Simon Richings joins Smarts as Executive Creative Director

An exciting day here at Smarts – we’re delighted to welcome Simon Richings as Executive Creative Director!

Simon will be at the forefront of Smarts’ creative evolution, as we continue to sharpen our offering to ensure we’re best positioned to be a genuine growth partner for our clients.

A multi-award winning creative leader, Simon brings extensive social and creative experience to Smarts, having led some of the UK’s most respected digital and social agencies. He was most recently the Executive Creative Director of We Are Social, where the agency created standout work for brands including Adidas, Amazon, Lucozade and Somersby.

Prior to that, Simon spent nine years as the Executive Creative Director of AnalogFolk, during which the agency was named Campaign’s Global Digital Innovation Agency of the Year. He has also been the Executive Creative Director of Tribal London and Digital Creative Director of DDB UK. He has mentored for D&AD’s Shift programme, which is aimed at bringing more diverse, self-made talent into the industry, as well as The School of Communication Arts and Creative Equals.

Based in our London office, Simon will work closely in particular with our growing number of Social and Creator specialists, as well as our Creative Directors, Will Holloway and Hugh Thomas, Brand Futures Directors, Jess MacIntyre and Nat Moores, and our recently appointed Group Head of Strategy, Ben Shaw.

Ahead of his arrival, Simon said: “Smarts are different. There’s a lot of change in the industry, but they truly understand the long game when it comes to brand building – making it the foundation of their offering. I couldn’t be happier joining such an intelligent and forward-thinking bunch.”

Pippa Arlow, Global Chief Executive of Smarts, adds: “We’ve spent a lot of time shaping Smarts so it’s fit for a new era – responding to our client’s evolving needs so that we can be genuine growth partners where they need it most. One part that truly excites me is the strides we’re making in social, and bringing in one of the most respected and awarded creative leaders in this area will allow us to supercharge those capabilities to new, industry-leading heights.”

Colin Corbridge, Group Chief Strategy & Creative Officer of Smarts, says: “To be able to attract someone of Simon’s calibre goes to show that Smarts is perfectly placed to offer the breadth and depth of creativity that our clients need right now. His passion for big, bold, culturally-enduring ideas that earn attention in innovative and interesting ways is exactly what we’ve been looking for to complement our current crop of top-tier talent.”