DDB's Amir Kassaei is new President of Art Directors Club of Europe

The newly appointed DDB Worldwide Chief Creative Officer is one of the most lauded creative people in the world. He has won over 4,000 national and international awards, including more than 60 Cannes Lions

BestMediaInfo Bureau | Delhi | June 8, 2012

Amir Kassaei, Chief Creative Officer of DDB Worldwide, has been named the new President the Art Directors Club of Europe (ADC*E), which is the association of European creative clubs. With his appointment, the ADC*E has garnered one of the most renowned advertisers as its leader.

Kassaei has worked for some of the world's most significant brand names – Mercedes-Benz, Smart, Coca-Cola, Allianz, Apple, adidas, Reebok, Nike, Bosch, Volkswagen and McDonald's. He has received over 4,000 national and international awards, including more than 60 Cannes Lions. In recent years, New York's 'The Big Won', the bible of the marketing and advertising industry, has ranked Kassaei as the top three creative directors of the world, and in 2009 he was declared the Best Creative Director.

ADC of Europe, comprising creative clubs from 20 countries as its members, is evolving against the grain of the trends in the industry and is increasingly gaining influence. Not so long ago, the British Creative Club D&AD made its re-entry public – and now, the announcement of Kassaei as President of ADC*E has come as a bombshell. The structure of ADC*E, in particular the manner in which the awards are structured, is his USP. Only the winners of the creative club competitions held by the respective home country qualify for the competition organised by ADC of Europe. Johannes Newrkla, President of ADC*E of many years, successfully maintained the core of this product and brand name.

Supported by the ceding President, Franco Moretti, Creative Director of Leo Burnett Italy, and the Director of Mercè Segú, Newrkla successfully kept the umbrella association on the right track resulting in diversion of EU subsidies to the project last year. A new chapter can now begin with Kassaei at the helm of affairs. Kassaei has grand plans: he would like to transform the “Club of Champions” to an active driving force in the European creative business.

Kassaei's first step would be to ensure that the club is open not just to clubs, but also to creatives. “I would like to gather the crème de la crème, without the ridiculous barriers posed by agencies, categories or borders,” declared Kassaei. Even the value of ideas and the very idea that creative individuals must participate on equal footing with their clients are some issues listed on Kassaei's agenda. The goal is to create an influential club of creatives for creatives in Europe that offers its members a real advantage by representing their interests as well as offering a platform for exchange and inspiration.

The Executive Committee of the Art Directors Club for Germany is delighted with the appointment of Kassaei as the Europe-Chief. “It is a brilliant gesture to have one of the creative stars of the world at our helm,” Hans-Peter Albrecht, member of the ADC executive committee declared.

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