Clemenger BBDO has significantly expanded its creative team with six new appointments, all set to join the creative agency at its temporary Melbourne office space in the Docklands as their previous St Kilda Road location undergoes demolition.

The new hires include creative directors Heidi Kasselman and Anthony Cassidy, creative resource director Lizzie Slattery, senior creative Jake Blood, copywriter Talia Stone, and art director Zaneta Vincent.

Kasselman is relocating from Singapore, where she has been working as a freelance creative director for Omnicom sister agencies BBH and TBWA. She has spent 15 years leading creative teams in South Africa, Europe and Asia, including more than three years as global creative director for Porsche with BBDO Germany, and for Mercedes-Benz, PepsiCo and MARS during her five-year stint with Network BBDO in Johannesburg, South Africa.

"I’ve always considered Clems to be a bastion of unbridled creativity, and the shop that put Australia on the creative map globally. Moving over from the densely populated island of Singapore, I was initially concerned about the wide open spaces and fresh air Australia would have to offer. Luckily Adrián has reassured me that the middle of the Docklands is very much a refuge from any such luxury," said Kasselman.

Cassidy is making the move from the UK, where he held roles on the client side including brand creative director for Marks and Spencer and creative director with Arcadia Group and Portas.

Slattery makes her return to Melbourne after a seven year stint working in London, most recently at We Are Social, where she managed resources for up to 200 people a day across five departments.

"I love being surrounded by such dynamic thinkers. I’m not such a big fan of constantly having to corral them. The building was a big draw card in me coming to work here - it’s a resourcing dream. The grey surrounds and constant traffic noise acts as a natural fence, barricading in the creatives and making it easier for me to keep them focused on our clients’ needs," said Slattery.

Blood joins from Saatchi & Saatchi Melbourne and has also held creative roles with M&C Saatchi, DDB Aotearoa NZ, and Saatchi & Saatchi NZ. He began his career with CHEP Melbourne, and now helps shape next generation creatives in Victoria as AWARD School’s Top Tutor of 2024, mentoring three of this year’s Top 10 graduates, including the first-place getter.

Vincent brings VM and retail branding experience from her previous role at T2 Tea, while Stone is a former AWARD School’s Top 10 graduate, and joins after three years at Deloitte.

The new hires follow a busy new business period for Clemenger BBDO, which also recently promoted four existing creative team members and made four senior strategy appointments. The agency will be moving into the Pink House on Little Collins early in the new year.

Chief Creative Officer at Clemenger BBDO, Adrián Flores, said: "A problem shared is a problem halved. So when I landed a few months back to discover that our iconic St Kilda Road digs were now a pile of rubble and I would be spending my lunchtimes surrounded by Patagucci amongst the Docklands most middling food courts, I realized the only recourse left was to make others feel my pain. I look forward to spending six more performance reviews discussing the new office’s early new year opening dates with this delightfully talented group."