My name in the Irish language is Aodh Ó Conchubhair. In English it's Hugh O'Connor. Just call me Hugh. I believe in the power of creativity to stir emotions.
I just happen to have expressed this belief through advertising, working at the top-ranked creative agency in Ireland where I rose rapidly from a junior Art Director position to Head of Art. Since then, I’ve worked in Australia and New Zealand across a range of brands and government clients, seeing my work recognised by D&AD, Cannes, AWARD, One Show, Spikes Asia and more along the way.
• Snr Art Director at Clemenger,
Melbourne | 2023-Present
• Snr Art Director at FCB,
New Zealand | 2020-22
• Head of Art at Chemistry,
Dublin | 2018-19
• Art Director at Chemistry,
Dublin | 2014-18
• Board Member at ICAD,
Dublin | 2014-16
Awards & Media
AWARD Awards (2025)
- Silver, Creativity for Good
AWARD Awards (2024)
- Gold, Craft
MADC (2024)
- BEST IN SHOW, Deference for Difference
Best Ads (2022)
- Ranked 4th Globally as an Art Director
AWARD Awards (2021-2022)
- Silver, Integrated
Spikes Asia (2021-2022)
- Gold, Integrated
- Bronze, Print
AXIS Awards NZ (2021-2022)
- 1 Gold (Print)
- 2 Silver (Craft)
- 6 Bronze
D&AD (2021-2022)
- Shortlist, Press
One Show (2021-2022)
- Merit, Integrated
Cannes Lions (2021-2022)
- Shortlist, Integrated
Best Awards (2021-2022)
- Gold, Brand ID
The Kinsale Sharks (2017 - 2018)
- 1 Silver (Craft)
- 1 Bronze (Art Direction)
- 3 Bronze
Digital Media Awards (2016)
- Best Art Direction
The ICADs (2016-2017)
- 2 Gold
- 5 Silver
- 4 Bronze
- Greenhorn Award (Best young creative, Ireland)
ICAD (2015-2018)
- Judge at the Awards
- Mentor for the 'Upstarts' Programme.
- Active Board Member for Two Years
Lürzer's Archive
- Multiple works Published in Lürzer's Archive
Offsite (2017)
- Spoke as Part of the Creative Festival
3X3 Magazine
- Personal Illustration Work Published
Meath Folk Tales by Richard Marsh (2014)
- Personal Illustration Work Published by The History Press
Best Ads
- 11 Awarded ‘Best’
David Reviews
- 3 Five Star Reviews
- 7 Four Star Reviews
RTÉ (Ireland’s National Broadcaster)
- Interviewed through the Irish Language
DIT: School of Art, Design and Printing (2009-2013)
- Awarded First Class Honours
- Awarded ‘Best use of Visual Communication Design’
Undergraduate Awards
- Highly Commended (worldwide)
Brands I've Worked With
- Fire & Emergency NZ
- Fine Gael
- Four Square
- Groupon
- Heinz
- HCF Health Insurance
- Irish Cancer Society
- Irish Examiner
- Irish Heart Foundation
- Irish Life
- Jameson
- Kerry
- Lidl
- Masterfoods
- Mercury Energy
- Mini
- Mitre 10
- Mitsubishi
- Myer Department Store
- New Zealand Police
- NZ Post
- Oxfam
- Pak'nSave
- The Two Sisters
- Tesco Mobile
- Waka Kotahi (NZTA)
- Yes 23
Copyright — Hugh O'Connor, 2026 Site — David Stanley
