14 Career Lessons From This Female Powerhouse

Don’t worry if your career isn’t something you feel you were ‘born to do’. At school, I loved writing, so I thought I wanted to be a journalist. But when I was doing my A-Levels, I stumbled across the field of advertising. The problem was, no-one I knew (in fact probably no-one in my town or perhaps even in my home county of Dorset) was in a similar field. Thankfully, I had good lecturers at college who encouraged me to think ‘up and out’, and not follow a more traditional profession like law. My parents were also super supportive. That’s probably why, after university, I had the confidence to move to London without a job – although I was determined to get one.

When you’re trying to get your first big break, persistence is key. After university, I wasn’t that successful in securing one of the usual graduate recruitment programmes. So, the summer after I graduated, I set about tracking down the names of 100 small agencies and wrote 100 letters. I got my first job within a week. Ultimately, it taught me the importance of resilience, determination and audacity.

The best advice I can give for interviews is to be yourself, and bring your best energy. My first interviews feel so long ago I’m not sure I remember them in any detail, but at my last agency I interviewed people pretty much every day. The best candidates were always interesting – they tended to have some inner steel and ambition, as well as being authentic and honest. They also had a natural curiosity and a willingness to learn.

At every stage of your career, networking is so important. It can be quite intimidating but there are a lot of brilliant networking initiatives, including mentoring and speed mentoring opportunities, springing up. Be brave, lean in and gradually grow your network and contacts – it then gets its own momentum and it all gets a lot easier.   

When it comes to being a good manager, kindness counts for a lot. In fact, it can be a superpower when you get it right. Talent is such a critical asset to all businesses and some organisations forget about that and forget the humanity element. Being kind is also about being honest, so it’s not all hugs and cups of teas. It’s about being clear on the standards you expect and ensuring your team can reach these expectations in a culture where they can be their best selves. 

In the world of work, adversity teaches you a lot. Being bullied out of an agency when I was much younger was about as horrific as it sounds. I didn’t have a big professional network at the time or any mentors. I’d speak to friends about it who weren’t in my industry and it was hard for them to realise all the micro-aggressions that were happening. Someone within the industry would have recognised them for what they were and helped me call it out. That said, I learned lots about myself and how to build teams and create a really strong positive agency culture as a result of a tough 12 months. I’m stronger for that unfortunate experience.

Building a more diverse and representative workplace is actually a very complex subject. Be curious – lean in and learn. Accept that no-one can become an expert overnight, but we all have to make sure we are open to learning. And if you are a leader, get as much data as you can – if you don’t know the problem, you can’t find the solution. Finally, make your commitment to create change public – we’ve just announced three big initiatives: Saatchi Ignite, a legacy partnership with schools; Saatchi Open, an entry-level programme for the next generation of talent; and Saatchi Home, affordable accommodation for entry-level talent.