Paul Coles joins DO as national managing director and co-owner

Paul Coles is joining independent Sydney-based creative agency DO as national managing director and co-owner.

Coles brings with him 20 years of experience to his new role, which comes as he leaves his general manager position at BMF Australia after almost five years with the company.

He joined BMF as general manager of the Aldi account in 2018, which was The Australian Effie Awards' effective advertiser of the year in 2018, 2019 and 2020, and won AWARD Awards' marketing team of the year in 2018 and 2020. 

Coles was also promoted to the general manager position in May 2019.

He has held senior roles at M&C Saatchi, VMLY&R, J Walter Thompson Worldwide in London and Sydney, Saatchi & Saatchi in London, and Ogilvy in Auckland.

Coles serves as a consultant and lecturer for the Advertising Council Australia since 2020, he has also been advisory committee member for HeartKids Limited since 2015.

Paul Coles said: "I'm incredibly sad to leave my good friends at BMF – an agency with a big heart and bigger ideas.

"But the chance to become co-owner in DO was a chance to build something brilliant with a bunch of smart people, leave a legacy and do some good along the way," he added.

DO was founded back in 2017 by former group managing director of Y&R Sydney Andrew Dowling, former creative director of Iris Worldwide Amsterdam Tom Ormes and the founder of The Local in Singapore Kirsten Ackland.

The agency's clients include MG, Hino, Best & Less, NSW Government, Caesarstone, McPhersons and Arlo – with a remit spanning both local and regional markets, including New Zealand, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Malaysia, Singapore and Japan.