BMF Australia appoints The Monkeys co-founder Scott Nowell to Creative Chair role – Campaign Brief Asia

BMF Australia has appointed globally recognised creative leader Scott Nowell as its Creative Chair. The newly created Creative Chair role means Nowell will lead the agency’s creative output across a client portfolio that includes some of Australia’s most iconic brands.

Working alongside Executive Creative Directors David Fraser and Tom Hoskins, Nowell (above left) will build on the agency’s strong creative momentum, shaping work that delivers world-class creativity, effectiveness and long-term impact for clients.

Prior to joining BMF, Nowell co-founded The Monkeys (now Droga5) in 2004. As Chief Creative Officer, Nowell led the agency’s creative output across major brands including Telstra, Qantas, NRMA and MLA. As creative founder, he oversaw globally recognised work such as the Cannes Lions Grand Prix-winning ‘Play It Safe’ for the Sydney Opera House and The Government of Tuvalu’s ‘First Digital Nation’.

The Monkeys were named Campaign Brief Agency of the Year four times: in 2015, 2017, 2021 and 2023. In 2024, Nowell was inducted into the AWARD Hall of Fame, which celebrates the trailblazers who have defined a generation of advertising and left an indelible mark on the world of creativity.

Alongside his agency work, Nowell has spent the past decade leading the AWARD Creative Leadership course with BMF’s creative-founder Warren Brown, playing an active role in mentoring and developing the next generation of creative leaders.

Says BMF CEO Stephen McArdle (above right, with Nowell and chief strategy officer Christina Aventi): “Scotty’s work and creative leadership has been industry defining over the last two decades. This has made him as respected and revered as anyone in the world at what we do. To be able to bring him into BMF to supercharge an already super-strong creative team and portfolio of work is as exciting as it gets.

“He might have ‘done it all’, but it’s clear from his creative ambition that he’s got plenty more he wants to do – and BMF is all set to be the place he does it.”

Says Scott Nowell, Creative Chair, BMF: “BMF is a rare place where strong culture meets high performance, full of excellent people totally committed to the idea of creativity as a powerful business lever. I’m looking forward to helping raise an already high bar to a new level for ourselves and our clients, old and new.”