Global branding agency DesignStudio has promoted former APAC partner Mark Liney to the group CEO role, responsible for managing its Sydney, London and New York offices.
Liney joined DesignStudio Sydney in May 2019 where he successfully built the business across the region, working with clients including Grab, ExpressVPN, Ant Group, owners of China’s largest digital payment platform Alipay and Go1. In March he returned to the UK and was replaced by former Interbrand managing director David Storey.
Liney said, “there’s such an incredible opportunity ahead for DesignStudio. We’re very fortunate to continue to attract ambitious clients who want to do incredible work. And they’re increasingly asking us to develop the tools and systems that will only further its impact, whether that’s embedding it within their organisation or activating across the breadth of the customer experience.”
As part of the new leadership team DesignStudio’s CFO James Corney has become group chief operating officer. DesignStudio’s founders, Ben Wright and Paul Stafford, will continue to focus on their vision to build a unique brand experience agency that creates a meaningful difference for clients and their team.
Wright added, “we have a vision for DS and we’re going to be looking at how the business evolves and emerges into a post lockdown world. We’ll be looking at how our teams work together in the short and long term in hybrid models of studio and remote working, but there’s an exciting opportunity to reimagine how a studio works and co-exists.”
Stafford said, “establishing the new leadership team has given Ben and I the space to focus on what has always been most important to us, to deliver on our original promise, to make a meaningful difference for our people, our clients, our industry and the world around us.”
DesignStudio, which developed the Airbnb, Deliveroo and Premier League brands, amongst many other high profile businesses, opened its APAC office in Sydney three years ago.
Picture (L to R) Mark Liney and James Corney.
