Jennifer Black will lead Special, a New Zealand-born independent creative group, as it expands into Europe with a London office.
Black, who was the managing director of Havas London and with the company for four years, will step into the role of partner and CEO of Special London, alongside the group’s five other international offices in Auckland, Wellington, Sydney, Melbourne and Los Angeles
Special London’s creative and strategic partners will be announced soon.
Black has also had stints working at Mother London, Fallon, and was previously the founder and managing director of Fabula.
While at Havas, she led the agency’s extraordinary growth and capped off 2021 by the Asda pitch.
Jennifer Black said of her new role: “Special has shown that its unique blend of creativity and strategy, generously imbued with positive antipodean energy, works across borders.
“I am genuinely thrilled to be joining the Special family and I’m looking forward to bringing that energy into Europe through the new London office.
“I helped grow Havas into the creative agency that it is today and am excited to leave at this juncture and bring all that energy and thinking to launch Special,” she added.
Tony Bradbourne, founder of Special and CEO/CCO in New Zealand, said: “We are extremely excited to start our journey in London with such an incredible, kind and driven leader as Jen.
“We have a huge amount of respect and love for the strategic and creative thinking that London consistently produces. We hope to add to that in some small way, by bringing a fresh and ambitious model to clients in London.”
Lindsey Evans, partner and co-CEO at Special in Australia, added: “This is such an exciting moment for everyone Special. London gives us the opportunity to be able to work with brand owners in a truly global and modern way.
“Jen is a weapon and a properly ‘special’ human. And the talent she is attracting alongside her is truly world-class. Can’t wait to see what’s possible.”
Special was launched in Auckland in 2008 and designed to break down the silos between advertising agencies and design studios, with a mission to create truly integrated and innovative business thinking
The Sydney office opened in 2014, followed by Melbourne and Los Angeles in 2020 – where the agency was named ‘Newcomer of the Year’ by AdAge just six months after opening – and then Wellington in 2022.
Special works with blue-chip brands including Uber Eats, Virgin, Tourism New Zealand, Smirnoff, and Red Bull across New Zealand, Australia and the United States. The group won a Cannes Grand Prix with its first major campaign for internet service provider Orcon, which starred Iggy Pop.
