Special Australia is an independent creative firm that provides advertising, brand design, and marketing services for major global and regional brands. The company focuses on strategy, creativity, and integrated brand experiences to drive cultural and commercial impact.
Founded:2013
Headquarters: Surry Hills, New South Wales, Australia
Industry: Advertising and Creative
Notable Info: Agency of record for Uber
General Manager, Japan
In close partnership with Special Group, we’ve successfully placed a Japan General Manager who brings optimism, creative problem-solving, and hands-on leadership to build the Japan office from the ground up. From reimagining production constraints to inspiring a tight-knit team and deepening key partnerships like Uber, this leader is ready to shape bold ideas into reality and set a new standard for what’s possible in Tokyo.
Challenges
Defining a Complex Leadership Role
The search required a rare mix of strategic leadership, creative problem-solving, and hands-on operational capability.
Navigating the Japan Market
The candidate needed deep understanding of Japan’s advertising and production landscape.
Undefined Role Scope
The search began without a formal job description, requiring careful interpretation of leadership’s vision.
Outcomes
Successful GM Placement
A General Manager was hired to build and lead Special Group Japan.
Stronger Strategic Partnerships
The new leader is positioned to deepen partnerships, including with Uber.
Efficient Search Completion
The role was successfully filled in under 90 days.
The Challenge.
Finding the right General Manager for Special Group Japan was a uniquely complex challenge: we needed a rare blend of strategic leader, cultural architect, hands-on producer, and creative problem solver who could thrive in an entrepreneurial, high-performance environment. This person would need to inspire a small but mighty team, navigate the nuance of Japanese advertising and production, and deepen an already ambitious partnership with Uber, all while embodying optimism, empathy, and a solutions-first mindset. With no formal job description but a clear vision from leadership, this search demanded both precision and intuition to identify a candidate who could build something truly special from the ground up.
The Approach.
We began the search with detailed intake discussions to understand both the requirements of the role and the broader context of Special’s culture and goals. Conduit then initiated exploratory discussions with prospective leaders at companies where we believed relevant and complementary experience existed. We provided advisory services, help shape hiring process and oversaw scheduling logistics. Throughout the search we provided Special with front-line recruiting insights into the Japan talent landscape, along with practical advice on hiring approach and process. The result was a well-informed and focused search that ultimately identified the right candidate to lead Special Group Japan.
The Outcome.
Despite Special Group having conducted an unsuccessful search for more than 12 months prior to our involvement, we reset the process, refined the market approach, and completed the General Manager search in under 90 days, fully aligned with the expectations set at the outset of the engagement.
Working closely with Special’s leadership, we helped clarify the shape of the role and translated a broad vision into a focused search strategy prioritizing entrepreneurial leadership, cultural alignment, and deep knowledge of Japan’s advertising landscape.
Through targeted market mapping and hands-on advisory support, we engaged senior leaders with the strategic, operational, and creative capabilities needed to lead the Tokyo office, ultimately securing a General Manager positioned to build the team, strengthen key partnerships, and drive Special’s growth in Japan.