DDB MNL bolsters creative leadership with dual creative director appointments

DDB MNL has appointed Lowell San Jose and Miel Soneja as creative directors, adding senior talent to its leadership team as it looks to deepen the creative output across key accounts.

The pair will lead teams handling a portfolio of major brands including Gatorade, Sting Energy Drink, Lipton Iced Tea, Isuzu, PLDT Home, RCBC and Aboitiz Power. Both report to executive creative director Bia Fernandez.

“I’m excited to be working with Lowell and Miel. Their energy and exuberance are a natural fit with the DDB MNL DNA, and we’re all looking forward to the ideas they’ll bring – and to turning those ideas into bold, effective work for our clients,” said Fernandez.

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San Jose (pictured, left) joins DDB MNL with 18 years of industry experience. An art-based creative, he has worked on global brands including a leading consumer goods corporation and a renowned online shopping site, alongside local heavyweights such as a fast food giant and a major pharmaceutical company.

Soneja (pictured, right), also art-based, brings 14 years of experience in translating big ideas into work that balances creative recognition with commercial impact. Her track record spans categories from oral care to eCommerce.

The appointments come as DDB MNL continues to position itself as a full-service, integrated digital marketing and creative solutions agency. Its capabilities span strategy, creative, digital and production, serving both local and global brands.

The agency has been recognised across a range of award platforms covering digital, influencer marketing, brand performance, strategy and creative production – reflecting its ambition to deliver end-to-end solutions in an evolving marketing landscape.

With San Jose and Soneja joining the fold, DDB MNL appears intent on sharpening both its creative edge and its business impact as it enters its next phase of growth. DDB MNL forms part of DDB Group Philippines, a network that includes agencies such as Ripple 8, Tribal Worldwide and Agile Intelligence.

DDB MNL’s recent work includes the Pride campaign “Play through the hate”, developed with LGBTQI+ rights organisation Babaylanes, which encourages audiences to support trans creators in the Philippines simply by watching their videos to the end. The initiative responds to rising online harassment faced by the country’s large trans population – around 239,000 according to World Population Review – while amplifying voices such as Kylie Celebre, Rica Salomon, Stef Aranas, Bam Terol and Killian Perez.

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