3. The advertising and media landscape is changing at an incredible pace – how do you adapt and lead continuous change? The Marketing and Communications Industry is going through structural change. The amount spent on marketing investment as a proportion of total revenue has remained at approximately 11% - 12% over the last 5 years according to Gartner. However, how that Marketing Investment is spent has changed significantly. CMO’s not only need to focus on Communications, but also Commerce, Customer Experience and Marketing Technology. I have created a Client Council at WPP in the U.K to understand what growth looks like for our clients over the next 5 years and the barriers to getting there. It is then my role to ensure we are evolving to help meet those needs. Ensuring we deliver what our clients need to grow, means ensuring we recruit and retain talent from a broad and diverse range of backgrounds. My focus is to create integrated and diverse teams that are multigenerational, as well as with a wide range of specialist skills.
4. Is what you do now, what you set out to achieve in your career? I have always been curious about people, what influences their behaviour and how you create behaviour change. At the same time, when I was growing up, I loved the tv ads as much as the programmes. I was fascinated by the entire process and would try and come up with better ideas and think about targeting and placement. The work that my industry creates influences popular culture and can influence cultural norms. Hence, working with diverse talent and harnessing creativity is what really drives me. I will not accept inequality and will always champion talent, ensuring talent (from whatever background) has opportunity.
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5. Who has been the biggest influence on your career and why? I talk a lot about having sponsors and cheerleaders in my life and all of whom have helped me in my career. Sponsors are those people who saw my talent having worked with me on a project. They are more senior than me and could talk about what I am capable of, in the rooms that I did not have access too and advocated for places on project teams or for the next role. Sponsors have included Sue Unerman, Chief Transformation Officer at MediaCom, Jane Ratcliffe, former Chairwoman of MediaCom, Nick Lawson, Global COO, MediaCom. My Cheerleaders come from a wide range of backgrounds. We have met at work, at events, at conferences and found that we have a shared experience and chemistry. I cheerlead them as much as they cheerlead me. They are the people that know me inside and out, are the people that put a hand on my back to push me forward or lift me up when I fall. I have also had a Life Coach (Adrian Green from Pressurepoint) for over 15 years who has been invaluable in helping me with self-belief and being able to articulate my ambition and take control of my career.
6. What was the most important advice you were given? From my dad; Learn, earn & serve. He also told me I have two ears and one mouth and to use them in that proportion!
7. Businesses cite talent as their most important asset and the most difficult to acquire. How important is assembling the right talent and what are your tips for attracting talent? I often quote my 9-year-old son with regards to talent, as the right team is like assembling The Avengers Assemble – diverse, each person with
a unique superhero power and working together as a team. A true celebration and appreciation of difference and recognising each other’s strengths. To attract talent, you must be open to where talent can originate from, create programmes to allow talent to experience your company and culture, ensure the culture is inclusive and progressive so that that talent stays and develop careers at your organisation. Use tech and specialists to help attract diverse talent.
8. Why was establishing the apprenticeship at MediaCom so important to you? If my Industry is going to continue to grow, it needs to reflect Modern Britain in its make up and attract the best talent. My industry has been limited in where we recruit from - a handful of Universities. Universities that are not particularly diverse. Whereas 7% is the national average in the U.K for people to have been privately educated, in my industry 31% of senior leaders have been privately educated. Due to the cost of attending University, it is not an option for everyone. If we only recruit from Universities, we are running the real risk of a future talent shortage. The Apprenticeship was the first for my Industry sector, and I am proud that so many agencies have also introduced Apprenticeship schemes.
‘The Marketing and Communications Industry is going through structural change. The amount spent on marketing investment as a proportion of total revenue has remained at approximately 11% - 12% over the last 5 years according to Gartner.’ 27