AKQA Gets More CreativeWith Hire

For the third time in three months, interactive agency AKQA has hired a new executive creative director. This time it’s P.J. Pereira, formerly the VP and creative director of Brazilian agency AgênciaClick.

Pereira is also president of the 2005 Cyber Lion’s jury for the Cannes International Advertising Festival. Other recent executive creative director hires include Lars Bastholm, who joined from Framfab in Denmark, and Rei Inamoto, who previously worked at R/GA in New York. Pereira will be based in AKQA’s San Francisco headquarters.

“P.J. represents an opportunity for us to take our creative up to the next level,” said Tom Bedecarre, CEO of AKQA.

Pereira replaces Glen Sheehan, who recently left the agency to become the North American creative director digital at Wunderman/Young & Rubicam Brands. AKQA says Pereira will have similar duties to Sheehan’s, but the position will have more global responsibilities.

The three new hires, plus two executive creative directors from AKQA’s London office — James Hilton and Daniel Bonner — will form the agency’s global creative council. Initially, the group will meet quarterly to talk about improving creative for the agency’s clients. AKQA executives say global clients, such as Nike, Visa, and Microsoft’s Xbox, will be the first to benefit from the regular creative powwows.

“I think it’s an exciting thing for these guys,” said Bedecarre. “It’s lonely at the top, and in this instance it’s an opportunity for them to share ideas and challenge each other.”

Pereira began his advertising career at traditional agency DDB DM9 in Brazil and has worked in interactive for six years. He’s won 13 Cyber Lions and a Cyber Lion Grand Prix at Cannes, along with eight One Show Pencils.