Scott Nowell, co-founder of The Monkeys and group chief creative officer of Accenture Song ANZ, today departs the business he co-founded in 2006 with Mark Green and Justin Drape.
“It’s been quite a ride, starting with Mark, Justin and I staring at each other in an empty room to now being part of the most exciting global creative agency model going around,” Nowell said.
Nowell has been at the heart of the agency’s evolution, helping Australia’s most recognised brands succeed with celebrated work for Telstra, Qantas, NRMA Insurance, Sydney Opera House, Uluru Statement from the Heart, and the highly awarded summer campaigns for MLA’s Australian Lamb.
He has written and produced long-form content for major brands including Telstra and Ubank, along with writing and producing the ABC Documentary Art Irritates Life. He also wrote the critically acclaimed ABC and Foxtel comedy drama :30 Seconds, nominated at The Logies, the AFI Awards and The Australian Writer’s Guild Awards.
Under Nowell’s creative leadership, The Monkeys has won every major creative award, including a Cannes Lion Titanium for Tuvalu ‘The First Digital Nation’, and has gone on to be named Campaign Brief ‘Australian Agency of the Year’, Mumbrella ‘Creative Agency of the Year’, Campaign Asia ‘Australian Creative Agency of the Year’ and B&T Magazine’s ‘Advertising Agency of The Year’. In 2019, The Monkeys was named B&T’s Agency of The Decade.
During this time, the agency has grown to approximately 165 people with offices based in Sydney, Melbourne and Auckland, New Zealand.
“Of course, I am very proud of the work we have made and the impact it’s had. But the real joy has been the people I’ve been privileged to share this journey with,” Nowell says.
“Our ambitions almost always outstripped our resources, which never made things easy, so I am eternally grateful to anyone who turned up, believed in what we were doing and gave it their all. Building a place where we get to work with folk we admire both as talents and as people has been the greatest gift this business has given me.”
In 2017 The Monkeys was acquired by Accenture Interactive, now known as Accenture Song.
“I’m very comfortable stepping away at this moment. We are doing the best work we’ve ever done, we are part of a formidable global team, and we have Tara Ford, Ant Keogh and Damon Stapleton running creative in ANZ. We could not be in better shape.”
The founders and partners remain close, Nowell adding: “We are bonded for life by what we’ve been through together, both in the business and personally. I owe them a lot. And of course, The Monkeys wouldn’t have happened without the understanding and generosity of my family. Thank you.”
The Monkeys co-founder and group CEO, Accenture Song ANZ President, Mark Green, says: “Where do I even start. We have had the most incredible partnership spanning over 17 years. We have literally grown up together and watched our families do the same. This has been our life’s work and as thrilling and rewarding as it has been I can totally understand
Scott’s desire to stop and smell the roses. He is a pure creative soul who has done some of the best work this country has seen and I stand with great admiration as he does a final victory lap. He leaves a creative team at the top of their game with a clear succession plan and we couldn’t ask for anything more than that. Well played my friend.”
