Special has recruited Peter Defries and Alan Wilson as Regional Group Creative Directors for Uber and Uber Eats in the Asia-Pacific (APAC) region. The duo, who have been a creative partnership for 14 years, are returning to Australia after spending nearly a decade in New York.

Defries and Wilson previously held the positions of Executive Creative Directors at BBH New York, where they led the J.M. Smucker Company business and managed major U.S. accounts such as Walmart and Cadillac. Their work has earned them over 30 international awards, and they were named among the Top 20 Executive Creative Directors in the world by D&AD in 2022.

The leadership team for Uber APAC at Special now includes Celia Garforth and Lauren Portelli, alongside Defries and Wilson. Under the leadership of Garforth and Portelli, Special has expanded its partnership with Uber and Uber Eats across Australia and New Zealand (ANZ), Japan, South Korea, Hong Kong, and Taiwan.

Special's achievements include winning a Gold Effie in 2024 for the 'Get Almost Almost Anything' campaign in ANZ. The agency was also recognised by Campaign Asia as Agency Partnership of the Year. Special leads a specialised on-the-ground offering in Tokyo to support Uber Japan's business, which was named Campaign Asia Brand of the Year.

"We’ve been massive fans of Special for some time now. Watching from the other side of the world, we were consistently blown away by the breakthrough work they produced, especially with Uber and Uber Eats," Wilson said. "So when the opportunity arose to be part of it, we couldn’t say no."

Defries commented on the move from New York, saying, "Leaving New York wasn’t a decision we took lightly—it gave us some of the best experiences of our careers. But the chance to come home and join this extremely talented team, pushing creative boundaries at a world-class level right here in our own backyard, was simply too good to pass up."

Tom Martin, Partner and Chief Creative Officer of Special Australia, welcomed the new appointments. "We’re pumped to have Pete and Alan boomerang back to Australia and back into Special. We’re at our best when we bring together top-tier humans who get what it takes to make great work and do it with care, craft and real collaboration."

Cade Heyde, Global Partner of Special, highlighted the significance of the team, saying, "The magic of Special Group comes from the extraordinary people behind it. Celia and Lauren have been instrumental in building our creative reputation across APAC. And now, with Peter and Alan joining them, we believe we have one of the best, most exciting teams in the world."