Rani Patel: Holding Frequency, Honouring Truth
In an industry often addicted to speed, bravado, and buzzwords, Rani Patel, whose agency career has now spanned 18 years, is a rare force of stillness and substance. Co-founder of the now-closed CALLING advertising agency, Rani has consistently chosen courage over conformity. Now, as she steps into a new chapter at adam&eveDDB, her story offers us something far more valuable than another tale of professional success. It offers us a roadmap for realignment.
Ugandan born and UK raised, Rani’s childhood was marked by contrast and resilience. She grew up navigating two worlds: a rich, vibrant home life and her dual Indian and African heritage and the exclusively white grammar school she attended, an environment where her difference was visible, sometimes isolating and not just skin deep. Rani has always been focused, and those early experiences became her foundation. They taught her to trust her inner voice, sharpen her sense of self, and develop an emotional intelligence that would later shape her leadership style.
“I learned early that you either shrink to fit, or you choose to expand.”
Rani chose to expand.
When she launched CALLING in 2023 with co-founder Josh Tenser, Rani wasn’t just building an agency, she was cultivating a new frequency and a new way of working. A values-first sanctuary for underrepresented creative talent, CALLING delivered standout campaigns for brands like Dr. Martens, Interflora, PG Tips and when meeting Rani to discuss this article..' Rani had this to say…
“I think the key point with the work we did was we took some of the most iconic and oldest brands, and modernised them by helping them find their calling and a valuable and meaningful place in today's consumer's lives.”
But as the external success grew, the decision to close CALLING was a recalibration. A masterclass in intuitive leadership, where emotional intelligence wasn’t a buzzword, but the mechanism by which decisions were made, and the decision was a joint one with co-founder Josh Tensor. Because when you work in tune with your higher alignment not everything sacred needs to last forever. It was time to pivot. To release what no longer aligned. To trust the flow of change. This isn’t unusual for Rani, for less connected individuals it can be hard to comprehend that some things are here to shift the energy and move everything on.
Prior to CALLING, Rani was business partner and director of Cultural Collaborations at Livity, a youth marketing and purpose agency, where she led partnerships for brands like Footlocker and Speedo. There, she helped launch the award-winning #SwimUnited platform to improve diversity in swimming and collaborated on landmark campaigns like Adidas London’s female visibility initiative and CoppaFeel!’s genre-defying breast cancer awareness work which launched Britain's first daytime TV on screen naked breast… which made everyone sit up and check.
Across her 18-year agency career including Iris, Cheil Worldwide, Fold7 and Ogilvy (as global business director leading Boots), Rani has been at the helm of some of the most socially resonant campaigns in the industry, from Adidas London’s work to champion female visibility, to Speedo’s drive to tackle inequality in swimming, to initiatives that have shifted public discourse around health, equity, and representation. In response to George Floyd’s death, she co-founded #BrandShareTheMic - an initiative that helped over 60 young Black creators take over major brand platforms, organically reaching over six million people. Her creativity doesn’t stop; she also launched a side project; FANGIRL, which became a retail brand and cultural platform for self expression. If you don’t know about it, look it up. She became a cult cultural voice, all the while reimagining her own creativity.
What makes Rani different isn’t just her story, it’s how she shows up. She speaks openly about her spiritual practice, and centring her wellbeing and the need for emotional clarity in leadership.
Her style is fierce in its empathy and rooted in integrity. She believes in psychological safety without compromising excellence. She holds people in their brilliance, but she also holds them accountable. With compassion. With presence. With power.
“It’s about resonance. The work, the team, the energy, it all needs to align. Otherwise, you’re just chasing noise.”
At The emPOWER Breakfast, we champion voices like Rani’s because they model a new kind of leadership - one that isn’t performative or self-serving, but purpose-led and deeply human. Her journey reminds us that success isn’t about clinging to what was, but having the courage to listen to what wants to emerge and approaching each experience with curiosity and something the Buddhists among us would call ‘the beginners mind’.
She is proof that you can have both edge and empathy. Strategy and spirit. Creativity and care.
Welcoming her to emPOWER wasn’t just relevant, it’s a revolutionary act. In a climate where too many leaders are burnt out, detached, or misaligned, Rani’s story brings us back to self, to centre, and to the why.
Now at adam&eveDDB, Rani brings all of herself, her strategy, soul, intuition, and legacy. She’s not editing her values to fit in; she’s elevating the culture from within. She continues to model what happens when leaders operate from a place of consciousness, not fear and she does so with humility, preferring to let the creativity blossom rather than disrupt what is already aligning.
Her story invites all of us to ask what messages have we been ignoring from within? What must we release in order to realign? And what if the pivot is not the detour, but the path?
Rani’s answer is clear… Trust the frequency. Move with the message. Let go and rise.
And at emPOWER, we believe her.
Rani Patel will be in conversation with Athene Parker at The emPOWER Breakfast on Wednesday 10th September. Tickets will be released on the 27th August.
