TBWA\Sydney has appointed Darren Borrino as Group Creative Lead, strengthening its senior creative ranks as the agency sharpens its focus on craft, ambition and idea-led thinking in the Australian market.
The hire adds experienced weight to TBWA\Sydney’s creative leadership at a time when agencies are under renewed pressure to deliver work that cuts through culturally, not just technically, as tools evolve and expectations rise.
A global creative returns, locally focused
Borrino joins TBWA\Sydney from New York, where he co-founded inkfish®, a project-based, idea-first studio that brought together specialist global talent for each brief.
Through inkfish®, he delivered work for brands including ASICS, Therabody, Pfizer, PromethistAi and Our Next Energy.
Prior to that, Borrino was Group Creative Director at TBWA\Chiat\Day New York, overseeing creative across Nissan North America and Hilton Hotels’ global business.
An art director by training, his career spans senior creative roles across New York, Sydney, Prague and Johannesburg, with work recognised at major international award shows including D&AD, Cannes Lions, Clio Awards, Spikes Asia and The One Show.
Matt Keon
Strengthening creative leadership
In his new role, Borrino will work alongside TBWA\Sydney Chief Creative Officer Matt Keon and the agency’s broader leadership team, with a remit to elevate craft, sharpen thinking and support teams in pushing ideas further.
The appointment reinforces TBWA’s Disruption® approach, as the agency looks to balance creative bravery with work that endures in a fast-moving market.
“I’m excited to return to TBWA, as an agency, it has always stood for creative bravery, and it feels like a privilege to join a team that’s hungry to keep raising the bar and making the work better,” Borrino said.
Keon said Borrino’s mix of craft and leadership experience would add depth to the agency’s creative output.
“Darren brings deep craft, strong conceptual discipline and an idea-first mindset,” Keon said. “He’s built teams, built a business, and understands what it takes to turn a strong platform into work that truly lands.
“His appointment adds senior strength to our creative department, and alongside the talented teams we already have, we’ll keep pushing the work forward.”
Craft, persuasion and what comes next
Alongside his agency work, Borrino is an AWARD School tutor, reflecting a long-standing commitment to developing emerging creative talent. He has also spoken publicly about the need to move beyond work that is simply “clever”, advocating instead for ideas that persuade and endure, particularly as the industry adapts to new tools, including AI.
For TBWA\Sydney, the appointment lands as agencies across Australia re-invest in senior creative leadership, responding to a market that is once again rewarding clarity of idea, depth of thinking and disciplined execution.
As competition intensifies and novelty alone loses its shine, Borrino’s arrival signals TBWA\Sydney’s intent to keep raising the creative bar locally, while drawing on global experience to do it.
Main image: Darren Borrino