Telstra Appoints Nicky Bryson as Head of Creative Excellence

Australian telco Telstra has appointed strategic consultant and advisor Nicky Bryson as head of creative excellence. The role had been vacant since Anna Jackson left in September to become head of brand, content and creative at Westpac.

Telstra CMO Brent Smart said the brand’s ambition to be the “most creative brand from this part of the world” is only possible by working with the most creative people.

Announcing the appointment in a LinkedIn post, the CMO described Nicky as one of the most creative strategists in the market. “Creative excellence at Telstra is more than strategy, it’s also about instilling creative confidence through teaching and coaching,” Brent wrote.

“Nicky has demonstrated a real passion for that, founding The Trenches, a mentoring program that has supported emerging creative talent through more than 1,500 sessions globally.”

She previously held strategic leadership roles at Leo Burnett, M&C Saatchi, and TBWA. Nicky said the telco’s ambition to be one of the world’s most creative brands is already well underway.

“To step into a brand that’s backing creativity this hard, at this moment, feels incredibly special,” she said.

“I’ve always believed that creativity is one of the most powerful commercial tools a business can have, and a mindset to be nurtured across all roles, not just marketing. I’m excited to help build on that culture and strategically guide an incredible brand from the inside.”

Brent added, “Nicky isn’t just super smart, she’s also grounded, curious, and playful, exactly what we want more of in our brand and our team culture.”

He noted nothing will change for Bear Meets Eagle on Fire and +61, except that they will receive “even better briefs and [a] closer partnership”.

BMEOF and +61’s slew of creative work for the brand includes ‘Better on a Better Network’, ‘Wherever We Go’, and ‘Together is For Christmas’.

BMEOF won a Grand Prix for craft at Cannes this year for ‘Better on a Better Network,’ and its work for Telstra made up four of the nine pieces of AUNZ work sent through to The Immortal Awards’ global jury.

Those finalists included the brand platform, ‘Wherever We Go’ and the Christmas spot starring a singing donkey, plus the Steve Buscemi film ‘Scamageddon’ and ‘Into Art’.

Nicky added joining a brand that’s “backing creativity this hard” feels “incredibly special”.

“Thank you to Brent Smart and the team for inviting me in and for the trust. I look forward to partnering with my friends at Bear Meets Eagle On Fire and +61 and cannot wait to get started.”