R/GA Appoints Seamus Higgins as Chief Creative Officer for Australia

In the role, Seamus will partner closely with Ben Miles who will continue to lead R/GA’s Brand Design and Consulting practice across Australia and Asia.

Seamus was previously chief creative officer for APAC at R/GA, before returning to London in 2022 to spend time with his family. With over 20 years’ of experience across three continents, Seamus has built his career, across multiple disciplines, on a love of creative solutions that don’t feel like advertising, and the uncompromising craft of their delivery.

Recognised on AdAge’s Creative All-stars list, Seamus is a highly-accomplished creative leader, having led The Palau Pledge, which in addition to being awarded D&AD’s Design Black Pencil of the Decade, picked up two D&AD Black Pencils and three Cannes Lions Grand Prix, including Australia’s first ever Titanium Grand Prix. He also helped Australian Defence Force Recruiting achieve the most successful two years in their history, picking up a Grand Effie.

More recently, Seamus partnered with Ben Miles on R/GA Australia’s most impactful work, including A-Leagues, Timberland, Google Huey and We Are Warriors, which picked up awards at Cannes Lions, Spikes, One Show, Yellow Pencils at D&AD and won Best in Show at AGDA.

Michael Titshall CEO of R/GA said, “Seamus has continually pushed the boundaries of creativity throughout his career. He is a rare creative leader who embraces diverse perspectives and capabilities, which results in consistently innovative work. He’s also a great human who lives R/GA’s values day in, day out. This makes him the perfect chief creative officer for us as we look to further intersect our practices across brand, comms and experience.”

Seamus said: “Coming back to Australia was always a part of the plan for my family and I, but the opportunity to rejoin the brilliant team at R/GA now, and help supercharge the momentum we kicked off together, is an opportunity I couldn’t miss. Brilliant, impactful work is all about collaboration. I’m excited to focus on the next era of growth opportunities that lie ahead and I especially can’t wait to partner creatively with Ben again. He’s an incredibly talented leader and inspirational human.”

R/GA’s executive creative director for Australia, Claire Waring is leaving to pursue an opportunity at tech startup Mental Load, an initiative co-founded with her sister Elly Bartens to help ease the mental load for parents everywhere.

Michael added: “We’ve been talking to Claire for some time about her desire to focus on her start-up initiative that’s close to her heart both professionally and personally. She has made an indelible mark on R/GA and we thank her for her creative leadership.”