R/GA has promoted its VP, executive creative director of brand design for APAC, Ben Miles, to the newly-created role of chief design officer APAC.
Miles first joined the creative innovation studio as executive creative director, business transformation in 2020, before his appointment to the VP position in 2022.
“I joined R/GA because they intersect design and technology, and through our creative innovation model, design isn’t just visual — it’s a mindset,” Miles commented.
“Design elevates businesses, equipping them with the tools to solve today’s most pressing issues and anticipate tomorrow’s challenges. It navigates complexity, strengthening connections across sectors and empowering organisations to reimagine brands in innovative ways. I’m honoured by the trust R/GA has put in me to elevate our capabilities across the region.”
During his tenure, Miles has worked for brands across Australia, New Zealand, and Asia, including Telstra, Westpac, Powerhouse Museum and City of Sydney, Google, Nike, UOB, SingLife, IGA, Toll, SKY NZ, Foxtel, Cotton On Group, Huffer, Fed Square, Bailey Nelson, ZIG (part of CDG), Timberland and The Prince Akatoki, as well as startups.
In the new role, Miles’ remit will involve overseeing R/GA’s craft, thinking, and output across APAC, collaborating with multidisciplinary leaders in the market.
R/GA global chair and global chief creative officer, Tiffany Rolfe, said the role was especially significant as “R/GA was founded on the principles of design and technology.”
“Ben has proven to be a skilled practitioner and inspiring leader, always designing to create impact for our clients and the world. I look forward to having his infectious passion across even more of our work and teams in APAC,” she said.
“Ben makes the industry, R/GA and all of us better with his passion, creativity and innovation,” added R/GA’s APAC CEO, Michael Titshall.
“In this unique role, he’ll inject his brand and design expertise giving R/GA’s clients across the region access to unique creative solutions.”
Miles’ leadership has been recognised with awards including Fast Company’s ‘World Changing Ideas’ accolade for the G’ AY MATE project supporting Marriage Equality, and two D&AD Yellow Pencils and a Cannes Lions for the social Indigenous enterprise ‘We Are Warriors.’
His promotion follows the May appointment of Marie Conley to the role of executive strategy director, who moved from her post as strategy partner at The Pharm/VML, based in London.
In March, R/GA Public Practice division expanded its team with four senior hires in Canberra: senior product strategist Skye Kibbey from Deloitte Digital, technology director Sam Brunno from Dentsu’s Merkle, design ops director Joe McKinley from Deloitte Digital, and group account director Nick Trembath from Liquid Interactive.
See also:
R/GA appoints Marie Conley as executive strategy director
R/GA Australia announces four new senior appointments to public practice division
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Top image: Ben Miles