Strategic design consultancy Designworks, part of STW, continues to evolve its Australian operations with the appointment of two senior practitioners in newly created roles.

Simon Stacey joins Designworks in a national role as creative director, customer experience design, and Debbie Spence joins the Sydney team as strategy director.  Both appointments are effective immediately.

The new hires follow significant growth across the Designworks group in Australia during the past 12 months, with major new wins for clients including Officeworks, KFC and Transurban among others.

Tasked with driving experience design for current and new clients nationally, Stacey joins Designworks from highly regarded London retail design firm Household, where he was partner and creative director. During his time with Household he worked on a range of high-profile projects for brands such as Amazon, Christian Louboutin, The Conran Shop, Halfords, Harrods, Twinings, Virgin Media, as well as previously leading the retail experience design of Country Road in Australia.

Stacey has a particular interest in the convergence of physical and digital experiences to deliver more meaningful retail experiences.

“I’m super-excited in joining Designworks and the challenge of developing the customer experience design offer,” said Stacey.  “Today’s customers are smarter and better connected than ever so brand advocacy can no longer be achieved through conventional experiences. Transforming the customer experience requires insight and creativity to help brands achieve emotional connections with their customers that not only add value to business, but also people’s lives.

“I believe Designworks is perfectly positioned as Australasia’s leading strategic design consultancy to lead the way in creating transformational customer experiences across all sectors.”

Spence joins from insights and planning consultancy Blaze, with an international career spanning the UK, Middle East and Australia with firms including Industry, Sparkler and The Brand Agency. Past clients include Coca-Cola, J&J, Woolworths, Tata Steel and Commercial Bank of Qatar. Her remit is brand and design strategy, with a particular specialism on the role of insight in the design process.

Sven Baker, Designworks CEO, said of the new hires: “We welcome Simon and Debbie to the team. They bring exactly the skills and experience that defines our offer; a potent mix of creativity and insight that fuels great design and makes a business difference. Simon and Debbie are absolute leaders in the market in their respective fields, each with unique areas of expertise that add to the diversity of skills in our Australian team. We look forward to their contribution to the 140-strong Designworks family.”

Designworks is part of STW, Australasia’s leading marketing content and communications group. It has offices across New Zealand, Australia and South East Asia.