Women Who Will: Emma Robbins

Welcome to 'Women Who Will' a new LBB series pitched in by DDB Group Melbourne creative director Becky Morriss and senior art director Alayna Kunitake. 'Women Who Will' aims to champion women across the industry and around the world, and sees interviewees share their ambitions, highlight who they look up to, and nominate others, creating a ripple effect of recognition and inspiration.

Today, Emma Robbins, national ECD  at M&CSaatchi Australia, reflects on her journey through the Australian industry.

With over 25 years of experience creating brand platforms and ideas for some of Australia’s biggest brands, Emma has worked with Bupa Health Insurance, Lexus Australia, Cricket Australia, NAB AusKick, Jeep, Dulux Australia, Pure Blonde, AustralianSuper, Family Violence Victoria, CommBank, and PUMA.

Emma has won and judged internationally and nationally, lectured and tutored up-and-coming Australian talent at AWARD school.

LBB> How did you get into the industry?

Emma> I did work experience at Ogilvy in Hobart. For the whole week, the creative department went for lunch every day and rarely came back. Ahhh, they were the days. I got three ideas through because I was the only one sober. (Thank you Cascade Lager Gods). From there, I was hooked, had a book, and took it to Clemenger. They didn’t have a junior writer role but suggested I take any role to get in. 2 months later I quit a law degree and took a job as their receptionist, working on briefs between calls.

LBB> Who are some of the people along the way who have helped you most?

Emma> Amazingly talented, nurturing, and patient people have helped me get better and get ahead. If it wasn’t for them...

Craig Ford gave me briefs and opportunities to get off reception; John Douglas taught me to write how I speak; Andy McKeon taught me relentlessness; David Blackley paved the road to Clemenger Melbourne; Penny Bourke taught me strategy is everything; Ant Shannon threw me in the creative direction pool and said “swim”; Sue Peden showed me how to be in this business and prioritise family way before I had one; Mike O’Sullivan gave me the “everything is an opportunity” bug; James McGrath taught me to how to say less in meetings, but mean more; Bill Shannon taught me the science of behaviour change; Cam Blackley kicked open the door to M&C Melbourne for me, then a national gig; Mikaela Leacock and Jo Giles from the systematic sisterhood help me keep showing up ready; Am Lall helps me fight for brilliant ideas like an elegant pit bull, and; Michael McEwan taught me how partnerships can create magic.

LBB> Who have you looked up to throughout your career?

Emma> Sarah Barclay, Sarah Hatherley, Peter Biggs, Josh Robbins, Richard Maddocks, Cam Hoelter, Tony Rogers, Jason Byrne, Karolina Bozajkovska, Mily Scott, Marnie McKenzie. So many more clever, human, disarming, creative, slightly crazy, fighters for ideas and relationships that help ideas live large.

LBB> Who do you look up to now?

Emma> To the brilliant, fast, resourceful, adaptable, hungry creatives storming in behind me. Watch-the-fuck-out.

LBB> If you could give your younger self one piece of advice on navigating the industry, what would it be?

Emma> You’ll start out thinking that to succeed, you need to be more like a man. You will ultimately realise that they would be even more successful than they already are if they were more like women.

LBB> Tell us about a piece of work that best reflects your ambitions.

Emma> The ‘We Are The Warning’ Anti-Vaping Campaign we launched in 2024 with Minderoo. It was the pitch of our lives. Smart killer brains that came together from every discipline - strategy, data, PR, media, creative, public policy - working silo-free, ego-free, taking subject matter that mattered and working it into a message that needed to shift the behaviour of the toughest clients ever, 12-20 year olds. Our team worked hard to build a brilliant everywhere campaign and help hub, all working together so carefully and cleverly, that it was also brilliantly effective.

LBB> How has a woman best helped you in your career, and/or you helped other women?

Emma> Every single woman in this industry has helped me, just by being a woman who knows what it can sometimes be like. It’s like that secret handshake in the military, except we do it with our eyes.

In terms of helping other women, I’d like to think I’ve replied to every LinkedIn message and every request to meet from a woman trying to get into, make sense of or move through the industry. I try to make a point of making time to share what I know, what I’ve got right, or what I've got a perspective on. If it can help, I’m up for it.

LBB> Where do you hope we are as an industry in a year’s time?

Emma> Having much more fun, free of a gender pay gap, big egos, and fear.

LBB> And five years’ time?

Emma> See above. (Better allow another 4 years just in case)

LBB> What’s your non-negotiable?

Emma> People first. This industry is a creative culture full of beautiful minds, with incredible energy and generous but intricate natures. When it becomes all about profit, politics and pecking order ahead of them, we fail them. And the work.

LBB> Nominate the next woman you think should be part of this series.

Emma> 

Karolina Bozajkovska - Sunday Gravy

Hilary Badgar - Leo Burnett

Stephanie DiGianvincenzo - Meta