OMD UK

My story may be different to the other entries you read in this category. It starts in April 2021 during lockdown restrictions, when I joined OMD UK as the New Business Development Director, responsible for all things new business and marketing, with no previous media experience. My previous roles gave me a wealth of business development experience, but this was my first step into the media world and it is fair to say it has been 6 months like no other.

Leading a strong and lean team of 5 we swam the uncharted waters of the pitch palooza (media pitches were up 36%) whilst dancing in the limbo that was the remote, hybrid, in-person pitching world. Up against many unknowns, together we started a streak of wins which I am proud to say, at the time of writing, is uninterrupted.

Our streak of wins got off to an incredibly strong start prior to me joining with the Lidl £60M buying win at the end of 2020. Then the momentum really picked up, we secured the Canva media account, followed by Noble Foods, Philips, pitching and retaining our flagship client Channel 4, Mercedes and Beyond Meat. Accumulating a total of £145M net new business billings without loosing a single client. Of these numbers I am of course incredibly proud, but the pastoral changes I have embedded to our New Business process – covering wellbeing, inclusivity and a growth mindset – are where I believe I have taken the agency to new heights.