Colenso BBDO Group Creative Head Beth O'Brien Listed on Campaign Asia's 40 Under 40

31/10/2018

Colenso BBDO

Advertising Agency

Auckland, New Zealand

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31/10/2018

The factor that unites all 40 is that they are regularly going beyond their job descriptions, treating these as a starting point from which they can make broader change happen

Beth O'Brien, creative group head at Colenso BBDO, is one of two Kiwis to make the cut for Campaign Asia-Pacific's 40 Under 40 ranking for 2018.

O'Brien, who returned to 100 College Hill last year after a spell at Droga5 and R/GA New York, is chuffed with the news.

Says Dan Wright, executive creative director, Colenso BBDO: "Beth is an extraordinary creative. She's got that magic combination of naïve optimism and dogged determination. The thing you need to have is impossible ideas and make them survive the crushing ordeal of getting made. She's an endlessly generous and energetic creative leader. Plus, she's the only person that laughs at all my jokes."

Beth has a Masters in Fine Arts and was a practicing artist before she was drawn to creative advertising. She began her career as an art director at Colenso BBDO, New Zealand, where she won the country's first D&AD Black Pencil by launching Pedigree K9FM - a radio station just for dogs.

In 2015 she headed to New York to take up associate creative roles at RGA and Droga5, where she created the Role Models spot for Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign, described by The New York Times and Forbes Magazine as "a masterpiece of political advertising" and a "Hall of Fame-level" ad.

O'Brien was welcomed back to New Zealand in 2017 to take up a group creative head position back at Colenso BBDO - an agency that remains dear to her heart and sparks her creative soul. In her spare time, O'Brien co-hosts the Love This podcast with colleague Joe Carter, and regularly speaks on the benefits of creative diversity at festivals like Semi Permanent.

Her work has been recognized at all major award shows including Cannes, D&AD, The One Show, Clio, Spikes and numerous local shows.

As always, Campaign Asia received a strong number of entries from all different corners of the continent and from people performing a huge variety of roles within advertising and marketing.

Campaign Asia's in- house judging team, which consists of members of its senior editorial staff, collectively agreed that these 40 candidates stand out as people championing change and progress in the region.

Reading their profiles, it's often hard to believe how much they have achieved by this stage in their careers, whether that amounts to winning business, transforming companies or changing working culture in their workplace. The factor that unites all 40 is that they are regularly going beyond their job descriptions, treating these as a starting point from which they can make broader change happen.

Here is a complete list of the 40 Under 40 2018: