credited with helping that office win the local Coca-Cola business from Leo Burnett and Publicis. Before that, they ran the creative department in Moscow for a year and are credited with making it the most creatively-awarded agency in the Russian federation, according to McCanns.
"Peter Hamilton, (McCanns Asia-Pacific regional director) and Ray Dempsey (the agency's area manager for Southeast Asia) knew about us through the network and how we were ready to leave Prague, said Killi. "This was a good opportunity and it is the same task as in Prague and Moscow so it fits well with our profile of what we can do. (But) we're not going to change the creatives. We're here to improve the product.
"Obviously, it needs the talent that is already here. We can't do anything alone. We act more as a support function for the other creatives."
The two are now conducting workshops where creatives and account executives are taught about what makes a good brief.
"We are focusing on the starting point, which is getting the correct brief into the creative department, said Killi. "The account service person also needs to be creative."
