Tara McKenty set to depart BMF for Executive Creative Director role at AKQA Australia

Tara McKenty is set to depart BMF Australia, where she was Chief Innovation Officer and Co-Executive Creative Director, to join AKQA Australia as Executive Creative Director, further strengthening the agency’s leadership team as it continues its integration with whiteGREY. Prior to joining BMF in May 2023, McKenty led Google’s creative team across APAC.

McKenty brings over 16 years of creative industry experience across the APAC region. A thought leader in the local and international creative community, McKenty has served on high-profile juries such as the Cannes Lions Innovation Jury. She is also the founder of D&AD RARE, a global initiative supporting underrepresented groups thriving within the creative industries.

In her new role, McKenty will collaborate closely with AKQA Australia’s senior leadership team, including Tim Devine, Executive Creative Director, Iona Macgregor, Chief Strategy Officer, and Justine Leong, General Manager Sydney, to continue driving excellence and growth within the region.

Says Leong: “Tara is an exceptional talent whose creative excellence and leadership have left an indelible mark on the industry. Her commitment to innovation and inclusion aligns perfectly with AKQA’s mission to create a better future. We’re delighted to have Tara join us and are excited about the impact she will bring to our clients and team.”

Says McKenty: “AKQA is renowned for creating work that blends creativity, technology, and humanity in meaningful ways. I’m looking forward to working with a strong team of leaders and partnering with our clients to build innovative and impactful experiences that truly make a difference.”

In addition to her successful tenure at Google, McKenty has created globally renowned work which has been awarded at every major award show across the globe, including OPSM’s ‘Penny the Pirate’, a book and app that tests the eyesight of children; Spark’s ‘Kupu’, an app that translates any image into Te Reo Māori; and Google’s Project Skate, a machine learning tool that can measure the speed, height, and rotation of a skateboarder, and identify tricks in real-time. In addition, McKenty has taken home more than 200 awards including a highly sought-after gold Lion for Innovation, WARC’s Most Effective Campaign in the World, D&AD pencils, One Show Awards, Effie Awards, CLIO’s, New York Festival Awards and many, many more.

Pictured above L-R: Nicole Armstrong (Executive Strategy Director Australia), Tara McKenty (Executive Creative Director Australia), Justine Leong (General Manager Sydney), and Iona Macgregor (Chief Strategy Officer Australia).