Host/Havas beefs up creative team with former HK ad industry hires

Anastasia Simone (pictured far right) and Jay Lee (pictured second right) have left Leo Burnett Hong Kong to join creative agency Host/Havas as senior creatives, bringing with them not just an awarded history on iconic global brands, but a world-class gaming development and digital-focused skillset. 

According to his LinkedIn, Lee described himself as an advertising creative fascinated by interactive experiences and all things nerdy, "I have a deep passion for gaming and storytelling through games. So naturally, activations are right up my alley. Growing up in a multi-cultural household with a mixture of Hong Kong, French, and Chinese cultures, I developed an affinity for the subtleties of language at a very young age. Now, that really comes in handy as a writer who works across markets and regions," Lee added. 

Prior to the new role, Lee was at Leo Burnett Hong Kong as senior copywriter, where he made the most of his experience in interactive design to create a range of activations and 360° campaigns for clients such as Cathay Pacific, AXA, Manulife, Hang Seng Bank. Lee also led the Publicis Groupe production team in executing high-profile events and activations across the city. Simone was senior art director at Leo Burnett previously, where she developed activations for events and installations across the city, as well as 360º and integrated campaigns for global and local clients. Beside, Simone recently sat on the gaming jury at D&AD.

Simone and Lee said: “We’re excited to hit the ground running in Australia with a team that’s gunning to make a difference. We’re not asking ourselves how to make brands matter, but what a brand can do that matters. It’s a meaningful challenge, less about what ad industry awards we can win, and more about the impact we can have on culture.” 

Meanwhile, Host/Havas has also bolstered its creative team by adding four other hires including Kristen Burnshaw (pictured far left), Josh Bell (pictured second left), Ash Myburgh (pictured third left) and Daniel Conway (pictured third right).

Ash Myburgh, formerly of Ogilvy and It’s Friday, joins as a senior creative. Josh Bell, a graduate of D&AD Shift 2022, joins as a junior creative and content creator across the Havas Creative Group. Kristen Burnshaw and Daniel Conway are appointed as senior designers. They both will be working into department head Nic Adamovich.

Host/Havas executive creative director Jon Austin said: “How can you possibly get a snappy soundbite that covers such a huge and diverse influx of talent? From the gaming skills that Lee and Simone bring to help us double down on our entertainment beats interruption philosophy, to Myburgh’s unstoppable blend of creative and professional wrestler energy, to Bell who managed to sum up our entire creative approach using Stevie Wonder lyrics, to Burnshaw and Conway, who are already delivering such incredible and breathtaking design work for our newest partners at Tourism Fiji, I couldn’t be more stoked about the caliber of talent that HoHa is getting through the doors, Yeesh. That’s a pretty long soundbite, and it still doesn’t do justice to how excited I am about what comes next.”

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