See It, Be It 2024: Nicky Lorenzo
Nicky Lorenzo wants you to do things your way. Listen to your gut to get ahead. The SVP and Executive Creative Director has benefited from incredible mentorship from female leaders like Renata Florio, Global Executive Creative Director at Ogilvy NY, and now she's passing on the lessons she has learned to the next generation of creative women entering the industry.
As a participant in the Cannes Lions See It, Be It scheme, Nicky emphasizes the unique leadership qualities women bring to the table. She believes in the power of empathetic yet firm leadership and the necessity of holding everyone, including herself, accountable. Nicky's campaigns, like the AIG Women’s Open and Mr Muscle's Equality Bottle, reflect her commitment to allyship and innovation. Her advice to the next generation of women in the industry is to forge their own paths, learn from those they admire, and never hesitate to call out what doesn't feel right.
See it
Tell us about a woman who has inspired you in your career.
It’s hard to choose just one woman who has inspired me in my career. The first to come to mind however is my mentor and friend, Renata Florio, Global Executive Creative Director at Ogilvy NY. Not only do I admire her never-ending tenacity to get to produce award-winning work, but also her love of advertising through and through. She empowered me to always use my voice and most importantly, to go with my gut. She taught me that trust is the most important part of leading a team and it’s something I’ll always take with me.
Be it
How have you incorporated the lessons and insights you gained from women in your life and in creative/professional fields into how you approach life and your career?
There’s a tough love element that women leaders bring – whether they’re leading a team, a company, or a family – they know how to get the job done in a way that’s empathetic yet firm. Because sometimes you must get the work out the door. Other times — it’s your kids you have to get out the door. Sometimes — just yourself out the door. It takes self-awareness and vulnerability to hold everyone including ourselves accountable to do our very best. I believe it’s how the strongest teams are built.
Do it
How does that translate into the work? Tell us about some of the campaigns you've been involved in that you're really proud of. What challenges did you overcome to bring them to life?
Allyship was the theme in work we created for the AIG Women’s Open. All about leading by example – we featured Georgia Hall and her impressive manoeuvre to overcome a tricky situation at the 2023 AIG Women’s Open and dubbed it “the Georgia”: a move that inspires young, female golfers to do their best. To me, the work was a metaphor for the ingenuity women and girls use every day to achieve their goals.
Another project I’m proud of was for Mr Muscle – a global cleaning brand. We wanted to help close the cleaning gap for couples at home and created a bottle that could keep score and help couples level the playing field. It came to life through a social experiment and influencer content in Argentina and the UK after jumping through many technological,
client, and logistical hurdles but it was so worth it for such a great cause.
Share it
What messages or words of advice do you have for the next generation of women coming into the industry? And tell us about anything that you do to support and lift up women in the industry?
There’s no one way to get where you want so you may as well do it YOUR way. Take notes from those you admire and are where you hope to be. And don’t’ sleep on that feeling you feel when something isn’t right; learn from that too so you know what not to do. Don’t be afraid to call bullshit when you see it and always, always, remember that people are the most important resource– they are what makes the work, the places we work, and the world an amazing place to create.
See It Be It is a LIONS initiative aiming to achieve equal gender representation among creative directors and leaders across the global industry. The programme is open to all women, trans-identifying and non-binary people. For any enquiries, please get in touch at seeitbeit@canneslions.com.
Further information on applying for See It Be It 2025 can be found here.
