After two years Joy, Sydney creative partner Steve Back set to depart for new adventure

CB Exclusive – Two years after joining Joy, Sydney as creative partner in February 2015 Campaign Brief can reveal that Steve Back is set to depart for a new, yet to be revealed, adventure.

Before Joy Back had stints at Ogilvy Australia, where he was chief creative officer. He joined Ogilvy Australia in the newly-created national role in February 2013 from Ogilvy & Mather Singapore where he also held the position of chief creative officer.

Back is one of Australia’s most respected and awarded ECDs and was appointed as executive creative director of Saatchi & Saatchi Sydney in November 2007, replacing David Nobay when he departed to start up Droga5.

Originally a star at Marketforce in Perth, Back first worked at George Patterson Sydney followed by a highly awarded stint at Leo Burnett Sydney. Back played a major role in Leo’s winning Campaign Brief’s Australian Agency of the Year in 2000. Back then spent several years in London before being enticed to New Zealand to join Colenso BBDO. Mike O’Sullivan then hired Back as Head of Art when he was appointed ECD of Saatchi & Saatchi NZ. The agency went on the win CB New Zealand Agency of the year in 2006 and 2007.

He then joined DDB Sydney as creative director where he dramatically re energized the agency, moving them to equal number one Australian agency in The Work 07 with Saatchi & Saatchi Australia. Under Back, DDB Sydney was the only Australian agency to get gongs at all four of the top international award shows (D&AD, The One Show, Clio and Cannes) in 2007.

In 2010, while under his creative stewardship, Saatchi & Saatchi Australia was named Campaign Brief’s Agency of the Decade, AWARD’s Agency of the Year with Lion Nathan Breweries being named AWARD’s Client of the Year off the back of the agency’s work. 2010 was the year in which the agency received the most awards in its 25 year history.

As well as being awarded at Cannes Lions, D&AD, The One Show, The Webby Awards and the other usual suspects, Back is also credited with creating the most-awarded Toyota campaign of all time. The Toyota “Nothing Soft Gets In” campaign was awarded 2 of the 8 Gold Lions awarded in the Promo & Activation category at the 2010 Cannes Lions, and also scooped 3 Gold Lions in the Direct category.