Havas Dublin’s Core Management Tells All on How They ‘Make It Matter’
Chris Upton, Orla Hickey and Adrian Fitz-Simon are the core management trio behind Havas Dublin, a company that runs on the vision brought on by its motto ‘Make It Matter’.
The mantra has led the agency and is applied to everything they touch - be it how they keep staff and clients happy, how they win new business, or how they create impactful work. But, more personally, Chris, Orla and Adrian all believe that you have to make everything you do matter.
Chris, now CEO of Havas Dublin, along with executive creative director Adrian and executive client director Orla, had worked together prior to joining the agency, at various stages of their career, but they all walked different paths. Orla, for example, did a postgraduate course in advertising, which is when she fell in love with the industry – this led to working at TBWA, which was her ‘in’.
Adrian, on the other hand blames his mother, who suggested that he ought to pick up a career in advertising because of his scathing critique of the TV ad breaks aged 11 to 12. His move to Havas came after a “very happy 11-year stint” at a Dublin agency called Chemistry.
Chris’ path was slightly more winding - after a degree in psychology, he moved on to working in film and commercial production, to then circle back to do a masters in marketing. That’s when agency life began - a place where he says he relishes “the mix of business and creativity”.
But back to Havas’ mantra - ‘Make It Matter’. To the brands Havas helps build. To the people they work with. And to those who the work is aimed at. To paint a better picture of the agency, as well as the leading team behind it, I sat down with Chris, Orla and Adrian and asked them what matters to them. On every level. Here’s what they had to say.
LBB> What does the 'Make It Matter' mantra mean to you from a personal and from a business perspective? Why do you resonate with it?
Orla> ‘Make It Matter’ to me is quite simple – it means make it count in some way. It doesn’t have to be a massive glaring thing, it can be in the small things we do every day. It acts as a reminder to think before you act, to consider could we do this better or differently in a way that counts.
It is an active statement at an individual level, whether that is a meeting with clients, a briefing with creatives, a pitch, a relationship, time with my family, mentoring, that cup of coffee, an important conversation… the list is endless both on a personal and business level.
Adrian> The truly meaningful things in our lives exist outside of work of course – the wellbeing of you and your family. We believe our respect of this goes a long way in creating a positive working experience for our staff. Make it Matter is such a simple thought filled with positivity - if the work means something to those who create it, it has a far greater chance of having meaning to those it’s aimed at - and by extension, a positive outcome for the brand.
Chris> From a business perspective, it feels like the world has become an increasingly complex place to navigate. Clients have more challenges and options to consider and decisions to make, both internally and externally. I believe what matters most is to be there as a trusted advisor. To share expertise but also to be generous with ideas. I like to call it the three h’s – to be human, to be helpful and also to be humble and open to new ideas.
From a personal point of view, there is never enough time to do everything I’d like to do. So I try to keep mindful of the things that matter most and spend my time wisely. To focus on quality as opposed to quantity.
LBB> How do you ‘Make It Matter’ to the brands and people you work with personally?
Orla> I am interested in the people I work with – who they really are and how their personalities can make it matter as individuals. I want to motivate them to do the work we know they are capable of. It’s that simple really. It’s the same for the brands we work with – we have a genuine interest in bringing out the best in them, encouraging them to stand for something that makes a difference to their business and the way they communicate to the world.
Adrian> My primary task is to motivate my team and our clients to create work we’re all proud of. This can be a juggling act which, on a good day, can result in peace, love and harmony amongst all; on other days, batons can spectacularly clatter to the ground. But – to push the metaphor unnecessarily further - sometimes picking up the pieces and rearranging them can yield better results. I love learning from my colleagues and clients. And I believe that having an open mind can invisibly encourage others to do that same. It’s all about relationships and we’re good at that.
Chris> Creativity and ideas are the most powerful social forces of change we have. And the more you refine the problem to solve, the more single minded you make it, the more powerful the effect. That’s where I like to help make it matter. To work with people to try and identify that very first domino that will set off a brilliant chain reaction.
I am also looking at how creativity can bring about more sustainable outcomes. A few years ago I started to put some real focus and thinking into sustainability. It was something I researched a lot during my MBA. This led me to be part of a small team who helped develop our new Havas sustainability offering, Havas Genus. We launched it in Dublin in 2022 and it has really accelerated our expertise and research in this hugely important field.
LBB> And how do you make the work matter to those that it is aimed at?
Orla> It’s understanding culture, what is relevant, what makes audiences tick. If brands are true to themselves, what they communicate has a far greater chance of resonating with their audience. And if those audiences feel there is relevance to them, then it matters to them.
Adrian> This is the biggest challenge in advertising – a challenge that from time to time makes you feel you’ve cracked the code. And then you realise the code is constantly being changed by some malevolent force! I tend to put my faith in the power of emotion – if we can make our audiences feel appropriate emotion, be it joy, anger, sadness, amusement… we’re on our way to making it matter to them.
Chris> We make the work matter in a number of different ways, but I suppose it’s making sure the work is relevant to them and is also rewarding either through how it makes them feel and/or by offering a better solution to them.
LBB> What makes things matter for you - what inspires you and what makes you keep going full steam forward?
Orla> I am inspired by everyone around me. Always. My kids, my husband, my mum, my boss, my account executives, my creative team, people on the bus. Everyone has a story, everyone has a point of view and I love learning from them all. To me, that’s what life and happiness is all about.
Adrian> I’ve been doing this for a long time and – weirdly – I’m as passionate about it as I was back in the ‘90s. It’s a much more competitive industry now than at any other time in my career, which feels like an ever-shifting creative challenge. And what creative isn’t up for a challenge? That said, nowadays I get as big a kick out of seeing my team win awards as I did when I was more concerned with building my creative reputation back in the day.
Chris> We are a people business. And it’s the people I work with that keep me going. I am pretty self-motivated when it comes to most things. But in order to keep challenging yourself and pushing creativity you need to have the right people around you.
LBB> What matters the most outside of work?
Orla> My kids. Full stop. They are creating their own stories now at age 5, 10, 15 and they are the ones that inspire me daily to do better, to push harder, to have more fun, to take a moment to smell the flowers, to enjoy just being, to slow down, to talk, to be in nature, to be more understanding, to make it matter to them. Whatever matters to them, I try to bring to our life.
Adrian> Family, obviously. But I have always been a keen sideline guy – I release music and I paint – the former has recently crossed over into a work project which has been tremendously fun, if a little stressful!
Chris> Spending time with my wife Sarah and our two kids is really important. And also having some quality ‘me time’ as well, getting out on my bike or reading or cooking.
LBB> What matters the most in the future of Havas Dublin?
Orla> We would love to be ranked in the top three Irish agencies within the next three years.
We would love to win more awards that matter to us - creative and effectiveness of course, but also top places to work and sustainability awards.
We would love to harness the power of the Village more and use each agency strength as a combined force.
We want the hard work to pay off and ultimately work with clients and brands that want to matter in a meaningful way.
Adrian> Orla, Chris and I naturally talk about this a lot! Discovering new clients who like the way we operate is the big picture. We want to retain our reputation as an enjoyable place to work while finding new, innovative ways to make the work we do matter. And we are focused on winning more creative awards. Historically, Ireland has under-indexed at international festivals, but that is changing and our aim is to compete at that level – and win.
Chris> Creative agencies have faced a lot of changes and challenges over the last 15 or so years, and the industry has been written off more than once during that time. But the great thing about creativity is that it has the ability to adapt and thrive when things get difficult. For Havas Dublin, I think what matters most is a continued focus on the power of creativity to bring about positive change.
