Dream Teams: Husband and Wife Duo Prove Polar Opposites Attract

A partnership that spans many years as well as professional and personal lives, Winson Woo and Wanshi Lu have known each other since 1999 and were first drawn together at university at London’s Central Saint Martins. Noting a creative cohesion between them, the pair decided to team up and have been inseparable ever since. 

“Before we started our creative careers, Winson was primarily a military strategist and Wanshi was a conceptual photographer,” they share. “Neither of us was trained in traditional copywriting or art. We reasoned that we would be more likely to work well together than with anyone else in the room because of our backgrounds.”

During university, being told they were "maybe second at best”, spurred the two on and they attribute their drive and work ethic to this. After graduating and in search of their first role, the pair put together a portfolio and set out to impress the world of advertising. “Wanshi had a lot of random ideas, and Winson had a plan to telephone the biggest name in the business – someone of distinction, preferably with a knighthood title in the country,” they remember. So, Sir John Hegarty seemed like the obvious choice. “We were only children! He was so kind though and agreed to meet us and review our portfolio. Of course, we did not get the job.”

Luckily, their career took a turn for the better, and since then, have travelled around the world from the UK to South America, Europe, North America and China, working at agencies such as Wieden+Kennedy, Jung von Matt, Crispin and Fallon. Today, they helm Mother Shanghai as partners and ECDs – a full circle moment for the married pair who had previously been part of the agency’s London and Buenos Aires teams.

“Answering Mother Shanghai’s brief to open its doors in China in 2019 was probably the most difficult and important project we have ever had,” they reveal. “This brief continuously requires us to apply everything we have learnt, including creativity, logic, humanity, strategy, business management, and reading The Financial Times. Also necessary is the ability to recognise failures and successes, as well as the willingness to adapt to change. Keeping the Mother Shanghai ship steady during the three years of covid closure was nothing but rough water. It has been a one-of-a-kind experience full of extremes.”

But, as self-confessed polar opposites, dealing with extremes is something the partners are well acquainted with. Winson states that “Wanshi's mother has always said she had many funny ideas as a child and is pleased that Wanshi can make a living from them. That has remained largely unchanged to this day.” While Wanshi says, “Winson's father is a natural leader who is organised, vocal, and strategic, as is Winson. That foundation has remained consistent over time, only becoming sharper and more precise. I frequently make fun of his love of straight lines at work and at home!”

“Our thought processes, considerations, problem-solving strategies, and viewpoints are completely different,” she continues. “This distinction allows us to see things in a broader context.” An “unquestionably useful” advantage in both professional and personal situations, claims Winson.

With such differing mindsets, the pair admit that disagreements are a normal part of their lives: “But it would be uninteresting otherwise. Having different perspectives on a problem can lead to different creative solutions. We prefer to embrace rather than avoid this process.” 

Their simple principle they use to settle any creative disagreement? “The best idea always wins.”

By having a trusted creative partner, they say, “You devote less time explaining a scenario or worrying about an emotion and more time developing strategic, creative solutions for the problem. It is extremely useful if you still want to go grocery shopping after work.”

But while shopping, they may still find themselves continuing to discuss ideas: “It is nearly impossible when you are creative partners as well as husband and wife to separate the work relationship from the personal relationship. We make every effort to keep the two as separate as possible... But, we often fail.”

“We do enjoy going away and living with non-chatty trees, or occasionally submerging ourselves in a mud pool or on two wheels when we’re out of the office though,” says Wanshi.

It is clear from speaking to Winson and Wanshi that their passion for work runs deep and across every element of their lives. They say, it is the wisdom from “some of the best minds” they met along the way that has shaped them into who they are today:

Richard Flintham: "You will do fine."

Matt Keon: "Relax."

Carlos Bayala: "Most people do not know how to use you yet."

Matthew Atkatz: "I am going to fight for your ideas."

Robert Saville: "Just get on with it."

And their biggest inspiration of all? Mother. 

“We have been in this business long enough to notice that many of us lose our sense of self once we reach a certain point. But Robert Saville, aka Bob, founder of Mother, remains human. He genuinely cares about people, remains naive, and is creative, and these characteristics carry over to the company which is unique and inspiring.”

“We don’t just say this because Bob has put his trust in the two of us to build Mother in Shanghai. For that, he is incredibly brave.”