Wesley Hawes is the Chief Creative Officer of 72andSunny Australia, leading the studio and working with a variety of modern brands, including Google, Stake, REA, MLC, and the AFL.
Prior to this Wez was the ECD at Innocean Australia, where he led the full-service agency, creating culture defining work for its main clients, Hyundai, Kia, No Ugly, White Ribbon and AMCS (Australian Marine Conservation Society). The agency was reinvigorated under Wez’s leadership, winning more clients, awards and cultural recognition than any other time in the agency’s history. In 2023 Innocean won the industry’s first ever Aria award, following on from being crowned Shots APAC Agency of the Year in 2022.
Wez is also co-creator of Fck The Cupcakes - a gender equality organisation started within the Innocean offices that seeks to bring men into the equality conversation. Around the same time he co-founded loveour.work, an initiative designed to raise editorial standards and create positive change in the creative industry.
As ECD of CHEP Sydney, Wez led a creative department of over 50 people, plus high-profile accounts, such as NRMA Insurance, Samsung, eBay and IKEA, all under the full-service agency’s ethos of Connected Creativity.
During Wez’s tenure the agency almost doubled in size (revenue and people), while making some of the most creatively awarded work in the world. ‘CHEP’ was Spikes Asia’s APAC Agency of the Year 2021, AWARD Australia’s Agency of the Year 2021, ranked the 3rd most effective agency in the world (WARC), the 9th most creative (The Drum), Mumbrella’s Creative Agency of the Year 2019, and was awarded ‘The Best and Bravest Agency on the Planet’ four years in a row (Contagious Pioneers 2018-2021).
Prior to this, Wez was ECD at Marcel Sydney, a boutique creative agency founded when Droga 5 Sydney merged with Publicis Mojo. The agency created the Cannes Gold Lion winning Tiger Beer ‘Air-Ink’ project that turned pollution into ink, and the global 'Represent Love’ campaign for Tinder that turned the couple emojis on your mobile into more racially inclusive colours.
The majority of Wez’s career was spent at BBH London, under the tutelage of the likes of Sir John Hegarty. During his eight years at Kingly Street he rose to become Partner and Creative Director on the global Axe/Lynx and Mentos/Vigorsol, the most creatively awarded accounts in the agency at the time.
Wesley’s work has always been highly awarded, it’s effective and somewhat eclectic due to his diverse agency experience. Ideas range from creating a global space academy with Buzz Aldrin to help the sexual prowess of teenage boys, to creating a capsule collection with Kenzo to help save the wild tigers. In fact, Wez’s experience is so diverse he’s won Cannes Lions across every main category. Yes, even Health.
For more info get in touch at wezhawes@gmail.com