Maja Pawinska Sims 14 Dec 2021 // 10:43AM GMT
LONDON — Independent communications agency Manifest has appointed its first global executive creative director, hiring Kostas Karanikolas to lead its international creative and production teams.
Karanikolas (pictured, left) joins from WPP, where he had been global executive creative director and the creative lead for its work with GSK since 2019. He has also held senior creative roles at Saatchi & Saatchi, where he led creative for P&G, RAPP, Crispin Porter + Bogusky and BBDO, and has worked with Gillette, Huawei, Tide and Guess.
In his new role, Karanikolas is responsible for the group’s creative output across London, Manchester, New York, Stockholm and its newest studios in Melbourne, leading a global creative team working with brands such as Logitech, Tommee Tippee and Gousto.
Manifest founder and group CEO Alex Myers (pictured, right) said: “Bringing someone of Kostas’ calibre on board is a statement of intent for us as we continue to expand our creative horizons across the group. He brings with him not just experience, but enthusiasm and passion for his work that has already inspired our creative teams. It’s a very exciting time for the agency.”
Karanikolas added: “Manifest has already forged a global reputation from bold creative work that has redefined entire categories, let alone companies. There is a collective focus here to do significant work and this is a team that not only understands how to come up with ‘the big idea’ but to deliver it with impact and efficacy too. It’s a compelling proposition for brands looking for an alternative to the same old global networks.”
Myers said Manifest had grown revenues by more than 50% in the past year and the agency’s global headcount had increased by 52% across all parts of the business including strategy, insights, creative, production, client service, project management and operations.
He said: “Our unified approach to our work and to how we collaborate as a group has allowed us to grow and evolve our business, despite the ongoing pandemic. With world-class talent and new skillsets joining our team, I’m confident we can build on our international reputation for 'building brands that change the world'.”