Independent agency Thrive PR + Communications (Thrive PR) has appointed Tom Selby to the newly created role of creative director. Selby joins Thrive PR from Archibald Williams, where he had been senior copywriter since January 2015.
A multi-award-winning creative with more than 15 years’ international and local advertising agency experience, Tom has worked at creative agencies across Hong Kong and Sydney including DDB, Tribal DDB, 303Lowe, and, most recently, Archibald Williams.
On his appointment, Selby said: “I’m pinching myself to be here, to be honest, given Thrive’s portfolio and the global brands that I’ve seen come through the door since I arrived. ”
“I’m looking forward to working alongside [Thrive founder and Managing Director] Leilani Abels to strengthen the creative offering at Thrive and build an end-to-end creative offering that’s a bit different from what we are seeing from PR agencies. I’ve been in adland for a while, so to take everything I’ve learned and apply it to storytelling in a new way, is an exciting challenge,” he said.
Leilani Abels said, “Tom is a key hire for us as we continue our ambitious growth and diversification plans in the region. His experience and impressive body of creative work was the initial hook, and then as conversations continued, it was clear that his creative smarts, collaborative nature, strategic nous, and ambition to build and grow a unique creative offering were the combination we were looking for. His appointment only strengthens what we do for our current clients in Australia and New Zealand.”
Selby’s role is in the in-house content, digital and social team, led by integration director Georgia Bainbridge.
The announcement comes three months after Clare Basire became general manager, Sydney.
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