5 Minutes with… Kathleen Nanda
Kathleen Nanda is both bullish and upbeat in her predictions for the future of creativity: the tools and technology that continue to evolve her work as a chief creative officer offer little without the power and wonder of human imagination.
Kathleen is the CCO at FCB Health New York, an IPG Health Company – the industry’s largest and most successful single location healthcare agency. She is a deep believer that running a successful agency isn’t about chasing trophies, but chasing the clients that will push you, and the talent that will bring diverse perspectives and ultimately make the work stronger. Even with 88 wins across 17 US and international award shows in 2022, Kathleen’s leadership continues to be about building a culture and work environment where everyone can be their truest and best self.
To find out more, LBB’s Addison Capper chatted with Kathleen.
LBB> As the CCO of an agency, how important are its clients when it comes to the type and quality of work you do?
Kathleen> Clients are incredibly important. The work you do for your clients is most often a direct result of how effective your partnership is. The best work always comes from partnerships where there is trust, and an honest alignment of vision and goals. If you have that, I believe you can do great work, regardless of the category. Every agency person loves a brave client who clearly knows what they want. If you have that, great work will follow.
LBB> Your clients are obviously quite siloed to the health industry, which is subject to so many rules and regulations. How does that influence your answer to the previous question?
Kathleen> Yes, health has regulation but the category goes much, much deeper than that. Health and wellness are such an integral part of the human experience. In this category, the right creative solution can be both a powerful bridge, and a catalyst for better outcomes. Health also has a culture of fast-moving innovation. The health sector is driven by rapid and consistent advances, with today’s cutting-edge therapies forming the backbone for tomorrow’s next breakthrough. Every day we see this incredible progress changing the way we live with diseases such as cancer, diabetes, heart disease, covid-19, and soon, hopefully, Alzheimer’s. Being a part of this is an honour and a privilege, giving us all the opportunity to change lives with creativity.
LBB> What are the most important factors to you when building out and hiring new people for your creative department?
Kathleen> I stick to a tried and true approach, always looking for two simple things: great work, and great people. To be successful, you’ve got to have both.
LBB> How do you think about your role as a creative leader? How have you shaped a culture and environment in which creativity can flourish?
Kathleen> Today’s creative leaders must lean into both humanity and creativity. To get the best work from your teams, you have to create open and safe spaces for people to take risks and push boundaries. You have to nurture talent, provide plentiful opportunities and provide practical guidance when/where there is room for growth. I believe that people inherently want to succeed, and with the right support and opportunities, they can do great things.
LBB> More broadly, how do you feel the role of the CCO is evolving and how are you reacting to that evolution?
Kathleen> The creative department of an ad agency is a very, very exciting place to be right now. Technology, data and innovation are propelling our creative opportunities. So much of today’s innovation flows directly through the creative department. CCOs are embracing the latest tech, learning how to shape it, and using data to make the work as smart as it can possibly be. At the same time, we need to know how to engage cross-functional talent to enrich the creative process, all while keeping the fundamentals of a positive, truly inclusive, culture front and centre. It’s definitely a juggling act, but it’s a welcome challenge.
LBB> Which projects and campaigns from your time at FCBHNY have you been particularly proud of and why?
Kathleen> I’ve been lucky to have worked on a lot of great stuff, but one of my recent favourites is our Clinical Equality work. Health inequities run deep. I love when we can use the power of creativity to shine a light on these pervasive problems, and drive toward potentially life-saving solutions. I’m also very proud of our work for the Gay Men’s Health Crisis (GMHC). For years, we‘ve been working closely with GMHC to fight for health equality for the LQBTQIA+ community, with a focus on blood equality. Early this year, the FDA finally modified the guidelines for blood donation. Seeing that kind of change after years of hard work is the greatest reward.
LBB> Advertising has been adapting to the new challenges and opportunities wrought by technology for decades now and the industry seems to have absorbed those new things into its creative practice - just look at this surge of AI we’re seeing (which seems to be improving by the week). Does that represent a unique threat to creativity or will creatives adopt and adapt to it?
Kathleen> I think most creatives will embrace it, and run with it. The most successful creatives - and agencies - lean in to change and innovation. The industry has worked through so much radical disruption and innovation over the past decade or two - we’ve shown that we’re experts in early adoption. We consistently find ways to harness what’s new, elevate the work and take it to new places.
LBB> With that in mind, what are your broad predictions for the future of creativity within advertising?
Kathleen> I’m very bullish on the future of creativity. Creative tools are still powered by imagination. We need the best and brightest human inputs to get the most compelling outputs. Creatives are highly adaptable, and we’ve proven that decade after decade. When you look at the difference in the type of work we create today vs what we made 10 or 20 years ago, it’s astounding. We’re a naturally curious bunch, and get excited about what is next. Our early adoption propels the industry forward, and will continue to do that for years to come.
LBB> 2023 has been and looks to continue to be a challenging year economically - how, if at all, is this impacting the health industry and the communications you create for it?
Kathleen> Just like every other sector, health feels economic pain. Budgets get cut, and staff reductions may follow on both the client and agency side. We know that you have to stay hungry. We work very hard to chase every opportunity, run lean, and be very thoughtful about what we make and how we make it. Leveraging the right data, and the right production model, is critical to getting great work made, versus having great ideas that get stuck in the agency.
LBB> What was your first role in the industry? What are your fondest (or most horrifying!) memories from that time?
Kathleen> I actually started as an admin in the creative department at J. Walter Thompson. A little like Peggy from 'Mad Men'. Lucky for me, I had some very generous leaders, many of whom were women who had worked their way up from the typing pool and helped me earn a seat at their table. Creative departments were a little like the wild west back then, filled with all sorts of interesting characters with a lot of freedom. Depending on the day, that could sometimes lead to either fond or moderately horrifying moments. Always hard to predict, but all part of the adventure.
LBB> We've spoken about your leadership responsibilities and the need to nurture talent, but is there someone in the industry that you look up to or someone that has been a great mentor?
Kathleen> For the past 12 years I’ve worked with Dana Maiman, CEO of IPG Health, and I still learn something new from her on an almost daily basis. Working with her is like taking a masterclass in leadership. We’ve been in some intense, sometimes intensely comical situations, and she is always, always graceful under pressure, making incredibly sound and insightful decisions. And she always lifts people up, making sure they know they are valued.
LBB> Outside of work, what do you get up to?
Kathleen> I suffer from wanderlust and am always planning my next trip. Next up, I’m dragging my husband and teenage daughters to Rwanda, Zimbabwe and Botswana. Thankfully, they too love a little adventure and are great travel partners. I also love to be outside, skiing, paddleboarding, hiking, biking and hanging with my beloved, but often over-zealous, dog Cooper.
