Mike Spirkovski

AWARD is a non-political, non-profit organisation with but a single idea: the raising of standards in all creative areas. Its charter is to set standards of creative excellence, to promote this concept in the business arena and to educate and inspire the next creative generation.

Mike is currently the Chief Creative Officer of Saatchi & Saatchi Australia. He also sits on the Saatchi & Saatchi Worldwide Creative Board and the Worldwide Toyota Creative Leadership Team.

Mike’s career spans 17 years in the industry. During this time, he creatively lead agencies Clemenger BBDO, Droga5 and Leo Burnett. He also founded his own creative company Cassius Clay.

In 2015, under his creative leadership, Saatchi & Saatchi was awarded Australia’s best Campaign of the Year at the AdNews Awards. This followed by best car ad in the world at the One Show Automotive Awards and in the same year opened a new Saatchi & Saatchi agency in Melbourne.

In 2016 Saatchi & Saatchi was awarded back-to-back Gold at Cannes along with Australia’s only prestigious Innovation Lion, making Saatchi & Saatchi Australia the only agency in the world to have won 2 consecutive Innovation Lions.

During his career Mike has been highly awarded for both creativity and effectiveness. His most proud moment was earning the rare Cannes Titanium Lion for his Earth Hour initiative, which was cited in the Gunn Report as “the best 360 campaign ever”, and is now a globally recognised brand with billions of supporters worldwide.

Mike is also a very keen DIYer, so much so, that in 2015 he took this to a new level, when he delivered his own son Max without any medical assistance.

Mike is currently the Executive Creative Director of Saatchi & Saatchi Australia. He also sits on the Saatchi & Saatchi Worldwide Creative Board as well as the Worldwide Toyota Creative Leadership Team.

Mike’s career spans 17 years in the industry. During this time, he creatively lead other agencies like Clemenger BBDO, Droga5 and Leo Burnett. He even founded his own creative company Cassius Clay.

In 2015, under his creative leadership, Saatchi & Saatchi was awarded Australia’s best Campaign of the Year at the AdNews Awards. This followed by best car ad in the world at the One Show Automotive Awards and in the same year opened a new Saatchi & Saatchi agency in Melbourne.

In 2016 Saatchi & Saatchi was awarded back-to-back Gold at Cannes along with Australia’s only prestigious Innovation Lion, making Saatchi & Saatchi Australia the only agency in the world to have won 2 consecutive Innovation Lions.

During his career Mike has been highly awarded for both creativity and effectiveness. His most proud moment was earning the rare Cannes Titanium Lion for his Earth Hour initiative, which was cited in the Gunn Report as “the best 360 campaign ever”, and is now a globally recognised brand with billions of supporters worldwide.

Mike is also a very keen DIYer, so much so, that in 2015 he took this to a new level, when he delivered his own son Max without any medical assistance.

As Executive Creative Director at iris Sydney Mike lead the creative output building participation brands - brands people choose to spend time with and advocate. Ideas that are more interesting, distinctive, challenging and have the power to generate extraordinary results.

He brings a unique and fresh perspective to how brands need to behave in the networked age - developing content, conversations, experiences that are more open, accessible, involving and successful.

Creating responsive and intuitive websites and apps that make any digital experience easier and more enriching. Developing digital utilities that create social and sharable content. Finding new forms of media that change behavior through simple innovation. Creating branded content that delivers a more engaging and deeper experience.

Mike creates ideas that look and feel more like culture than communication, ideas that exist and engage across all media, screens and occasions.

Working with Destination NSW and Vivid Sydney, Fiji Airways, MINI, Adidas All Blacks & Super Rugby, Shell, UNICEF Change for Good, Philips, City of Sydney, Microsoft, Christchurch & Canterbury Tourism, Microsoft, Moet Hennessy

New Business wins since 2013:
Fiji Airways, Destination NSW Vivid Sydney, Philips, MINI, UNICEF Change For Good, Moet Hennessy APAC.

Mike joined Droga5 as Creative Director in late 2011 working alongside Creative Chairman/Partner, David Nobay and Executive Creative Director/Partner, Duncan Marshall.

Mikes initial role was working across the broader portfolio of brands Telstra, Renault and Kraft, but quickly took focus on New Business opportunities with Woolworths and Qantas, eventually winning both iconic brands.

Mike was the lead creative representative of Droga5 on the Woolworths pitch, and after a 3 month competitive shootout with DDB and Ogilvy, went on to win one of the largest retail accounts and biggest brands in Australia. He was later appointed Creative Director on the Woolworths account and would become responsible for planning and building a team to service the business.

In only a few short months Mike along with his Head of Business and Strategic lead built a team of 45 staff to service the account, including 18 creatives and a deputy CD, 2 senior planners, digital innovation specialists, account management and designers.

The re-launch of “Australia’s Fresh Food People” redefined and reinvigorated the brand, as well as its 180,000 staff Australia’s wide. Within the first 6 months of the new partnership, Woolworths returned a positive 3.45% growth, clearly taking the higher ground and increasing the gap over its competitors as the market leader in “Fresh”.

Recent Achievements:


- 2012 B&T Awards Finalist for Advertising Agency of the Year

- 2012 B&T Awards Finalist for Woolworths Best use of Sponsorship

- 2012 MADC Gold for Woolworths Best use of Music

- 2012 MADC Finalist for Woolworths in Film Craft

- 2013 ADNEWS NSW Agency of the Year Finalist

- 2013 AWARD shortlist TV Campaign 30sec

Joined in 2010 as Joint Executive Creative Director. In 18 months we transformed an agency with:

- 10 new business wins
- $120 Million new business billings added
- 0 business losses
- 34% increase in revenue
- 91% increase in profitability
- 69 new hires (20 in the creative department)
- Improved the creative work
- Gold, Silver & Bronze Effies

Accounts added: Virgin Australia, Velocity Frequent Flyer, Foxtel, Hungry Jacks, Mars Pet, GE, Keep Australia Beautiful, Prostate Cancer Foundation, DHL, Blackberry.

Founder & Creative Director of Cassius Clay the advertising agency. Offering creative and strategic services to the advertising industry on a project basis with major clients Droga5, DDB and Ogilvy.

Whilst working at DDB Mike helped launch a successful social media campaign for Telstras Youth Portfolio. The experiential ideas development included Sushiplane.com.au experience, cabbieoke.com.au and partycatchers.

At Ogilvy Mike’s focus was again on Telstra but this time it was on the retail arm with new product launches in mobile and Internet services.

During his 10 month stint at Droga5 Mike worked alongside Creative Chairman and ECD David Nobay and helped creatively manage multiple brands including Telstra, Virgin Airlines, Toyota and Reconciliation Australia.

Working as an integrated Senior Art Director Mike produced ideas across multiple media platforms TV, print, digital and POS. Working with clients, Toyota, Lion Nathan, Mt Franklin, James Boag’s, Nestle, agency partners and media companies.

Mike developed campaigns for Toyota Corolla "Ninja Kittens" covering TV, print and an award winning microsite. Created the "Natural Man" TV campaign for Lion Nathan launching their new innovative beer brewing process. Mike was also responsible for launched the first ever bottled water to help promote a beer for "Boags Draught".

During his time at Leo Burnett Mike held the creative leadership responsibilities across 4 major clients: Canon, Heineken, Fairfax Digital and the World Wildlife Fund. He also worked in a creative team developing campaigns across the agencies entire client portfolio: Subaru, McDonalds, Colonial First State, Diageo, Optus Business, NRMA Motoring & Services, Proctor & Gamble. Some of the his direct New Business wins included: Fairfax Digital, smh.com.au, NRMA Motoring & Services.

Working as a Creative Group Head and reporting to the National Creative Director Mark Collis, Mike’s role was to creatively manage his creative teams and the day-to-day business of his clients. From taking briefs directly from Brand and Marketing Managers, to developing agency briefs along with strategic planners, and allocating creative teams to work on briefs and managing this through to final production in all media channels.

In his time at Leo Burnett Mikes clients won numerous international and local awards for creativity and effectiveness.

Mike developed the first Australian made Heineken TVC "Past Experience" that went on to become the global communications for the international Heineken brand. Fairfax Digitals smh.com.au became the leading online news source for consumers in 2007 winning several awards at local award shows. He also launched Brisbanetimes.com.au as well as bussinessday.com.au adding further business growth to the already successful Fairfax Digital masthead. Working on McDonalds Mike created the famous “Nameitburger” campaign, which went on to become one of the most successful promotional ideas in Australia.

Mike’s largest achievement at Leo Burnett was co-creating the original brand “Earth Hour” for WWF in 2007. Earth Hour continued to grow and in 2008 became a global movement with over 70 million supporters worldwide and in 2009 1 Billion people switched off their lights all over the world.

In early 2003 and after returning from a successful 18 month working holiday in North America Mike went on to launch his own Advertising Agency called Cassius Clay. As a Partner in a small company Mikes duties involved everything in managing a small start up Agency: From Creative direction, management, account services, strategy, new business pitching and overall creative and strategic solutions.

Cassius Clay quickly grew to and agency of 7 staff and a client portfolio including Workcover NSW, Gola Footwear, Aria Awards, Club International – Priya Soap, NJoy Juices, Club Juices.

The highlight was winning Government account WorkCover NSW from Leo Burnett, this worth over $5m in billings.

Art Director across the agencies clients: Dick Smith, Pataks, AJC, Snappy Tom, Safcol.