5 Minutes with… Louise Rudaizky

When Louise Rudaizky joined independent agency Atomic London six years ago, it looked quite different to the way it does now – and she helped to lead its transformation.

It was, as so many agencies still are, male-dominated. Louise worked to redress the gender balance, with the current split standing at 60/40, and zero pay gap too. She also built comprehensive DE&I policies from scratch, implementing blind score-carding, inclusive interview processes, and pioneering female health policies covering everything from fertility challenges to menopause to make Atomic London a truly modern and welcoming environment to work in. Further, under her leadership, the agency achieved notable growth last year amid a turbulent time and launched several businesses over the past 18 months.

The principle that clients need to perform like never before drives every decision and infuses all areas of the business with the agility that helps it to think ahead of market trends. With a taste for working with challenger brands, Louise says in her experience “these are [...] businesses asking better questions, moving faster, and thinking differently,” giving the agency the space to act boldly.

Below, LBB caught up with Louise to learn more about her approach to leadership, Atomic London’s success at delivering holistic solutions for clients, and how the agency is actively experimenting with AI.

LBB> You’ve been with Atomic London for six years. What kind of agency changes and transformations have you witnessed in that time?

Louise> Atomic feels like a very different place to the one I joined six years ago, but its beliefs and founding principles still underpin everything we do. So too do the founding partners, Jon Goulding and Nick Fox, who set the tone for the agency’s ambition.

The fundamental belief – that clients need to perform like never before – continues to shape the evolution of our business. It’s what keeps us agile and responsive to the ever-changing landscape, whilst remaining true to our core capabilities. We’ve demonstrated this through the creation of several businesses over the past 18 months, all within our Orbit framework. From our social business, Atomic Supernova – which has had an amazing start to what we hope will be a stellar future – to our talent business, which sits at the heart of Supernova and allows us to work on talent-led campaigns for the likes of Rina Lipa and Burberry, or Professor Green and IHG Hotels.

We also launched Atomic Matter, our healthcare advertising agency, built around a brilliant team of specialists who bring simple human insight and high-conceptual thinking to the healthcare sector. And we’ve got a few more bubbling away at the moment.

The agency's culture has also evolved. We believe in recognising and celebrating people’s superpowers – the special thing they do that makes them unique and brilliant. We expect everyone to leave their mark on the agency, no matter how long they’re here. And we want everyone to grow and seize opportunities – even if they don’t sit squarely within their job title. The entrepreneurial spirit that was evident when I first arrived now lives in everyone.

Personally, I’ve really relished the opportunity to be part of Atomic’s journey – growing and evolving with it. Before I joined, I had a taste of the start-up world in a health tech endeavour. I loved the highs and lows of trying to create something that didn’t exist before, rather than just fulfilling a role. It’s an incredibly daunting thing to do, and when the lows come, they hit hard – but the highs are irreplaceable.

LBB> With the rise of in-house teams and AI-driven solutions, how do you see independent agencies like Atomic London evolving?

Louise> Evolving with market trends to deliver real value to our clients has always been our focus at Atomic, and we avoid holding on to outdated structures that no longer serve anyone well. It’s clear that in-housing is a trend that’s here to stay, so independent agencies need to lean in and find opportunities to support clients who are looking for more efficient ways to drive greater output whilst maintaining creativity.

When working with clients who have in-house capabilities, it’s key for us to understand where the gaps are, so we can identify the best way to support them. In-house teams are often focused on output and may not always have the expertise to develop long-term, strategically led creative platforms. A recent AAR & ISBA report highlighted that 44% of marketers believe their biggest challenge is keeping in-house teams fresh. This is where we can help.

We support their big moments, offering a fresh perspective and providing strategic and creative leadership, as well as the building blocks and guidance they need to faithfully execute, adapt and evolve a suite of communications across the full funnel. In doing so, we continue to provide value that sits at the core of our business, while helping our clients become more self-sufficient in the most effective way possible. It requires a different mindset, approach and commercial model, with both parties being really clear on the roles they play and where the points of handoff lie.

LBB> Atomic London is known for working with challenger brands. How do you help brands punch above their weight in a crowded marketplace?

Louise> In our experience, these are the brands and businesses asking better questions, moving faster, and thinking differently. And that’s exactly the kind of energy we thrive on.
When it comes to how we do it, the superpowers methodology is really powerful. It’s about identifying the special thing they do – the thing that genuinely makes a difference to people’s lives. Not some category generic, but an honest reflection of what makes them unique, and how they can be truly relevant to their audience.

Creatively, we then unleash this across the customer touchpoints that matter most in a way that earns attention and engages meaningfully. We often talk about creative collisions rather than collaboration, because we believe the best ideas come from the clash of different disciplines – not from siloed thinking. This type of clarity of thinking and creativity then allows our ambitious clients to really punch above their weight regardless of spend.

Beyond the output, one of Atomic’s real strengths is how we work with our clients. We’re an agile partner that understands the need to move quickly and make smart decisions along the way. This kind of ‘in it with you’ mentality means we not only feel the pressure alongside our clients – we also share in their ambition. That makes the wins feel collective and satisfying for everyone involved.

It’s this kind of relationship that gives us the freedom and trust to deliver bold ideas – and, in turn, brilliant results – for ambitious brands.

LBB> Which of your past or current clients/work best showcases Atomic’s capabilities?

Louise> A huge amount of focus over the past few years has been on truly elevating the creative work across the entire Orbit at Atomic, with Ewan Paterson leading that charge and setting the creative vision. At the heart of all our work are simple, conceptual ideas that can live anywhere and really unleash a brand’s superpower. We're starting to see that vision and focus come to life more and more in our work across the Orbit.

Whilst much of Atomic Matter’s work is confidential, they’ve produced some brilliant work in their first year. They collide outstanding conceptual creativity that can stretch across multiple touchpoints, with human insight to drive real behaviour change in a sector that has lacked creativity and humanity. It’s a big part as to why they became Agency of the year at the PM awards having only been going for 10 months.

Within Supernova we have seen the collision of grown-up social thinking and talent management lead to transformational ideas with Back Market, Greater Anglia, and Ramona’s, amongst others – and with the recent addition of Candy Green to the team, their creative output is only set to rise further.

Within the ad agency we’ve had the opportunity to work with amazing clients like Greater Anglia, Hamptons, Yeastie Boys, Nest, and more recently, Uber Boats to create standout ideas that are then executed in the channels that have the greatest impact.
We approach every execution obsessively, because we believe a brilliant idea can live anywhere – and that’s what really matters. I’m genuinely excited about what’s to come from a creative perspective at Atomic. It feels like we’re in a moment – with focus, ambition, and momentum we have no intention of losing.

LBB> How is Atomic London embracing AI, and what do you think the role of AI should (or shouldn't) be in creative advertising?

Louise> Like many creative businesses, we’ve been actively experimenting with AI for some time – and we believe its power lies in amplifying human creativity, not replacing it. All departments across the business use it to varying degrees – from speeding up research and insight gathering, handling operational admin tasks, and generating quick concept mock-ups, to pressure-testing ideas from different angles, personalising messaging, or simply improving workflow efficiency. So in many ways, we’re very positive about the impact AI can have.

When it comes to our clients, we also see a real opportunity to help them navigate AI – as it can often feel like uncharted territory. More often than not, a shared learning agenda between us works best, allowing us to explore, test and evolve together. There are undoubtedly tools available now that can help relieve manual or time-consuming tasks, and we’d always encourage our clients to make full use of them – freeing up creative resource (whether in-house or agency side) to focus on the high-value, idea-led work that drives meaningful business results.

What AI can’t do well, however, is imagine. It can’t make that creative leap that leads to something truly original and ownable – ideas people genuinely want to engage with and stick in their heads. The nuance, empathy and lateral thinking that humans bring is still what leads to brilliant work. So yes, we’re all in on humans. That said, it does raise interesting questions about the skills we now need – to truly harness AI and use it to supercharge what we do and how we do it.

More and more, tech leaders are talking about being ‘fit for the future’ with AI – and it’s something I regularly speak to my children about. I encourage them to study subjects like psychology, philosophy, English, physics – things that develop how they think – so that when they do step into the workplace, they can pair that thinking with the power of AI and hopefully thrive.

LBB> In your view, what is Atomic succeeding and leading in right now? Are there any changes or improvements that you’d like to see the agency make?

Louise> Atomic’s success is deeply rooted in its ability to offer clients holistic solutions that are strategically designed to drive meaningful business outcomes. We talk about collisions rather than collaboration, because we believe it’s this kind of friction that helps transcend siloed thinking – enabling teams to work seamlessly together and draw on diverse perspectives to solve our clients’ business challenges through creativity. There’s nothing new about this approach in theory, but I think our Orbit model and the way we work allow us to really excel in practice.

Another key strength is our agility and founder-led, entrepreneurial mindset. Our clients feel that in how we work with them – and with the economic pressures being what they are (and have been for some time), clients both big and small are increasingly looking for this kind of approach. That said, we’re always looking for ways to improve. I’m a strong believer in the idea that if you think you know everything, you’ll stop learning – and eventually stop succeeding. I’d say we’re pretty tough on ourselves in that respect, but I think it will serve us well in the long run.

LBB> What’s the biggest lesson you’ve learned from leading Atomic London, and what advice would you give to agencies looking to grow in today’s market?

Louise> Leadership, teamwork and respect are essential. Success doesn’t happen in isolation – it depends on collective talent. I always look for people with skills and expertise that surpass my own. Then you have to give them the space and support to thrive. You don’t know everything – and that’s OK. You have to be willing to be vulnerable, to seek guidance. Find people who’ve done it before – they’ll help you if you ask. Try to overcome fear. So many human decisions are driven by it. But taking calculated risks – even when it feels daunting – is critical. Keep pushing through, even when it feels impossible. Embrace change. Don’t be afraid to step away from what’s always been done. Trust your instincts. Encourage innovation. Make room for something new. And learn from your failures. Don’t let them define you. Easier said than done – but important all the same.