‘Being Open to Change, Being Challenged and Feeling Uncomfortable’ with Joanna and Karen
Not a lot of good came out of that pandemic we all had, however for Karen and Joanna, their friendship and working relationship bloomed.
Originally meeting at the school pickup zone, they became each other's confidant during the pandemic when things were uncertain for everyone.
The pair have built separate careers that are extraordinary, honing creativity, craft, and strategy during their many years working within the industry and across the globe.
Today, they finally have the privilege of working together at 303 Mullenlowe. As a CEO and MD duo, they plan to foster emerging talents and the talents of working mothers.
LBB> What were your first impressions of each other?
Joanna > We first met at the school gates as mums with their first child starting school. Though we didn’t stay at the same school for long, an instant connection was made. There was a positivity, an energy, and a kindness that we recognised in each other. And we never seemed to have enough time at drop-off or pick-up to cover all the topics!
And so, a friendship was born – two working mums, both passionate about our industry, growing as business leaders, and soon facing the unprecedented challenges of leading teams through COVID.
During this period, we leaned on each other professionally – often troubleshooting the solutions to the people, process, and policy challenges of that period. It was a meeting of the minds.
Karen> When I met Jo at the school gates, she stood out. She had such a lovely energy about her – she was vibrant, kind, and super smart. We instantly connected, quickly figured out we had lots of mutual connections, and our relationship blossomed from there.
COVID hit soon after and having Jo around to discuss the perils of talent retention and leading teams remotely was a lifesaver. We have very similar values which I think is so important in a successful partnership. Most importantly… we have a laugh together.
LBB> This industry in particular relies on being able to trust your team. How did you know that Karen was going to be that trustworthy addition?
Joanna> I was instantly impressed by Karen’s business acumen, work ethic, and smarts. I was also impressed by her resilience and high energy in a demanding industry. But most of all by the instincts and values she brings to her decision-making. I trust her implicitly.
There was a meeting of the minds in terms of our attitudes to providing exceptional service to clients and creating an environment where people can do their best and most fulfilling work.
But we also come at opportunities in different ways – our different backgrounds, experiences, and strengths create a collaboration that is harmonious, and ultimately Karen has great judgement.
LBB> What is something that you are excited to explore together?
Karen> We’re currently working on productising some of the services 303 has been offering for a while now. We’re looking at more strategic ways to package these up to address the changing needs of our clients. Many of our big brands are looking for more agile production for channels such as social and we have built teams and services to address different kinds of work that complement our other offerings.
Joanna> Both of us are passionate about supporting and developing young women who have ambitions to be future leaders, and in particular working mothers – by creating a working environment that nurtures the best from its people. There is more work for all of us in the industry to do to achieve that. Together we are focused on enhancing our culture, bringing more diversity to the team, and exploring ways to provide meaningful flexibility.
Bringing Karen’s skillset to the agency also builds on our long-integrated model. We put the business problem in the middle of the table and attack it as a team across a diversity of disciplines and expertise. Karen will continue to champion that way of working.
LBB> How do you believe your dynamic will impact the team at 303? How do you plan to shake things up?
Joanna> The dynamic of our partnership is already having a positive impact on the team dynamic at 303 MullenLowe. Karen’s unique background will provide the team with new ways of thinking and expand the depth of response to clients in the space of PR, social, content and particularly in service of technology clients. Karen sets a wonderful example to the team of thinking differently about how we solve problems, and I have a deep trust in her commitment to delivering exceptional outcomes for all clients.
The opportunity exists to divide and conquer, to achieve significantly better outcomes for our clients’ businesses and our own business with increased bandwidth, and depth of knowledge.
It allows me the opportunity to work more on our business but also to have someone to collaborate with on business strategy.
LBB> You both have had successful careers. What is something you’ve learned along the way that you always come back to?
Karen> I once heard a quote “once you feel you’re the smartest person in the room, it’s time to get out of the room” and it has stuck. I think it’s so important to realise when you are becoming stagnant in your role and then you quickly either shake things up by innovating with teams, clients, services…or you look for something new.
The importance of a growth mindset cannot be underestimated. Surround yourself with people who push you to do better, who fill in your weak areas and build an army that’s better than you.
Being open to change, being challenged, and feeling uncomfortable – these are all the things that pave the way for a fulfilling career.
LBB> Karen, how will your previous role impact your current role at MD at 303?
Karen> In my previous roles, my key focus was to evolve the agencies from their heritage in pureplay comms to offer all marketing services under one roof.
I was constantly looking at ways to innovate by launching new products and services, bringing in new strategic partners or identifying new revenue streams - all with the end goal of ensuring we were one step ahead of the industry.
A big part of that role was understanding the heritage of what made those agencies great but at the same time, identifying what needed to evolve. Most importantly, bringing everyone along on the journey.
It’s a balancing act adding new thinkers and processes into an already successful business as they often bring with them very different ways of working. Leading this change can be challenging, but it’s a skill I feel I have honed over the years.
Agency land never stops evolving, and that’s why we love it. I’m hoping I can use my past learnings to work with the team on innovating and figuring out what the next big thing is before someone else does!
LBB> Joanna, how do you believe stepping up from managing director to CEO will impact your day-to-day?
Joanna> This is an exciting new phase in my career, and I’m very pleased to be able to start a new job within the agency and team that has already brought me so much fulfilment.
There is a huge change to my day-to-day with Karen taking on, and already very successfully delivering on her new responsibilities.
This has created time for me to guide the growth and expansion of our health space with 303 Health and our trans-Tasman delivery model which has been in great demand.
There is more time for me to meet with prospective clients, build on our integrated model and create a greater profile for the wonderful and varied work the agency is doing.
LBB> What piece of advice would you like to share with the readers of LBB?
Karen> As Steve Jobs once said, “Let’s go invent tomorrow rather than worrying about what happened yesterday” .Such a great piece of advice for work and life. With AI on our doorstep and the continuous disruption of digital, the opportunity is now to forward think and stop holding on to old ideas and patterns. Look up, surround yourself with people who inspire you, and never stand still!
