Prime Mover Recruitment founder Simon Hadfield talks shop with Clemenger CEO Lee Leggett.
You’ve been with BBDO just over 2 years now Lee, and you’ve had the reins of the united group for a few months. It must be an exciting time?
It really is. This isn’t a reset. It’s a step forward. We’ve brought three brilliant agencies together, not to start from scratch, but to build what we were always meant to be. A modern creative company with scale, ambition and soul. What’s exciting is that clients and talent are responding. There’s a great energy in the place. We’re doing big things and we’re just getting started.
You seem to have had a few nice wins recently; it must be nice to get the monkey off your back?
We have and that’s a lovely start for new Clemenger. At the same time, we’ve also been focused on our current clients and on the work that’s in train. We’re trying to get the balance right.
What I take from the wins is that it’s a signal that clients believe in what we’re building. We’re not looking in the rear-view mirror. Our best work is ahead of us.
You’re one of the few leaders who has had senior roles in both creative and media agencies. I think that would provide you with a nice point of difference?
I hope it does. While most of my career has been spent on the creative side of our business, I’ve always felt that to truly help clients, you need to understand the whole picture, which is why my time in media was so interesting. I believe the old model, where creative and media sit in different buildings, is collapsing. Clients want holistic and connected thinking. Hopefully, my experience across both means I know what real integration looks like, and how it unlocks better outcomes for our clients.
It feels like the industry as a whole is in quite a challenging period. Any observations as to why?
There’s no question the industry has lost a bit of confidence. Agencies have become too transactional, too apologetic, too focused on deliverables. We stepped away from creativity, not because we lost it, but because it hasn’t always been valued. But the tide is turning. Creativity is having a comeback. And we’re ready for it.
What have you learnt in the last 5 years?
I’m sorry for the obvious answer but it has to be that change is a constant. I’m interested in how we build the skills needed in this adaptive environment. How do we build resilience? How do we adapt our model? How do we support our teams when so much in the world is changing around us?
Outside of business, what keeps you out of trouble?
I’m an Uber driver at the weekend – exclusively working for 2 teenage customers - who give me a terrible star rating.
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