Jake Barrow will be appointed as VML's new Chief Creative Officer in Czechia, where he will also physically relocate after more than 13 years at VML Melbourne & Sydney. Barrow will replace Miloš Kočí, who has led the creative team since May 2021.
"A big thank you belongs to Miloš for the past three years of his work. He has been with us through many challenging phases as Chief Creative Officer, from operating during the pandemic to the integration of two agencies. In that time, he has managed to build a department of seventy talents from a relatively small creative team," says Iva Welker, CEO Local Business VML.
"With the arrival of Jake Barrow, we are starting a new chapter. I personally like his approach of encouraging inclusive creativity - it doesn't matter who comes up with a good idea, the key is for everyone in their position to make it happen. Combined with his experience, we believe he will help us significantly strengthen our position as the largest creative and technology agency on the Czech market," Welker adds.
"When I first walked in the door of the agency thirteen years ago, I just wanted to do my job well. I have never dreamed of eventually becoming the creative leader of the agency and eventually move to Prague as Chief Creative Officer," says Jake Barrow. "It's always been a goal of mine to work abroad, and Prague in particular was on my radar because of the creative reputation built here by current VML EMEA Chief Creative Officer Jaime Mandelbaum when he led Prague-based Young & Rubicam agency at the time. VML's global leadership is also the reason why I didn't have to think long and hard about whether I would jump at a new opportunity in the agency network. I look forward to working with Iva Welker and Bronislav Kvasnicka and the entire talented team in Prague."
He joined the then George Patterson Y&R agency as Art Director and rose through the ranks to his current position as Group Executive Director of the Melbourne and Sydney offices, a position he has held since 2021. He is currently ranked number six in The Drum's global creative director rankings and has twice been ranked in the top 20 creatives in the world. He has won over five hundred local and international awards, including twenty-five Cannes Lions (including seven gold).
Under his creative leadership, the agency has been ranked among the top five Australian agencies in Campaign Brief's prestigious publication The Work for five consecutive years, was named APAC Agency of the Year in 2023 and has also won Global Agency of the Year at the LIA Awards for the past twelve months.
Over the past year, the agency has been recognized for campaigns for major clients like Monash University or Defence Force Recruiting, providing marketing and recruitment services for the Australian Army, and for brands such as Colgate, Rip Curl and Pizza Hut. He was also part of the award-winning FitChix campaign for Australian farm egg brand Honest Eggs Co. Aimed at highlighting the benefits of regenerative farming, the campaign monitored the movement of free-range hens on the farm and printed their step counts on eggs as evidence of their happy lives.
