McCann Names Dumb Ways to Die's John Mescall Global ECD

McCann today announced the promotion of John Mescall to the new role of Global Executive Creative Director. Mescall is currently Executive Creative Director of McCann Australia, a position he has held since October 2011. Mescall will relocate to New York in the coming months and join recently announced Global ECD’s James Dawson-Hollis and Bill Wright as part of McCann Worldgroup Global Creative Chairman Rob Reilly’s initiative to strengthen the agency’s creative leadership.

 “John’s all talent and no ego and he has helped lead McCann Australia to become one of the best agencies in the world. John now has the opportunity to magnify what he does on a global stage. I am certain that John’s reputation for delivering stellar work will be a magnet for recruiting the best and brightest to McCann,” said Reilly.

Under Mescall’s leadership, McCann Australia has quickly become one of Australia’s most dynamic and most awarded agencies. Prior to joining McCann, Mescall was Partner and Executive Creative Director of SMART (which was acquired by McCann Worldgroup in 2011), one of the most successful and progressive independent agencies in Australia.

A writer and creative director, Mescall has won more than 30 Cannes Lions, including 5 Grand Prix for Metro Trains “Dumb Ways to Die” and in 2014 1 Grand Prix for Creative Effectiveness for V/Line.  His other awards include: Black and Yellow Pencils at D&AD, Best of Show at The One Show, and multiple Clio and Webby awards. Mescall’s work has also been featured in TED’s “Ads Worth Spreading” initiative, the only Australian work to ever be selected.

“It’s a seriously exciting time at McCann,” said Mescall. “The opportunity to work closely with Rob was just too big not to take, and we're very aligned on the kind of work we seek to do. He has a very ambitious agenda for the network and wants creativity to permeate everything we do. The move allows me to leverage my experience, and I look forward to playing a bigger role in our collective future.”