The Conductor Mindset: Lucciana Bou Samrai’s Approach to Account Management

Lucciana Bou SamraI is the senior account executive at Cheil MEA. Her experience includes working on multiple regional campaigns for Samsung, achieving strong results and gaining valuable experience in high-impact advertising.

One of the highlights of her journey was being selected to attend Ad Asia 2023 in South Korea – an eye-opening experience that deepened her understanding of how brands across the world approach storytelling.

Her number one priority is continuous learning and expanding her knowledge in the field.

LBB> How did you first get involved in account management and what appealed to you about it?

Lucciana> I’ve always been drawn to the intersection of creativity and strategy. Early in my career, I realised I loved being the bridge between creative ideas and the client’s vision. I started working on smaller campaigns, and I was instantly hooked by the pace, the problem-solving, and the collaboration it required.

What appealed to me most was the ability to shape narratives and build relationships that go beyond the brief – turning ideas into impact.

LBB> What is it about your personality, skills and experience that has made account management such a great fit?

Lucciana> I think what makes account management such a natural fit for me is the way I communicate – with clarity, empathy, and a lot of energy.

I genuinely enjoy bringing people together and making sure everyone is on the same page, whether it's aligning with the client or motivating the team internally. I’m very intentional about how I deliver messages – not just what I say, but how I say it – because tone and energy can completely shift a conversation.

I also try to always bring a positive mindset, especially when things get hectic. Instead of focusing on what’s not working, I naturally move into solution mode. That mindset helps me keep things moving forward, even under pressure. It’s that balance of clear communication and contagious energy that helps me build trust and momentum across every project.

LBB> What piece of advice would you give to someone just starting their career in account management?

Lucciana> One of the most important lessons I’ve learned is the power of patience — especially in account management. You’re constantly juggling deadlines, feedback, and expectations, so staying calm and grounded is key.

Don’t rush to react; take a step back, understand the full picture, and then respond with intention and logic.

Also, how you treat people defines who you are. Whether it's your client, your team, or the person bringing coffee to a meeting — kindness, respect, and professionalism go a long way. People remember how you made them feel, and that’s what builds real, lasting relationships in this industry.

And finally, being a good account manager doesn’t mean saying yes to everything — it means knowing when to push back logically, when to educate, and how to protect the creative process while still delivering results.

LBB> Thinking back to some of your most challenging experiences you’ve had in your career, what do you think tends to lie at the heart of the more tense or difficult client-agency relationships?

Lucciana> In my experience, most tense client-agency moments stem from misaligned expectations or a breakdown in communication.

When either side isn’t fully clear on the ‘why’ behind decisions — whether it's timelines, budgets, or creative direction — that’s when friction builds. Sometimes clients are under pressure themselves, and that urgency can lead to unrealistic asks or last-minute changes, which can strain the relationship if not managed with transparency and calm

LBB> And what are the keys to building a productive and healthy relationship?

Lucciana> Trust and transparency - I make it a priority to understand the client beyond the brief — their pressures, their goals, their internal dynamics

Communication - I never want a client to feel like they’re chasing updates or unsure of where things stand. I keep the conversation open, whether the news is good or challenging. It builds confidence and shows that we’re on top of things

Treating the relationship like a partnership, not a transaction – which means being just as invested in their success as we are in ours, showing up with energy, solutions, and a team spirit every step of the way

LBB> What’s your view on disagreement and emotion – is there a place for it and if not, why not? If so, why – and what does productive disagreement look like?

Lucciana> Yes, there’s absolutely a place for both disagreement and emotion — especially in a high-pressure, fast-paced environment like ours.

The main key is how you handle your emotions, particularly when you’re disagreeing with a client. It’s completely normal to feel frustrated or strongly about something, but how you channel that emotion makes all the difference.

Personally, I give myself five to ten minutes to step back, feel whatever I need to feel, and then shift into logic. When you lead with logic, empathy, and a shared goal, even though conversations can turn into moments of alignment and trust.

LBB> Historically, account management has been characterised as the mediator in an adversarial client and creative relationship - what do you make of that characterisation, is there any nugget of truth in that or is it wildly inaccurate

Lucciana> There’s definitely a nugget of truth in that stereotype — but I think it’s outdated.

Account management has traditionally been seen as the middle ground, trying to keep both sides happy, sometimes at the expense of strategy or creativity.

I see myself as a translator and connector — someone who understands both the creative vision and the client’s business goals, and can align the two. It’s not about keeping peace between “opposing sides” — it’s about building a partnership where everyone is working toward the same outcome, just from different angles.

Account management bridges bold ideas from creative and clients needs with clarity and strategic balance.

LBB> These days, agencies do so much beyond traditional campaigns and as account management you’re pulling together creative, experience, data, e-commerce, social and more - and that complexity can often be mirrored on the client stakeholder side too? What’s the key to navigating (and helping the client navigate) that complexity?

Lucciana> The key is simplification through structure and clarity. As account management, our role is to connect the dots — not just between internal teams, but also across the client's sometimes fragmented stakeholder ecosystem.

That means anticipating needs, keeping everyone aligned on the bigger picture, and translating complexity into actionable steps.

Account managers act as central hubs, they define roles and ensure everything is according to plan leading to a unified vision. The more complexity there is, the more crucial it becomes to stay calm, organised, and communicative.

LBB> What recent projects are you proudest of and why? What was challenging about these projects from an account management perspective and how did you address those challenges? What was so satisfying about working on these projects?

Lucciana> One of the projects I’m most proud of is the launch of the ‘Watch 6 Astro Edition’.

We worked closely with web developers to build a dedicated page, and collaborated across multiple departments and third-party vendors to bring it all to life.

The biggest challenge from an account management perspective was orchestrating all those moving parts — aligning timelines, managing expectations, and making sure every detail stayed true to the creative and strategic vision.

I acted as the connector across all fronts for MENA markets, keeping communication clear and momentum steady, even when things got complicated. What made it so satisfying was seeing something completely new come to life — a product, a story, and an experience that we built from the ground up.

Knowing I had a hand in steering that complexity into something cohesive and meaningful is what made it really rewarding.