Leighton Howl
Recruitment Director
Let's chat on 021 702 573 or at the office 09 373 3791
Leighton leads the Agency Agent Team at the Pond, placing NZ’s best creative, digital and marketing talent into freelance, contract, and full-time positions with 150 of NZ’s best digital, design, advertising, media, production, and specialist agencies – plus a growing list of agencies overseas as well.
Leighton spends the average week growing The Pond business and working closely with agency clients who understand that people are the most important ingredient in the success of their companies.
Since founding The Pond in 2006, Leighton has grown the business into a leading player in the professional creative recruitment field, providing premium candidates, promoting better industry standards, and producing better results for clients. The Pond now represents more than 300 of NZ’s most sought-after talent across 50 key professions.
Leighton understands talented people because he worked alongside so many of them during his eight years as an ad agency creative. He was always pretty sharp at selling in his ideas, a gift that he has developed even further by successfully pitching NZ’s best creative talent to clients.
“Good people are the key to building strong agencies,” says Leighton. “Our clients want the best and newest talent in the areas of creative, design, digital, and marketing to add their magic and fulfil their ongoing needs.
“The Pond helps clients to do that, easily and robustly. We find the right candidates to nail every brief that comes through the door, plus we help creative, digital and marketing professionals find rewarding work, realise their market value, and achieve their overall career goals.”
Outside work, Leighton is a family man with one wife, two kids, one dog, and six racehorses. He’s also an avid sports watcher, gardener, red wine drinker, gym-goer, fly fisherman, part-time wannabe architect, and ex-rep rugby player.
If you want no-nonsense, practical advice about how to handle your agency’s staffing needs, and how to secure the best people and retain them, Leighton is the man to call.
Full Time Roles
- Account Manager (Agency)
- Auckland
- $80k - $90k
- Full Time
- Live
- Graphic Designer (Health & Beauty)
- Auckland
- $80k - $85k
- Full Time
- Live
- Design Director (Packaging / Product)
- Auckland
- $170k - $180k
- Full Time
- Live
Need winter holiday cover in the creative department?
If you've got staff heading off to the tropical islands this winter for a long break feel free to get in touch. We have the best freelancers in the market who can hold down the workload and keep the ideas and briefs ticking along nicely.
New Role: Mac Operator / Senior $70-$75K / Auckland
An Auckland advertising agency, with a fantastic work culture, is looking for a fast, can-do-attitude, Senior Mac Operator to join the studio team. They are picking up new clients left, right and centre so they are looking for someone who is highly proficient in layout and template design, setting up style sheets, quality file saving and management, brand guidelines, and more... Bonus - if you also enjoy a couple Friday afternoon beers too! If this is you, send me your C.V Asap.
It takes 6 hours of your month to hire a full-time creative through the Pond!
Step 1: One hour to meet a agent and give them the talent brief, you talk we write. Step 2: Thirty minutes to review the agents reverse talent brief, make changes and e-mail it back. Step 3. One hour (10 minutes each to review six of the best from us) Step 4. Two hours to interview the two preferred options. Step 5. A one hour second interview of the new creative. Step 6. Thirty minutes to arrange a letter of offer, employment contract and e-mail it to your Pond Agent to manage with the creative and to get signed.
