Mack Horton Dives Head First Into His New Role at Clemenger BBDO

The Australian Olympic gold medalist Mack Horton recently started his first ever 9-5 at Clemenger BBDO. After retiring from swimming, he was looking for a chance to use the skills he’s learnt and apply them to a completely new adventure. 

“It’s not something I had considered until six months ago,” he admitted. Originally he thought about entering the consulting business, but after speaking with a friend the ad agency world seemed like the perfect fit. 

“I quickly realised I’d enjoy the pace, opportunities to develop skills in a hands-on and collaborative environment, and learn from some exceptionally creative talent,” he said. 

After 17 years of working in a high-performance sport that requires an enormous amount of dedication, Mack has become a ‘feedback-absorbing machine.’ He understands what it means to work hard and believes that the dedication it took to win gold at the Olympics will benefit him in the advertising world. 

“There are parallels in the way that a coach works with an athlete and the way in which an agency works with a client. There has to be a level of respect in the relationship so that both parties are able to have tough conversations and find solutions that align. Neither party is more superior, they just have different knowledge and experience,” he said.

Mack is no stranger to the world of brand either, as a professional athlete, he has been involved with a few brand campaigns over the years, although admits he only ever participated in the ‘pointy end where things get made.’ 

“I had always wondered how all these people managed to get to this point, but there was never a conscious thought that linked me to a career in advertising. I think rather, the stronger link to advertising is my curiosity on how the world works and why people do what they do,” he said.

For Mack, there were many coffee catch ups in the process of finding the right company that was willing to take a gamble on him. Late last year, he shadowed the business management team at Clemenger BBDO. Unsure on how he would fit into a classic 9-5 role, Mack was grateful for the opportunity to see day-to-day life before committing to the company. 

“As I’ve never really had exposure to what all these people do in these big glass boxes it was important to me to try and understand as much as I could about what the day-to-day could hold, as well as ensuring that the glass box I chose was full of good people,” he explained. 

Mack has decided to look at his role as similar to that of a tour guide. He explained that he sees the agency as a foreign land that the client has never visited before and it is his job to help them navigate their way through it. 

“I have to help them find the best local restaurant (strategy), the local swimming spot (creative) and then get them on the plane with their souvenirs (production). I’ve travelled a bit, but have never been to this foreign land. Let’s hope I can pull on this experience,” he said. 

Mack believes that when one embraces a challenge, growth will happen. After 17 years as a swimmer, Mack became familiar with the formula for success, (although noted that it definitely wasn’t easy at times) and is now looking for a new challenge. He is striving to bring those behaviours and values learnt during his sporting career into his new role.  

“Moving forward it will be about building out that knowledge base so that I can harness the power of the agency to its full potential. I’m looking forward to fully understanding our capability and what we can do”, he said. 

A major career transition is never an easy feat. But for Mack, he believes the ‘underlying cliches’ hold true when choosing to embark on a career transformation.

“Figure out who you are and what you stand for, is the advice I’d give. Relationships and people matter, and remember to have fun,” he concluded.