Edge has appointed the award-winning and highly respected creative leader Stu Turner as its new executive creative director and partner.
Turner joins the independent agency after his time at the Royals, where he was ECD across its Melbourne and Sydney offices. Previous ECD roles included time with DDB and Havas.
Turner’s work has received international recognition, picking up more than 100 local and international awards including multiple Grand Prix at Cannes and Spikes, as well as top honours at D&AD. He has won a number of Effies – including the Grand Effie for his work for the Australian Defence Force – while his Palau Pledge work at Havas has received international recognition at multiple award shows.
David Stretch, Edge’s managing director, said: “We’ve known Stu for a while and always admired what he does. His work is highly awarded for good reason, and he is the perfectly credentialled creative person to lead our integrated capabilities.
“We were looking for a person who recognises the unique creative opportunity offered by the breadth and depth of our creative, content, data and media capabilities. He’s the perfect complement to our structure and skill set. We’re so chuffed that he’s joining the business,” he added.
Turner said of his new role: “From the moment I first met the team at Edge, I was excited about not only their vision, but stack of in-house capabilities they have in place to achieve it.
“With all the much-needed integrated skills sitting under one roof, as well as real world examples of that model in action, it really is the type of agency set up I believe you need to create work and brands that are relentlessly relevant in culture.
“It’s going to be a wild and fun ride, and I’m looking forward to all of us at Edge making the best work of our careers. Let’s go!” he added.
Stretch said: “Stu’s a natural leader and an all-round good person, with a knack for nurturing creative talent and collaborating with clients to produce great work that delivers results.”
Edge has offices in Sydney & Melbourne and its clients include Bupa, Allianz, Moccona, Charles Darwin University, Costco, Steadfast, Hearing Australia, Taylors Wines, Wattyl, Starlight Children’s Foundation and NSW Government departments.