Apparent adds creative firepower with three senior hires

Independent shop Apparent has bolstered its creative leadership team with three senior appointments following a period of significant growth.

Sam McGuinness joins as creative director, visual design, from Canva where he spent the past year as visual design lead. Prior to that he spent six years with R/GA Sydney and New York. He will oversee Apparent’s brand, visual and motion design teams, working closely with Cristina Douglas, who leads experience design.

“It feels like no-one has quite cracked the integration of brand, visual and experience design,” McGuinness said. “What really attracted me to Apparent is the way they put the customer at the centre of everything, creating work that doesn’t just look good, it’s deeply connected to how people actually think, feel and behave.”

Apparent has also appointed Leisa Ilander and Gillian Dalla Pozza as joint creative directors. The duo previously held associate creative director roles at Dentsu Creative and have worked together for over a decade, most recently on award-winning campaigns for THE ICONIC.

“We’re passionate about odd-shaped ideas that make people feel something and deliver real impact, especially in digital and social spaces,” Ilander said. “Apparent is a growing agency with the talent and firepower to bring those ideas to life.”

Hamish Stewart, chief creative and experience officer at Apparent, said the hires reflect the agency’s ambition to deliver creative, cultural and commercial impact at scale.

“With the calibre of leaders we’re attracting, plus our flexibility, structure and scale, we can bring best-in-class thinking to clients at pace. Best of all, all three are already adding immeasurably to our brilliant culture,” he said. 

Apparent’s client roster includes Google, Volkswagen, Audi, Optus, Vanuatu Tourism Office and Tip Top. The agency continues to focus on work that lives at the intersection of brand, experience and communications.