Claire Joy joins YS as associate creative director

YoungShand has appointed Claire Joy as associate creative director, effective immediately.

Formerly a senior creative at McCann Group, Joy is the writer behind the gold Axis-winning and D&AD finalist ‘Booze maths’ campaign. She will partner with YS creative director Jules Spedding across the agency’s key accounts.

YS chief creative officer Corey Chalmers says: “Claire and I first crossed paths at Saatchis, where she made a real impression with her energy, passion, craft and smarts. Her recent well-deserved success for her work on Waka Kotahi (among other things) is no accident – I’m excited to have her strength of voice and depth of ideas join our creative team as we further our huge ambitions. The fact she’s absolutely hilarious helps, too – and kinda mandatory with a last name like Joy.”

A formidable voice

On the appointment, Joy says: “Sometimes I felt bad that for years I made Corey believe we were friends. Because from the moment he left Saatchis for YoungShand, the only reason I relentlessly pursued this relationship was so we could work together again. Thankfully, getting exactly what you want outweighs any guilt. Especially when it means partnering with a horrifically formidable creative like Jules at an indie with ambitions this big. Plus, keeping up the charade was getting tiring.”

Duncan Shand, YS CEO and founder, says: “We’re constantly levelling up our offering and output to meet clients where they’re at. It’s a truly exciting time to be indie, integrated and driven to make an impact with bold, loveable work that works. Claire’s voice will be a huge part of that for us. It’s great to have her on board.”

Joy is one of several new hires joining YS, with more announcements soon to follow.