The One Club for Creativity, the world’s foremost nonprofit organization whose mission is to support the global creative community, has added three creative leaders to its esteemed Board of Directors.
Elected by a vote of The One Club membership to two-year terms for the first time, effective immediately, are Aaron Starkman, Global CCO at Rethink based in Toronto, and Xanthe Wells, VP, Global Creative at Pinterest in San Francisco. Returning to the Board for a second time is Greg Hahn, Co-founder, CCO at Mischief USA in Brooklyn.
Board member responsibilities include providing guidance on the club’s many professional development, education, and diversity programs, connecting the club with advertising and design schools, and nominating top creatives to serve on juries for The One Show and ADC Annual Awards.
“We’re often defined by which side of the industry we come from, but The One Club demonstrates that true progress is only possible when we stand on the side of creativity”, said Wells. “I hope my role on the Board helps further blur the lines between brand-side and agency-side, inspiring us all to lead this era of technological transformation with a unified voice, championing diversity, equity, inclusion and integrity at every turn.”
“As a student, The One Show annual was my gold standard—I studied those pages on the subway, dreaming of one day making it in,” added Starkman. “To now be invited onto The One Club Board, made up of so many people I admire, is an honor beyond anything I could have imagined. The One Club has always stood for creativity, community, and integrity—and I’m thrilled to be part of it.”
“I’m thrilled to be back with The One Club Board,” said Hahn. “The industry is going through such radical change at the moment. The One Club has always been a strong force in leading and guiding the industry through changes. There’s never been a more exciting and important moment to be part of the conversation.”
The trio of new Board members replaces Kaite Allen, Global Head of Marcom Marketing at Airbnb; Philippe Meunier, Co-founder, CCO at Sid Lee; and Leslie Sims, former Chief Marketing and Creative Officer at Impossible Foods, who completed their terms of service.
“On behalf of the club, I want to thank Leslie and Philippe for their decade of service to the Board, always pushing us in the right direction and keeping us focused on supporting the creative community,” said Kevin Swanepoel, CEO, The One Club. “We wish Katie well in her new top marketing position at Airbnb, which made it difficult for her to continue on the Board. We’re excited that Xanthe, Aaron and Greg have accepted their new positions, and look forward to their insights and input to move the club forward.”
Swanepoel made special note of Meunier’s contributions, which also include three years on the Art Director Club Board of Directors before ADC’s 2017 merger with The One Club to form The One Club for Creativity.
“Philippe was a driving force behind ADC’s success, and played an important role in making the merger a success,” he said. “The One Club owes a great deal to his vision and hard work.”
The One Club for Creativity – home of The One Show, ADC Annual Awards, Art Directors Club of Europe (ADCE), ONE Asia Awards, Type Directors Club and competition, TDC Ascenders, Young Guns, Young Ones Student Awards, Next Creative Leaders, ONE Screen Short Film Festival, and more – is the world’s foremost non-profit organization whose mission is to support and celebrate the global creative community. Revenue generated from entries to its global awards shows goes back into the industry to fund programming under the organization’s four pillars: Education, Inclusion & Diversity, Gender Equality, and Creative Development.