Peter Defries and Alan Wilson have joined Special, rounding out its Uber APAC leadership team, joining Celia Garforth and Lauren Portelli.
Defries and Wilson join as regional group creative directors on Uber and Uber Eats, and have been a creative partnership for 14 years, returning to Australia after almost a decade in New York.
Most recently, they worked as ECDs at BBH NY, leading the J.M. Smucker Company business, which hosts some of America’s most iconic FMCG brands, including Jif, Smucker’s, Twinkies, Dunkin, Milk-Bone, and Meow Mix, plus major U.S. accounts like Walmart and Cadillac.
They’ve been recognised with over 30 international awards, and in 2022 D&AD named them both among the Top 20 Executive Creative Directors in the world.
Under the leadership of Garforth and Portelli over the past few years, Special has expanded its strategic and creative partnership with Uber and Uber Eats across the APAC region. The partnership now extends across ANZ, Japan, South Korea, Hong Kong and Taiwan, all led from the Special Sydney office.
In 2024, Garforth and Portelli won a Gold Effie for Get Almost Almost Anything in ANZ.
Wilson said: “We’ve been massive fans of Special for some time now. Watching from the other side of the world, we were consistently blown away by the breakthrough work they produced, especially with Uber and Uber Eats. So when the opportunity arose to be part of it, we couldn’t say no.”
Defries said: “Leaving New York wasn’t a decision we took lightly—it gave us some of the best experiences of our careers. But the chance to come home and join this extremely talented team, pushing creative boundaries at a world-class level right here in our own backyard, was simply too good to pass up.”
Tom Martin, Partner and CCO Special Australia added: “We’re pumped to have Pete and Alan boomerang back to Australia and back into Special. We’re at our best when we bring together top-tier humans who get what it takes to make great work and do it with care, craft and real collaboration.”
Cade Heyde, global partner of Special said: “The magic of Special Group comes from the extraordinary people behind it. Celia and Lauren have been instrumental in building our creative reputation across APAC. And now, with Peter and Alan joining them, we believe we have one of the best, most exciting teams in the world.”
