Kiwi expat Tom Markham departs Lowe global digital CD role for plum gig at CP+B Boulder

CP+B announced today that kwi expat Tom Markham has joined the agency as digital creative director. Markham will be based in CP+B’s Boulder office serving as the most senior ‘hands-on’ interactive creative, working across a variety of the agency’s clients.

Markham comes to CP+B from Lowe Worldwide where he was global digital creative director managing digital work from 75 agencies around the world and focusing on Unilever. He began at Lowe’s Auckland in 2004 as an Interactive Creative Director, working on Vodafone and Genesis Energy, and later moving up to run digital in Lowe’s Sydney office where he helped the agency win large digital-only clients like Foxtel. He moved to the worldwide gig in September 2009.

In New York he worked closely with Lowe’s South African born chief creative officer, Matthew Bull, and the latter’s departure in September to form his own start-up was believed to be the reason for Markham to move elsewhere.

Markham has won gold at AIMIA and AWARD two years running, helped Lowe Sydney win AWARD Agency of the Year in 2008, and assisted Foxtel in winning a Gold Effie in 2009.

“The global job was fun, but I missed making stuff,” says Markham. “I was turning into one of those digital guys who talks a lot and then shows CP+B’s work, as if by knowing about it I’m doing my job. Now I will help CP+B make the work I would have otherwise just been talking about.”

“We’re the luckiest ad agency in the world,” said Jeff Benjamin, chief creative officer, CP+B. “Everyone in the industry is looking for senior creative talent and getting someone as great in the digital space as Tom is a huge win for our clients and our team.”