Two-Time Cannes Grand Prix Winner Celia Mortlock Joins Wieden+Kennedy Sydney

Wieden+Kennedy Sydney has hired Celia Mortlock as creative director, a move that brings a two-time Cannes Grand Prix winner back to the Australian market after more than seven years in New York.

The hire matters for one measurable reason: Mortlock helped adidas collect two Grand Prix at Cannes Lions while at Johannes Leonardo, and that work contributed to adidas being named one of the top 10 creative brands globally. That is the kind of trophy record agencies cite when pitching for global accounts. What W+K Sydney plans to put her on, the announcement does not say.

Who is Celia Mortlock?

Mortlock joins from Johannes Leonardo, the Australian-owned, New York-based agency known for consistently awarded work. Her rise there was fast and traceable:

• Started as senior copywriter in 2019
• Promoted to associate creative director in 2023
• Elevated to creative director thereafter

At Johannes Leonardo she worked with adidas Originals, Instagram and Zillow. Two Grand Prix for adidas at Cannes Lions sit at the top of her results column. So does the agency-level recognition: she was part of the team when adidas cracked the global top 10 creative brands.

Her résumé also stretches beyond the US. Before New York, she freelanced as a copywriter in Amsterdam, with stints at Wieden+Kennedy and Two Fish. That means the Sydney move reunites her with a network she already knows, not a cold start. Agencies rarely mention that detail in hiring announcements; here it is verifiable.

Where did she start?

Mortlock began her career at Clemenger BBDO Sydney in 2015, joining as a graduate before moving into a copywriter role. There she helped the agency win Agency of the Year at the AWARD Awards, Australia's long-running creative-industry awards program. She has also served as an International Guest Lecturer for Copy School, the industry's specialist copywriting training program.

The Sydney return, then, closes a loop that opened a decade ago at one of Australia's most decorated agencies.

What happens next?

Mortlock will appear publicly in a judging capacity almost immediately. She is next week's guest judge for Bestads, the advertising showcase site, with her review published on Tuesday 17 November.

She was photographed at this year's Campaign Brief Legendary Lunch at La Colombe d'Or during Cannes Lions, alongside Samira Ansari and David Droga, celebrating her part in the two adidas Grand Prix won via Johannes Leonardo NYC.

What's the caveat?

Trophies don't transfer automatically. A Grand Prix record earned on a global adidas account in New York doesn't guarantee the same output in the Australian market, where budgets and client appetites for risk differ. Wieden+Kennedy Sydney hasn't disclosed which accounts Mortlock will lead or the client work she'll touch first. The hire signals intent; the results will take a cycle or two to judge.

For CMOs watching the local creative bench, though, the signal is clear. One of the most decorated Australian creatives of her generation just came home, and she landed at a network shop with global reach.