MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA — DDB Group Melbourne CEO Mike Napolitano announced that its Group Executive Creative Director, Psembi Kinstan, has been promoted to Chief Creative Officer across the group’s brands in Melbourne.
Psembi joined DDB Melbourne in 2021, heading the DDB, Mango and Tribal teams. Working with the leadership team, he instilled a culture of creativity at the agency, setting the agency’s vision “To do the best work of our careers and have the best time doing so.” His efforts have helped grow the agency’s headcount to over 100, following major client wins including Coles, Asahi CUB, Acciona, Movember, Mr Chen’s, Dabble, Funlabs, Agrifutures, Made by Dyslexia and Our Watch.
Psembi Kinstan was also integral in the creation of Smith Street – DDB & OMD’s best-of-Omnicom, bespoke Coles agency – while also building the agency’s social and innovation-led teams.
Creatively, his work has helped put DDB Melbourne back on the map, with campaigns such as “The Creative Index” for Jarden and the NGV, Coles “Great Lengths for Quality,” Movember “Mancestry” and “The Mo is Calling,” Stay Kind’s “Kind Royale,” Porsche “Taycan Arcade,” Vodka Cruiser’s “Cannoisseurs” and “Hex your ex.” Most recently, Psembi was the mastermind behind the launch of the global University of Dyslexic Thinking, partnering with Richard Branson, Virgin, TikTok and Open University, to recognize and champion dyslexic thinking.
His creative efforts and contribution to DDB Melbourne’s broader workplace culture have helped the agency gain Campaign Brief The Work’s #2 Agency of the Year for the second consecutive year and be recognized in this year’s top 20 APAC agencies at Cannes.
Mike Napolitano, DDB Melbourne Group CEO, said: “Psembi is a world class leader who has helped reaffirm DDB Group Melbourne on the global stage. He and I share a common view of what a modern creative business should have – an unfair share of the best talent in market, world class thinking that is commercially powerful, and a way of working that generates fun.
“For the last three years he has gone to work helping to make DDB exactly that. He is universally loved and respected by our team, clients and the broader industry and I couldn’t be prouder to call him a mate and my creative partner. This is a very exciting announcement for Psembi and DDB and I can’t wait to see him take it to the next level.”
Matt Pearce, DDB Melbourne Head of Strategy, said: “Psembi’s focus on delivering the best creative work and best agency experience is unquestionable, and effective. The team admires him, our partners trust him, and every brief, campaign or working week is made better thanks to his leadership. He’s been an incredible partner in shaping the DDB Melbourne proposition for the past three years, and I’m thrilled for him. ‘Bout time.”
Commenting on his new role, Psembi Kinstan said: “I’m incredibly proud of what we’re building at DDB Melbourne. We are producing work on a global scale that still feels uniquely boutique, and that values craft and building distinctive brand worlds – and we’re just getting started. This is really just the beginning of the DDB Melbourne agency journey – we have a huge appetite and ambition, and I can’t wait to see where it goes.”
During his career, Kinstan has garnered hundreds of international accolades for his work, including Cannes Gold Lions, D&AD Pencils and a BAFTA, and whilst at DDB he has been individually named in Campaign Asia’s 40 Under 40, a B&T Emerging Leader, an AdNews Emerging Leader, Mediaweek’s 40 Under 40, and CreativePool’s Top 100 Global Creative Leaders.
His promotion is effective immediately.
