BMF Appoints The Monkeys Co-Founder Scott Nowell as Creative Chair

Australian creative agency BMF has appointed Scott Nowell, co-founder of The Monkeys, to the newly created role of Creative Chair, the agency announced on April 21, 2026.

The appointment fills a leadership gap left by former Chief Creative Officer Stephen de Wolf, who departed BMF after just one year in the role last June.

A New Title, Not a Replacement CCO

BMF did not replace de Wolf with another CCO. Instead, the agency created an entirely new position. Nowell will work alongside existing Executive Creative Directors David Fraser and Tom Hoskins, who continue to manage day-to-day creative output.

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This two-tier structure places Nowell in a strategic, culture-setting role rather than an operational one. The ECDs handle execution while the Creative Chair focuses on broader creative direction and agency culture.

BMF CEO Stephen McArdle described Nowell's track record as "industry defining over the last two decades" and called him "as respected and revered as anyone in the world at what we do."

Nowell said of the appointment: "BMF is a rare place where strong culture meets high performance, full of excellent people totally committed to the idea of creativity as a powerful business lever."

At the time of reporting, BMF had not confirmed whether the role would be full-time.

Nowell's Background and the Context Behind the Move

Nowell co-founded Three Drunk Monkeys in 2006, later rebranded as The Monkeys in 2011. The agency produced award-winning work for clients including NRMA, Telstra, Qantas, Meat and Livestock Australia, and the Sydney Opera House.

The Monkeys was sold to Accenture Song in 2017 for US$63 million. Nowell then served as Group Chief Creative Officer of Accenture Song ANZ before resigning in late 2023. The Monkeys brand was retired in December 2024 when it merged with sister agency Droga5.

His move to BMF as Creative Chair, rather than a traditional CCO role, follows his exit from a large holding-company structure. BMF itself was acquired by Photon Group, now known as Enero, for US$25.6 million in 2007.

The appointment also comes as BMF recently ended its relationship with major client Westpac, placing the agency in a period of business transition.

A Pattern Emerging Across the Industry

BMF's structural choice reflects a broader shift in how agencies are organizing creative leadership. Several agencies have recently moved away from the single-CCO model.

In December 2025, Minneapolis agency Latitude restructured so that founder Krista Carroll moved from CEO to Chair, while Allison Checco became CEO and Eric Husband was promoted to CCO. The separation of founder-level vision from operational management mirrors the logic behind BMF's Creative Chair structure.

Separately, VIA agency operated without a traditional CCO for a full year before appointing Matt O'Rourke to the role, reporting to CEO Leeann Leahy. The deliberate gap reflected the same industry-wide uncertainty about what creative leadership should look like today.

In the Asia-Pacific region, BBDO Greater China's CCO departure triggered a cascade of structural changes, with Arthur Tsang promoted to CCO, Nicole Ma appointed BBDO China CCO, and Kevin Jin named BBDO Shanghai CCO.

Industry commentator Nick Law has publicly argued for reversing what he calls the "ruinous" separation of media and creative in agencies, and for converting CCOs into CEOs to better integrate creative leadership with business strategy.

What This Means for Agency Partners

For marketing leaders evaluating agency relationships, the Creative Chair model signals a deliberate choice about where senior creative attention is directed. Rather than managing teams and budgets, a Creative Chair focuses on strategic direction and agency culture.

McArdle framed the appointment as a way to "supercharge an already super-strong creative team," adding that despite Nowell's extensive career, "he's got plenty more he wants to do."

Whether the model delivers on that promise remains to be seen as BMF navigates both a leadership transition and client attrition simultaneously.