Karen Martin is leading BBH London into a new era

Karen Martin, at the helm of BBH London since 2020, is leading the storied agency into a new era as it refocuses globally on creativity. Martin spent 2021 securing a top team of talent around her (including AMV BBDO's Alex Grieve as chief creative officer), not to mention winning major new clients including two of the U.K.’s best-known consumer brands, Ribena and Alpen. Now, Martin said, she's focused on making its work not just “good” but “great.” See all of Ad Age's 2022 Leading Women here. As part of that, she's leaned into diversity initiatives, like bringing in inclusivity specialists The Unmistakables to lead agency training on cultural nuances. And Martin, who is Irish and worked in Australia prior to BBH, said she herself is a bit of an "outsider" in London adland: "I'n not from London and didn't go to an elite college, so I know you have to open doors for people." BBH also scooped a prestigious IPA Effectiveness award last year for Tesco, the U.K’.s biggest retailer, which Martin has run since she joined BBH in 2016. As well taking a global leadership role this year, she’s still heavily involved in Tesco and is staunchly loyal; her refrigerator is "always" stocked with Tesco products, she said. What advice would you give your younger self? Be authentic. Don't mold yourself into versions of leaders that other people expect. Be patient. Be kind. What’s the biggest risk you’ve ever taken? Leaving a brilliant life and career in Australia (with two young children and husband) to move to London and BBH. If you weren’t doing your current job, what would you be doing and why? I haven't asked myself this before, so I am working this out on the spot. I’m at my happiest when there is music and chatting involved, so I think I would like to be a radio DJ. What should the industry do to encourage more women and people of color into its ranks? We should be inclusive and representative of the communities we speak to, in front of and behind the camera. We should believe in the power of difference. Be prepared to admit what we don't know. And work with people who do. Have a company ambition to find and nurture the next-gen creative talent. Be more flexible, open to different ways of working. We introduced a new set of family-friendly policies to support working parents and carers and a menopause policy to help mitigate the impact of menopause on employees at work. See all of Ad Age's 2022 Leading Women here. What is the biggest lesson you have taken away from the pandemic? The importance of empathy and kindness. Creating a culture of generosity, of openness and honesty, of collaboration. It’s important in so many ways. We’re a stalwart in the industry, so we have an opportunity to make a difference, and the responsibility to make it a positive one. Make risk and failure part of the plan—then you're set, come sun or rain.

Karen Martin is leading BBH London into a new era

Featured Stories