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Three Things on a Thursday: The power of progressive leadership
BITE’s fortnightly round up of the most read articles on the Creativebrief platform shows the power of progressive creative leadership.
Nicola Kemp
Editorial Director CreativebriefIf you aren’t passionate about the creative industry, then why are you here?
It is a simple question, yet one that arguably we don’t ask enough. In the midst of redundancies, restructuring and headlines that AI is coming for your job, it is understandable. The advertising and marketing industries have many talented people who are currently out of work, yet at the same time, the malaise in leadership suggests some industry leaders don’t really want to be there.
At a time of widespread return to office mandates, it is an important inflection point. Agency cultures are not built on free lunches alone. The simple truth remains that people want to work for and buy from companies they believe in. Companies built by leaders who care about the work and the people making it.
A truth reflected in our most-read stories of the past two weeks, all rooted in leaders committed to making a positive difference.
I work in a company that’s 70% women, and it’s time we talked about the side effects of that
In a challenging environment, it is all too easy to buy into the myth that positive change is impossible. This uplifting read from Impero’s Creative Director, Elliott Starr, is a much needed breath of fresh air. He lifts the lid on the fact that the agency has a 70% female workforce with 100% pay parity. In this inclusive culture, parenthood doesn’t have to be a penalty.
As he writes: “In many corporate environments, ambition is so revered people wear burnout like a badge of honour. Ours is a culture where ambition is not synonymous with exhaustion. Quite the contrary. The assumption is you’ll be better at your job because you have a life outside of work.”
Amen to that.
- Impero:
- Click here to read
‘We have to acknowledge society today is inherently unfair to many’
Ahead of Creative Equals’ RISE conference, Chief Executive of Ebiquity, Ruben Schreurs, shared his view on maintaining consistency with DEI goals in the face of political polarisation.
As he explained, “I believe we have to acknowledge that society today is inherently unfair to many. If we try to deny that, then we are in trouble.”
Schreurs shared his view on the impact of the growing anti-DEI rhetoric that the new Trump administration has ushered in. At a time when major companies have hastily rebranded DEI initiatives or removed references to DEI from their annual reports altogether, his clarity is refreshing.
“The generational impact of racism and segregation means I find it difficult when anyone objects to affirmative action because they believe it is racist,” he continued.
Taking a sustainable approach to brand building and inclusion alike is the red thread that runs across Schreurs’ approach to leadership. Since taking on the role of CEO at Ebiquity in November last year, he has not side-stepped the big challenges. In an industry which has historically lacked transparency, he embraces clarity and consistency in what he stands for.
- Ebiquity:
- Click here to read
‘Creativity is the reason we get out of bed in the morning’
It is testament to the leopard-print swathed energy of new IPA president and BBH CEO, Karen Martin, that the woman who walked around Soho is still an industry-wide talking point.
Martin set out her ambitious plans to place human creativity at the heart of the industry in an energetic campaign that riffs on the iconic Johnnie Walker ‘Keep Walking’ campaign.
As she explained: “Over the next two years, I will be on a mission to fiercely protect, nurture and champion creativity in all its forms. Let’s put it at the heart of everything we do. Because it isn’t a nice to have. It’s all we have.”
When leaders care so passionately about the industry and the people within it, 2025 promises to be a year in which we don’t just keep going, we keep committed to raising the bar for everyone. We can do better.
- IPA:
- Click here to read
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