Mother Appoints Nicole Rowett MD of Its New York Office

Mother today announced the appointment of Nicole Rowett as managing director of Mother in New York. She completes the office’s leadership team, partnering with chief creative officer, Oriel Davis-Lyons, and Veronica Thew, head of strategy. 

Nicole joins Mother from TBWA\Media Arts Lab where she ran the global iPhone business. A product with such storied and prestigious advertising can be expected to nurture both a strong business acumen and appreciation of the creative product and the craft that brings it into existence. In fact, this is something Oriel specifically mentioned in a press release from Mother announcing Nicole’s hire. “A core belief at Mother is that creativity is not just something the creative department does,” he said. “So, when we were searching for a partner we were looking for someone who - first and foremost – brings creativity to our business, not just business to our creativity. Throughout our conversations, it was clear that Nicole was a champion of creativity and the work, but it was her warmth, humanity and passion for Mother that made us so excited to get her on board.”

Aside from Apple, Nicole has worked on brands such McDonald’s, TikTok, Disney+, Smashbox, Tripadvisor and The Honest Company at agencies including TBWA\Chiat\Day LA, Deutsch LA and more, in Los Angeles and her native Australia. Mother will bring her to the East Coast for this next role. 

Speaking exclusively to Little Black Book, Nicole references the undeniable history of creativity embedded into the DNA of Mother. “That on its own is a lot,” she says, “but when you combine that with a very human approach, where our talent is at the heart of it all, then you really do have the most enticing opportunity. It’s this very unique blend of heart and wild creative ambition that had me sold.”

The opportunity at Mother is somewhat uncharted waters for Nicole – it’s her first experience as managing director and leader of an entire office of people. Her feelings are specific: “Excited, terrified, excited. In that order. On repeat.

“If there’s not a little bit of terror and anxiety, are you doing it right?” she adds. “To be clear, I have zero fear about joining the team and being part of this incredible place. That has never been a question for me. The ‘terror’ is the flip side of excitement, and I’m all about embracing it. A little bit of terror makes you sharp. It makes you hungry.”

That said, advertising is a people game. Be those colleagues or clients, each and every person in this industry is trying their best to be successful in what they put their minds to. So, whether you run the iPhone account for Apple, a one-person startup, or operate somewhere in the middle of that, Nicole feels that many challenges are somewhat universal. “Yes, the scale and volume may change, but at the end of the day, we’re all working to make the very best work that has an outsized impact on business,” she says. “And when I think about account management, no matter the client, I think it’s simple: Listen more than you talk. Understand the expectations. Provide clarity. Push like hell.”

As a leader, Nicole believes that success has to be representative of who you are. Lessons learned from leaders as a career progresses are imperative, but, she believes, it’s important to be only an emulation of someone else. “We’re most effective when we’re authentic,” she says. “So, to be a truly great leader in my mind there has to be a combination of taking all of your amazing experiences and marrying those with who you are at your core. A blend of nature and nurture. It helps to have some truly great role models to learn from.”

When it comes to the balance between openness as a leader versus a more considered personal approach, Nicole describes it as exactly that: a balance. “I certainly over-index on transparency,” she says, “as I believe that if you treat people like the adults they are and let them in, they will respond in kind. As someone who works best when understanding the full picture, transparency is a good approach in most instances.”

However, says Nicole, there is a time and a place. Sometimes knowing when or how to share big news or challenging information is as much the key as the information itself. “Treading that line is something I am continually working on — transparency but with a filter of how and when.”

With one of the most divisive elections ever on the horizon and continually changing market circumstances, of which our industry seems to be experiencing more regularly than we would like, transparency and honesty is key in garnering the trust of colleagues. “You have to have trust to wade through the tough times, and I think that is built on a foundation of transparency and honesty.

“The next most important piece?” adds Nicole. “Clarity. Times can be incredibly rough, but if you are leading with a sense of purpose and clarity, there is very little that you can’t ride through. I find that people just need to feel like they know where they are going in order to keep on keeping on.”

When it comes to aims and ambitions for her role at Mother in New York, Nicole is keen to continue and foster the creative culture already present at the independent agency. “Awards and biz wins are great at attracting people,” she says. “But culture is what can keep people. When the going gets tough a strong culture can keep teams motivated and actively engaged to keep pushing forward. Our people are everything, and there is nothing more important than that.”

She’s also particularly excited for her newfound partnership with Oriel and Veronica, with whom she immediately felt she had ‘true partners’. “A partner challenges, provokes, builds, and supports. It’s someone who you can trust to stand side by side with you as you push forward. More than anything, I have wild respect and belief in Oriel as a leader, creative, and person. This is as true with Veronica as it is with Oriel. I feel enormously excited to partner with them both.

“But I will give you a very short and sweet answer: I want to be part of the team that is the rocket fuel for creative ambition at Mother. In the words of a favourite space traveller – To infinity and beyond!”