Tell us a bit about your role! Is there a “typical” day?
Not at all. isla is quite a one-of-a-kind organisation and we don’t have a blueprint to follow, so the team and I are on a steep, but exciting learning curve as the organisation rapidly grows.
While outcomes and outputs vary day to day, typical activity usually involve a bit of hair tearing at the increasing number of emails in my inbox and mapping out global domination (only kidding, sort of).
What was the biggest challenge in getting to your current position?
I’ve been exceptionally fortunate to have been surrounded by supportive mentors and an incredibly passionate and committed team. Like anyone growing in their role, getting to my current position has been filled with molehills and occasional scaling of cliff-faces. But you don’t realise the mountain you’ve climbed until you look back.
The biggest challenge has probably been finding energy every day. But I take inspiration from my team and always try and remember there’s a purpose to what we’re doing.
What is your personal background and what role did it play in your career?
My first role as a gymnastics coach taught me how to coach and support progressive development and six years in mental health taught me active listening and keeping a cool head in crises.
I spent six more years in events before founding isla, which taught me that quite literally anything is possible if you put the right team around it. I see progression into my current role as a right place, right time and right person thing, but my previous experience taught me hard work, discipline and a good dose of common sense. All of which go a long way.
What is your biggest career-related win? What is your biggest loss?
Beyond the obvious answer of building and running a successful business, the win is the team we’ve built at isla. They are phenomenal individuals, and I am constantly awed by what they know, how they’re forging their way, and what I learn from them by watching them learn.
Biggest loss… I don’t see loss as an intrinsic negative thing. There are lots of things that I’ve ‘let-go’ of over the years. I suppose my biggest ‘loss’ is the need to have an answer for everything. That’s what a team is for.
Which individuals and/or agencies do you gain inspiration from? Do you have any heroes in the industry?
I’m inspired by a few people – our Community Lead, Ellie Ashton-Melia, goes from strength to strength growing relationships with members and peers, and I love watching that. Chetan Shah, CEO and Founder of Micebook, is something – it’s amazing watching the community-based business he is building around vision and values for the industry.
I also find Nick Blenkarne, Creative Strategy at Imagination has a brilliant mind and views on industry, creativity, and strategy.
If you could go back to your teenage years, would you have done things differently? Do you have any regrets?
Absolutely, and I regret nothing. I would have ignored my family’s insistence on university and gone straight into work instead of wasting my time faffing around and then dropping out and I would have pursued my interested in politics and gone for PM.
At the same time, I don’t have any gut-sinking regrets - you can only move forward so regret is largely a waste of time. Use disappointment and regret for what happened to make different decisions moving forward.
If you weren’t in your current industry, what would you be doing?
I’d be Prime Minister.
What’s your one big dream for the future of the industry?
Transformation. The climate crisis is real, it’s here, and the creative industry can shape a different future for this planet and everything on it. Change starts with a vision and that’s what the creative sector is all about.
What are your top tips for aspiring creative professionals?
The same as everyone else’s…. Trust your gut. Know your worth but be humble. Learn everything you can but *don’t* forget to use it. Find a mentor.
Lift others up. But mostly - DON’T BANG ON A CLOSED DOOR - not everyone will get it, but other’s will and that’s the door to push on.
What are your top tips for other creative leaders?
Find more opportunities to connect and collaborate with one another. Leadership can be lonely, but there are a lot of other people doing it. We are always better together.
When you think about your team, what is the thing that matters to you the most?
That they’re happy and satisfied.
Do you have any websites, books or resources you would recommend?
It may be a bit cliché but Pinterest is an endless source of inspiration.
I also think that end of year reports from brands you love are super interesting to read (like Oatly or Ace & Tate) as they highlight real-world themes and trends with a dollop of design. They help shape a picture of industry, markets and what’s pulling the lever on what.
