R/GA London Co-Founder James Temple to Lead Experience Team at VR Startup Magic Leap

R/GA London co-founder and chief creative officer for the EMEA region James Temple is leaving the agency for client Magic Leap, where he will serve as chief experience officer. Founder, chairman and CEO Bob Greenberg made the announcement this morning in an internal email. Florida-based Magic Leap is a VR startup which has secured over $1 billion in venture-capital funding from the likes of Google, Alibaba and Andreessen Horowitz, making it a "unicorn" in Silicon Valley parlance. It has collaborated with R/GA on past projects for various clients. "From our earliest work with Nokia and O2 to the Gold Lion winning work for Beats, James has always looked to push the boundaries of what is possible," Greenberg wrote. "It goes without saying that he will be missed." He added: "I am confident that R/GA London remains in good hands. We have an excellent leadership team and a deep bench of incredible talent across all of our disciplines who will ensure that R/GA London continues to produce the incredible work that it has become known for.". Greenberg noted that Temple will continue to work with the R/GA team while leading the Magic Leap account, writing that the move will "bring us closer to one of our most innovative and transformational clients." Temple joined R/GA New York in 2006 and co-founded its London office shortly thereafter, playing an instrumental role in growing R/GA London into a team of 350 and overseeing offices in Berlin, Bucharest and Istanbul. He was the originator of R/GA's global partnership with Beats by Dre and helped build the brand into a category powerhouse. Temple also served as a mentor for R/GA's Venture Studio startup accelerator programs and as a board member for East London Ventures. He began his career as a designer for IBM and then served as a design director for Electronic Ink before joining R/GA. "James was a founding member of the team that launched R/GA London and his creative talent has played a fundamental role in our success over the past 12 years," R/GA executive vice president, managing director, EMEA Matt Lodder said in a statement. "It goes without saying we’re going to miss him. But we’re delighted for James that he’s taking up such an exciting role at Magic Leap, a new partner for R/GA, meaning our journey together continues," he added. It is the latest in a series of departures by R/GA creative leaders in recent months, beginning with former global chief creative Nick Law, who left R/GA to join Publicis Groupe as global CCO in January. Chloe Gottlieb, who formerly shared the U.S. CCO title with Taras Wayner, also left to become director of user experience at Google in May, and Wayner is departing the agency to replace Javier Campopiano as CCO at Saatchi & Saatchi New York. Read Greenberg's internal memo in full below: All: Today I want to share with you that James Temple has decided to leave R/GA to join our client, Magic Leap, as their first Chief Experience Officer. As one of the founders of R/GA London, James has been with us for 12 years leading transformational experience, brand, and advertising work for some of world’s best and biggest brands. From our earliest work with Nokia and O2 to the Gold Lion winning work for Beats, James has always looked to push the boundaries of what is possible. It goes without saying that he will be missed. Personally, I will miss James, I’m one of his biggest fans. But, you should know that few people really leave R/GA forever – some of our best clients are R/GA alumni and some of our best talent and leaders are R/GA boomerangs. James is no exception. Magic Leap is a client of R/GA London and James will continue to work with the R/GA team leading the account. Magic Leap is incredibly happy with the work we have done for them and, if nothing else, James’ move will bring us closer to one of our most innovative and transformational clients. I am confident that R/GA London remains in good hands. We have an excellent leadership team and a deep bench of incredible talent across all of our disciplines who will ensure that R/GA London continues to produce the incredible work that it has become known for. Matt Lodder and I will keep you posted on the search for a new CCO for EMEA and we welcome your input and suggestions during this process. Finally, I want to take this moment to thank you for all of your incredible work and dedication this year. You continue to serve as an inspiration for me, your peers, our clients, and the industry. My best, Bob

Leadership & Talent

R/GA London Co-Founder James Temple to Lead Experience Team at VR Startup Magic Leap

Company is also an agency client

Erik Oster

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Erik Oster

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