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Russel Howcroft
Photo Credit: © Adam Luttick

Russel Howcroft

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Former adman Russel Howcroft is the public face of brand marketing and advertising in Australia thanks to his appearances on ABC's hugely successful show The Gruen Transfer, Network Ten's Recipe To Riches and the documentary How Australia Got its Mojo.

When he was twenty and partway through a marketing degree, Russel did a week's work experience at McCann Erickson agency. He fell in love with advertising and spent 24 years in the industry before joining Network Ten in 2013 as Executive General Manager, responsible for Ten's operations in Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth.

Russel has worked for some of the best agencies in the world including five years in the UK at Lowe Howard-Spink. He co-founded Leonardi Brandhouse and ran his own agencies with various partners for eleven years. In 2006 he joined George Patterson Y&R, Australia's oldest agency brand. The group included The Campaign Palace, VML, IdeaWorks and BrandAsset Consulting. Before moving into television, Russel was chairman and CEO of Young & Rubicam Brands Australia and New Zealand.

In 2010, media mogul Harold Mitchell presented Russel with a much-coveted Charlie Award for his personal brand creation off the back of The Gruen Transfer.

In 2017 Russel left the media world to become Chief Creative Officer and a Founding Partner of the CMO Advisory team at PwC. He is now the co-host of Melbourne's number one breakfast show on 3AW. He has been a board member of Melbourne Football Club and chairman of the Advertising Federation of Australia. He has sat on the ASX-listed Enero and is currently the Chair of AFTRS (Australian Film Television and Radio School) and a member of the Melbourne Cricket Club committee.

Books by Russel Howcroft

The Right-brain Workout 2

The second volume of fun and energising exercises for your brain from the marketing and advertising legends who want to unlock the creative genius inside of all of us

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The Right-brain Workout

Creativity has the power to transform.

To transform you, your mental state, your relationships, your work, and, yes, even the world.

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When It's Right to be Wrong

Why be the same as everyone else? Witty, informative and refreshing, this book by former adman and branding expert from The Gruen Transfer gets you thinking about the power of good ideas with examples from advertising, everyday life, design and business.

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The Right-Brain Workout 2 by Russel Howcroft and Alex Wadelton

Are you out of ideas? Feel your creativity drying up? Is brain fog taking over your life? Give your right brain a workout with the experts. In just ten weeks, you can reignite your imagination and tap into the creative potential inside you. https://www.penguin.com.au/books/the-right-brain-workout-2-9781760899479

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Right Brain Workout by Russel Howcroft and Alex Wadelton

Re-train your brain to be more creative in 10 weeks. In THE RIGHT-BRAIN WORKOUT, you’ll find 70 questions posed by some of Australia’s most creative people from the worlds of comedy, art, advertising, music, literature and photography. Questions that will probe, cajole, and challenge you to be more creative, every day. Learn More: https://www.penguin.com.au/books/the-right-brain-workout-9781760894955