Jolyon Varley, Co-founder and Global Chief Brand Officer of OK COOL, and Yash Murthy, Managing Director, OK COOL ANZ.

OK COOL appoints Yash Murthy as Managing Director, ANZ, to lead its regional charge

05 August 2026

SYDNEY, August 06, 2026 – As brands work to stay culturally relevant in a region where audiences move faster than the marketing built to reach them, OK COOL, the culture-first creative agency, is doubling down on the Australian market.

The agency today announced Yash Murthy as Managing Director, ANZ, where he'll lead the agency and drive OK COOL's growth across the region, reporting to Global CEO Benjamin Arnold. Murthy brings deep experience to the role, joining from Create Group in Dubai, where he was Executive Director, Strategy & Social.

Prior to that role, he was Head of Creative & Consulting at VaynerMedia Australia, where he led TikTok’s campaign of the year for PepsiCo. He also brings brand-side experience from his time at cult fast-food brand Guzman y Gomez, where he built and ran the brand’s in-house creative agency. Prior to that he spent four years at WPP’s AKQA Media as Director of Brand, Social & Creative Strategy across APAC, in addition to roles at Ogilvy, Droga5, and M&C Saatchi.

“What attracted me to OK COOL wasn’t just the team’s innate understanding of how modern brands are built through subcultures, platforms, and communities; it was the sophistication with which they consistently turn that comprehension into distinct, culture-forward work,” said Murthy. “Australia and New Zealand are two of the most vibrant and diverse nations on the planet, and I’m excited to be back home helping brands build the cultural associations that create fame, grow fandom, and ultimately drive the bottom line.”

“Australia and New Zealand have an outsized influence on global culture, yet too few local brands turn that into relevance and growth,” said Jolyon Varley, Co-founder and Global Chief Brand Officer at OK COOL. “We wanted a leader with the craft of modern brand building hardwired into them and the ability to help clients seize that opportunity. Yash has a rare mix of cultural intelligence, creative firepower, and entrepreneurial instinct, with the track record to back it up. Having him fly the flag for OK COOL is a major statement of how bullish we are about the region.”

About OK COOL

OK COOL are strategic and (very) creative partners to the world's leading brands, built for social. They represent world-class clients including Meta, TikTok, Verizon, lululemon and Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group. The agency was founded in 2016 and has headquarters in London, New York, Los Angeles, and Sydney. As of 2025, the agency is part of Residence, a global collective of agencies who prioritize craft, including BUCK, It’s Nice That, Acronym, Part and Sum, and others.

About Residence

Residence is a network of nine independent creative companies, founded in 2022 as a home for makers who see the world differently. It protects what makes each company distinct and brings them together to make the unmistakable. Headquartered in Los Angeles, its members are Acronym, BUCK, Creative Lives in Progress, GateMaker, Giant Ant, It's Nice That, OK COOL, Part & Sum, and Wild. For more information, visit residence.co.