Finishing a Fabled Chapter with Arthur Fleischmann
Within the Canadian advertising industry, there aren’t many names bigger than Arthur Fleischmann. He co-founded john st. in 2001. He helped it grow to the point of grabbing the attention of the world’s biggest holding company, WPP, which it joined in 2013. And, more recently, he found himself occupying two crucial positions within the national landscape: CEO of Ogilvy Canada, and country manager of WPP.
However, after 35 years of esteemed industry leadership, it seems the time has come for Arthur to take a break. In a major announcement last month, it was revealed that he’d be stepping back, handing over the reins to Christopher Andrews and Kevin Johnson at Ogilvy and WPP respectively.
While Arthur’s plans for the future aren’t yet definitive, what is certain is that he leaves behind a strong legacy. From navigating the opening of WPP’s Waterfront Innovation Centre and the covid-19 era to rebuilding the leadership team at Ogilvy, his impact has been tangible for many throughout the past years, and it will be a real challenge to fill his shoes in the months to come.
To learn more about his career, lessons well-learned, and why now was the right time to make this move, LBB’s Jordan Won Neufeldt sat down with Arthur for a chat.
LBB> Arthur, for a start, congratulations on hitting this benchmark of 35 years of industry leadership! What does this milestone mean to you?
Arthur> I think it means I’m older than I feel! I know a lot of people like to take jabs at our industry and its future. But it is the only industry I could imagine working in. I have a network of smart, curious, creative people that has flourished over the past 35 years.
LBB> Looking back, did you expect your journey to look remotely like what it has? What were your overall aims and ambitions for your leadership career, and do you feel you’ve hit them?
Arthur> I thought I’d eventually go back into marketing where I started my career. But I was bitten pretty quickly once I got into advertising after moving to Canada. I enjoy having a lot of balls in the air; I thrive in change and murkiness.
To answer the second question, I never set leadership or specific career goals. My goal has only been to work with people I like. I avoid big egos and jerks. My career has gone pretty well by seeking out people who make me better and challenge me, as well as those who have a sense of humour and a positive energy. On that front, yes, my career has delivered in spades.
LBB> Of course, with this milestone comes the fact that you’re stepping away from both WPP and Ogilvy. What made now the right time for a new chapter?
Arthur> When Dev (Bulchandani, Ogilvy global CEO) asked that I get more involved in the day-to-day of our Canadian operations, I told her I’d be happy to do it… for a year. I made the commitment to my partner and myself to create more flexibility in my schedule to travel and try some new projects. A one-year delay seemed like a reasonable compromise.
In 2024, Ogilvy won Samsung and Coca Cola global work, the digital/CRM remit from Metrolinx, Clif Bar, a renewed remit from Invest in Canada (Canada’s federal marketing arm), and Mitsubishi Motors Canada. Our creative product under Fran Grandi is world-class. And our business is in excellent shape. It feels like now is as good a time as any to turn over the reins.
LBB> And how are you feeling about this decision? Is there anything you’re going to especially miss?
Arthur> I’ll really miss our data security sign-in technology, Okta. I’m pretty broken up about that. Ha!
I know it sounds trite, but it comes down to the people. Always. Of an agency’s revenue, 60-70% is spent on staffing. Agencies are nothing more than people working with people. And I’ve had the opportunity to work with some of the best.
LBB> Reflecting on your time as country manager, what are some of the biggest achievements from your tenure? What are you taking away with you?
Arthur> When we opened the campus in 2022 and all the agencies moved in, I think it’s pretty safe to say that the CEOs and leadership teams didn’t know one another. We all came together from different parts of the city. There were agencies and people with talent and capabilities that most of us knew nothing about.
The first task was to create a sense of community at the WPP Waterfront Innovation Centre. Starting with the formation of an executive team made up Rob Guenette (VML), Kevin Johnson (GroupM), Sheila Wisniewski (Burson/H&K), Karen Lee (Grey) and the support of some of our other leaders, we began working together on clients, pitches and activations for employees. We then built a creative, strategic planning and HR community to bring people together across agencies to collaborate and knowledge-share.
Immediately, we started running bootcamps for agency staff, led by WPP global experts in new business leadership, commerce, technology and BAV (WPP’s proprietary brand measurement tool). And, we launched ‘Roar’, WPP Canada’s Cannes Lions competition.
We also hired a director of campus experience, Nicole Janesiwiskyj, who runs 30 plus events a year at the campus. We do two annual tent-pole conferences to bring thought-leadership to our clients, prospective clients and staff. This year was our biggest: ‘WPP Stream Toronto’. We brought Fernando Machado (operating partner at Garnett Station Partners), Evan Spiegel (CEO of Snap Inc.), Rory Sutherland (vice chairman at Ogilvy UK) and a number of entrepreneurs, creative leaders, and heads of commerce and marketing to address an audience of nearly 300 senior marketers.
However, I think the thing I’m most proud of is how we came out of covid-19 and banded together to create a vibrant community.
LBB> Equally so, what are some of your proudest moments from working at Ogilvy? What do they represent to you?
Arthur> Ogilvy will have a special place in my heart. When my partners at john st. and I decided to sell to WPP, the only network we wanted to be part of was Ogilvy. Going back to the days of Nancy Vonk and Janet Kestin, it was clear that Ogilvy’s passion for brands, clients and great work was closely aligned to john st.’s values.
Covid-19 was a challenging time for our industry, and Ogilvy was not immune to the symptoms. I think my proudest accomplishment was rebuilding the leadership team, working collaboratively with them to re-energise the agency around the vision of being a ‘global creative boutique’, and returning the agency to growth. Bringing in Chris (Andrews) is such a logical next step – he embodies the same passion for smart work and building relationships. Ogilvy is in great hands.
LBB> Across your time as a leader at Ogilvy and WPP, what have been some of the most important lessons you’ve learned? And how will they continue to influence the work you do in the future?
Arthur> My advice to those coming into the industry is simple:
- Run toward the fire. Be the person who sees a problem or task and jumps on it. It’s the quickest way to learn, become valued and build your career.
- Favour action over talk. I’ve always been allergic to meetings and using them as a metric of success. Success is when we solve a problem and create something useful and great – not just talk about it.
- Bring your authentic self to work, but bring your best self. We all have bad days and challenges at home. This cannot be diminished. But your colleagues and clients deserve to see a positive force when you come to the office (and yeah, you do need to come to the office three to four days a week). Sometimes you have to rise above how you’re feeling.
- Cultivate networks of diverse thinkers and doers. They’re your lifeblood.
- Be tenacious and curious. But know when to call it quits. Don’t always take things at face value. Challenge the ‘brief’. Challenge the status quo. Not because you are being difficult, but because you are being thoughtful. But if this is going to drag on, move on.
LBB> In recent years especially, there’s been a lot of talk about indie versus networks in Canada. What made staying on the network side of things right for you? And is this something you’ll continue to look for going into the future?
Arthur> I’ve been client-side. Network. Indie. Indie-that-sold-to-network. Holding company. Anyone who tells you there’s one ‘better way’ is trying to sell you something.
Networks have capabilities, expertise, resources and experience that indies don’t. Indies have agility and specialisation that networks don’t. If you think indies aren’t motivated to earn a profit, you’d be wrong.
There are healthy and unhealthy organisations, regardless of ownership. I think any organisation that maintains an entrepreneurial, founder-mentality will succeed, no matter what the financial ownership structure looks like.
LBB> Speaking of which, this certainly isn’t the end for you – you’ve teased the next chapter. Can you give us any hints as to what this might look like?
Arthur> While I plan to take some time off to travel, study, and enjoy time with my friends and family, I won’t rule out anything that allows me to work with good people and that feeds my curiosity. Nothing definitive.
LBB> Finally, we’re now heading into your last month in both your roles. So, how are you making these days count? Will there be any celebrations or fun events before the new year?
Arthur> The thing I’m enjoying most is connecting and reconnecting with people in and around the industry. I’ve found myself heavily caffeinated (and inebriated) from all the breakfast, lunches and dinners. As I said earlier, this business is only about the people. I’ve been spending time hearing about different points of view of client and agency challenges, learning about parts of the business I haven’t been exposed to, catching up with colleagues I haven’t seen, and playing with some of the emerging technology available (so I don’t become a dinosaur). It’s been invigorating.
