Lucinda Sherborne departs DDB after nearly 15 years to launch strategy consultancy

One of New Zealand’s most respected strategists, Lucinda Sherborne, has departed DDB Aotearoa after nearly 15 years to establish her own strategic consultancy business.

Over the course of her 30-year career Sherborne has defined the strategic direction for some of New Zealand’s most iconic campaigns, including the ‘Homesick Kiwi’s’ ads for Vogel’s, ‘Bugs’ for V, ‘Bequeathed’ for STIHL, ‘Lucky Dog and ‘Pirate Ship’ for Lotto, ‘Get A Perm’ for Instant Kiwi, ‘The Dance’ for Speights, and more recently ‘Tiny Pub’ for Emerson’s.

Sherborne’s says that she has cherished her time at DDB Aotearoa and her tenure is testament, but she is relishing the opportunity to establish her own offer: “DDB Aotearoa has always been my spiritual home and I have been incredibly lucky to have worked alongside so many brilliant minds during my time there. However, the hunger for new challenges and need to feed my curiosity is too tempting to be resisted. Now more than ever, there needs to be a laser line of sight between businesses, brands, creativity, and the people their ideas are serving.

“If there’s one thing that my experience and perspective has taught me over the last few years is the brands that truly wish to effect change must be obsessed with solving human problems, real customer needs and striking at the heart of people’s lives, tensions, truths and desires. This is what excites me. I want to help inspire thinking and ideas that get beneath the skin. Because without that you won’t be let into people’s lives.”

Sherborne will offer a combination of consulting and independent planning services. From business and marketing strategy to communications development, to innovation, cultural change and facilitation, to research, training and effectiveness coaching.

During her time at DDB Aotearoa Sherborne was head of planning and executive planning director. Prior to that Sherborne worked at Saatchi & Saatchi, Colenso BBDO and Y&R New Zealand. In the UK she worked at the Leith Agency in Scotland and BBH in London.

She has been the chair of the New Zealand Effie’s, a Creative Effectiveness Cannes Lions judge and won over 70 effectiveness awards, locally and globally, including the 2020 NZ Grand Effie for the Speight’s ‘Dance’ campaign.