SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA — Enigma, one of Australia’s leading independent full-service agencies, is making a bold play with the appointment of Simon Lee as its first-ever Chief Creative Officer & Partner. This follows an extensive six-month executive search and signals an ambitious new era for the agency as it continues to expand across Sydney, Newcastle, and Brisbane.
With a career spanning more than two decades, Lee is a recognized leader in Australia’s independent agency scene. As the former creative lead and joint owner of The Hallway, he helped propel the agency to the forefront of the industry, securing seven Agency of the Year titles and multiple creative accolades—including Australia and New Zealand’s only Design Lion at Cannes in 2024. Now, he brings his strategic and creative prowess to Enigma, where he’ll lead an 80-strong team in shaping campaigns that resonate with today’s fast-evolving consumer landscape.
Says Enigma Founder & Director Lisa Sutton Gardner: “Simon’s appointment is indicative of the scale of our creative ambition and our commitment to achieving it. His breadth and depth of experience, unique creative voice and proven commercial and leadership acumen mean that our clients, and our people are in very good hands. I’m very excited about the extent of what I’m confident we’ll achieve together.”
Simon Lee says: “With our industry and our clients’ businesses changing at ever-increasing pace, it’s essential to keep evolving the definition of what great creativity means. This is a key factor that has attracted me to Enigma – the opportunity to shape a creative offering that’s grounded in timeless truth, but connects with the relevance of right here, right now. And as an integrated creative and media agency with a 30 year track record of delivering strong commercial outcomes for its clients, Enigma has the scale and pedigree to deliver on this. The agency feels like a tinderbox that’s primed to catch fire, and I’m excited at the prospect of helping to spark the flames.”
Simon Lee’s appointment follows that of Joanna Lilley as Managing Director, Sydney in February and the recent promotion of Justin Ladmore to Chief Media Officer and Amy Dascanio to Managing Director, Enigma Media.
