‘You’re only as strong as your team’

How did you end up working in the advertising and branding industry? 

Three years ago, we launched Oryx+Crake to address Ebony+Ivory's (E+I) strategic expansion in the advertising sector, recognising the rapid growth of digital marketing post-Covid. My co-founders and I were tasked with establishing an independent agency capable of collaborating closely with E+I, offering specialised digital expertise to enhance client campaigns and meet the evolving demands of the marketing and advertising disciplines.

What do you do at work each day? 

As CEO, my primary responsibility is to uphold the operational standards necessary for optimal business performance. Each morning, our team convenes to review project statuses and performance metrics. This practice guides my daily tasks in refining our strategic direction and client delivery approach.

What makes you a good CEO?

Being a CEO comes with the greatest responsibility within an organisation, as you have to ensure you drive the vision and objectives of the business. What I believe are my core strengths in the role are that, as one of the founders of Oryx+Crake, I was there when the vision was formulated and [was] one of the main voices of the strategic objectives. This means I’ve been able to ensure decisions align to “why” Oryx+Crake was formed.

As we are an agency, it has been very important that I’m adaptable, as all clients serve different industries, so [they] need different thought processes when approaching their digital strategies.

What advice do you have for someone taking on a role like yours?

Always know that you are only as strong as your team, so make your team as diverse as possible. Individuals often find solutions based on their life experiences and their backgrounds, so the more diverse your team is, the more possible solutions and ideas you can have. It is also very important to develop emotional intelligence so you can understand your team members and their needs. This will create an organisational culture of inclusivity.

What qualities do you look for when recruiting?

Technical proficiency in digital marketing is very important, as almost all digital strategies are required to be executed through the use of digital tools and platforms, so candidates must be familiar with these tools. Strategic thinking is another important quality because we need to be able to analyse data using insights to drive our decisions. Being goal-orientated is imperative, too, as all the campaigns we run need to meet certain key performance indicators, such as engagement rates and conversions. Creativity is also required.