Simon Sikorski Joins MCA to Lead North America

Today, Murphy Cobb & Associates (MCA) – global production specialist – announced the hire of Simon Sikorski as president for North America, who joins with experience as president, global operations at XR Extreme Reach; and global CEO, Craft Worldwide at IPG.

It’s a pivotal time for the world of production and Simon says that “everything is shifting right now, whether it's the tools, the models, or the types of talent.” With this in mind, he sees his new role aiding “brands and agencies to really take advantage of all those changes happening at the moment and, of course, correct a little bit against traditional ways of creating in favour of new ways of producing and executing work.”

“You have to put technology and data at the very heart,” reiterates Simon of the ‘new’ production methods disrupting how things are done. He’s spent the last several months getting to know a lot of the smaller, more nimble players in the industry to see how they’re using tools in ways that were unimaginable even a year ago. He’s learned a lot but one aspect feels the most significant: “The most interesting [players], if I'm honest, are the ones who are keeping human creativity in the loop.”

Beyond the work itself there are likewise significant changes to how people are working which Simon is attuned to. “It’s affecting everything, from the very functional tagging of ads to how we’re doing versioning and translation. It’s all being reimagined right now in real time and nobody has got it 100% right yet – things will continue to evolve over time as well.”

That’s why for Simon this is a "thrilling time to be involved in the space, guiding clients and being a partner of theirs through that journey.”

While MCA’s standing as an industry production leader was definitely important to Simon, it’s the commitment to sustainability that became the selling point. It’s something he’s “massively passionate about” and “[MCA’s] commitment to “being better tomorrow than they are today is admirable and necessary in the industry.” Over the years, MCA has pioneered green production practices – starting with its work with Reckitt – culminating in a product it now offers to clients, developed with sustainability lead Glykeria Antonaki.

“The reputation and the connectivity that Pat [Murphy, founder] and his team have in the market is always one of partnership and that's really important. It shouldn't be a service provider-type relationship – I believe in a partnership economy where you need lots of partners along the way. Everybody in that ecosystem needs to feel positive about exploring, testing, and failing together as well,” Simon adds.

With the economic and political climate emanating from North America globally, “a lot of people are looking for guidance and for partners who can help them turn the corner on a new way of doing business. There's an enormous opportunity to talk to new brands and new partners about weathering that transition.”

In Simon’s eyes the choice between speed, quality, and cost no longer exists as most clients now expect all three and “therein lies the opportunity,” according to Simon “to start to explore some of the tools, processes and talent to improve the execution, efficiency, and effectiveness of production.”

Simon sees this challenge positively. “In many ways, those client expectations are forcing the hand of their partners and requiring them to react in mostly positive ways. What I love is that the conversation seems to have moved away from a pure cost analysis and production is now seen as a strategic lever that clients can pull on.”

Brands looking to make an impact have to lean on craft and creativity as a differentiator in today’s market. And MCA’s – via Pat’s personal philosophy – commitment to the work resonated with Simon a lot. “I remember Pat telling me, ‘When you have a strong idea, when you have a strong execution, it really drives response and engagement. That’s really powerful and that comes from the idea. The work is always paramount.’ And that really resonated with me,” he confesses. “So many people are focused on the pure data of it all. If you're not talking about the power of the idea, you're kind of missing the point because that creative idea, and the expression of that idea, is where the magic is.”

As for why Simon is the right hire for MCA, Pat points to a misunderstood industry challenge: “People think finding new clients is the hardest job – finding clients isn't the hardest job. Finding great people to look after our clients is the hardest job. North America is a very important region for us to get right. We are winning great clients who tell me the reason is because we're different and we put creativity right at the centre of everything that we do. Like Simon said, we care about the work and want to find people with the right mindset who have a future-forward attitude and are always upskilling themselves.

“With Simon's background, his incredible communication skills, and the ability to have rapport with clients, getting him on board made perfect sense. I cannot tell you how delighted I am to have Simon join. And while he’s got the experience and the background, he's also just a nice bloke! That's part of our culture at MCA, where everyone gets on famously. And there's nothing worse than having somebody who doesn't fit,” comments Pat.

Simon is excited by having the scope and tools in his new role to find a solution – not arrive with a predetermined one. “We win by being agnostic and having a point of view on the marketplace; by getting a perspective on industry developments and running tests to see what does and doesn’t work to make the best decisions. Ultimately, that holds a lot of power for our clients and brands.”