Strategy Sheroes

Ellen Petry Leanse is a Silicon Valley pioneer. She joined Apple in the 1980s and was a member of the Macintosh launch team and created the company’s first user focused online presence. Ellen has worked at or with company’s including Google, Facebook and Microsoft to make innovation more meaningful. Ellen is now Chief People officer at Lucidworks as well as being a Stanford Instructor, entrepreneur and author of The Happiness Hack, a best-selling guide to the neuroscience of Happiness and life satisfaction.Ellen and I chat about:Women’s thinking super-powerCreativity as a strategic toolOvercoming the use of permission language and showing up as equalsMindfulness and reflective timeLinks from our chat:The Happiness Hack by Ellen Petry Leanse“Just” Say No by Ellen Petry Leanse Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On this episode of Strategy Sheroes I’m joined by Mary McKenna.Mary is a tech entrepreneur, angel investor and was co-founder of the hugely successful e-learning company Learning Pool, where she was also my boss. She is one of the entrepreneurs in residence at the University of Oxford and is currently kickstarting new female founder network AwakenHub. Mary was awarded an MBE in 2014 for her services to Digital Technology, Innovation and Learning.We chat about:Mary's move from accountancy to becoming a tech entrepreneur and investorHer investment criteriaThe skills needed to be successful in businessMary's advice for female founders, and why she feels it's so important to pay it forwardLinks to some of the stuff we chatted aboutAwakenHub female founder networkMary shares more business, and networking advice on her Kicking Assets blogFollow Mary on Twitter @MMaryMcKenna Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Kaitlin is co-founder of Current Forward a strategy consultancy based in Austin, Texas. Prior to forming Current Forward, Kaitlin served as Strategy Director at T3, an Austin-based innovation agency, where she was a delivery lead on the UPS account. Kaitlin has also consulted in Los Angeles with brands such as Apple and Beats by Dre. In 2018 she published the DIY Strategy Workbook to make strategy processes more accessible to small businesses and independent creative professionals. We chat about:How Current Forward’s majority women ownership has shaped its approachThe agency’s immersive approach to insightsKaitlin’s advice for other women wanting to start their own consultancy or agencyThe importance of understanding and investing in youDigital anthropology and the friction some brands face when attempting to be empatheticYoga! A love for both of us and learnings from yoga teaching that are surprisingly applicable to strategy Links to some of the stuff we talked about -Kaitlin’s agency Current Forward Rain or Shine the creative recruitment company started by Kaitlin and her husbandThe Life Brief by Bonnie WanKaitlin’s TEDx talk on Lessons in Digital AnthropologyYou can follow Kaitlin on Twitter @KaitlinMaud Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On this episode of Strategy Sheroes I’m joined by Jennifer Riel, Global Director of Strategy at IDEO.Before IDEO, Jennifer spent 13 years at the Rotman School of Management, where she taught undergrads, MBAs, and executives how to think creatively about their toughest challenges.Jennifer is the co-author of Creating Great Choices: A Leader’s Guide to Integrative Thinking. She is a true strategy expert helping businesses challenge their thinking and solve their real business problems.Jennifer and I chat about:Her move into strategyUsing integrative thinking to solve business problemsHow to improve your creative and integrative thinking skillsAdvice for women wanting to move into senior strategic rolesLinks to some of the stuff we talked about:Jennifer’s book Creating Great Choices: A Leader’s Guide to Integrative ThinkingUseful tools employed by IDEO in creative thinkingFollow Jennifer on Twitter @jenniferriel Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On the first episode of our second series I’m joined by Louise O’Conor.Louise is a strategic and innovative leader with 20 years experience digitally transforming and scaling businesses and teams across global markets and multiple industries. Louise sits on the board of the Irish International Business Network (IIBN),  is a co-founder of the non-profit IrelandTogether and a Partner in Digital Transformation consultancy Beta Digital.  She also speaks 6 languages!Louise and I chat about:Her experience in digital transformation, before it even had a name!Digital Transformation misconceptionsEnabling change successfullyMeasuring Digital TransformationAdvice for women hoping to start their own consultancyLinks to some of the stuff we chatted aboutBeta Digital’s approach to Digital TransformationIrelandTogether the non-profit Louise has co-founded to help businesses solve challenges brought by COVID-19Follow Louise on Twitter @louiseoconor Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On the 5th episode of Strategy Sheroes I’m  joined by brand strategist Diane Lurie. Diane specialises in competitive advantage and brand value. She has been a Director at multiple agencies and has worked with brands such as Highland Spring, Unilever, Hilton and Scottish Government. She started her career as a researcher and continues to bring empathy for audience needs to everything she does.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Mary Carty is an entrepreneur with a background in the arts, innovation and technology. Over the past decade, she has founded and managed two successful technology start-up companies and been nominated for an interactive BAFTA. Mary is a passionate advocate for women in STEM, co-founding the OutBox Incubator, the first ever Incubator for girls in STEM. She is a Strategic Advisor for businesses across many different sectors and is a regular keynote speaker.Enjoy!  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

I speak to Kate Wooding, Senior Strategist at one of Scotland's largest digital agencies Equator. Kate has extensive experience leading strategy for financial services clients such as AXA Insurance and Lloyds Banking Group. We discuss challenges brands need to be considering today, what it means to be strategic, and learn more about how Kate made the move into Strategy. Happy listening!  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Resist my interview with Lisa Killbourn where we talk ineffective briefs, strategists role as "The Thinker", and designing the bridge to help clients get to where they need to go. Listen to the full episode and read some more of my favourite quotes from Lisa here - https://www.strategysheroes.com/episodes/series-1-episode-4-lisa-killbourn  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Morgan Graham is a Partner and Chief Experience Officer at Experiences For Mankind, a San Diego based creative consultancy, with an ethos of preventing agency burnout and promoting work life balance. Morgan has been a marketing instructor at the University of San Diego, and is a long-term mentor in San Diego State University’s AZTEC mentorship programme. She is also on the board of Dent the Future, which brings together entrepreneurs, executives, and creatives who want to create positive and lasting global change.We chat about:Morgan’s amazing journey starting as an intern at Experiences for Mankind to now being partnerClient servicing and strategyMeeting client needs without sacrificing the needs of team membersHow it’s possible to have agency ethos of preventing team burnoutLinks to some of the stuff we chatted about:Experiences for MankindDent the Future Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Anna Thairs is an award-winning full-stack Strategy Director, holding senior strategy roles at Grey London and Portas in Melbourne before joining Ogilvy Sydney, where she’s also a member of the agency’s Behavioural Science unit. Anna is vocal about her experiences as a mixed-race woman with OCD, ADHD and depression, and is passionate about driving more in-depth approaches to inclusion and diversity in advertising and beyond.Our chat includes:Understanding neurodiversity and how organisations can be more inclusive to neurodiverse team membersADHD including Anna’s own experiences being diagnosedThe idea of renaissance women strategistsIntersectionality and the importance of nuance in our perspectives of humansLinks to some of the stuff we chatted about:Lemon paper by Orlando Wood - How left brain thinking is undermining creativity and making advertising less effectiveJohn Cleese creativity talk at Nudgestock 2021Learn more about Anna’s strategy career, and check out her amazing artworkAnna’s 2017 article on transformational thinking quoted in the interview Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Kim Mackenzie is an independent brand strategy consultant, copywriter and team builder with over 15 years experience. She has successfully transformed agency teams and collaborated with brands including Netflix, Lululemon, The Washington Post, Google, Apple and Michael Kors. Kim very much believes in paying it forward, founding the Ladies who Strategize online community which has over 1600 members globally.Our chat includes:How strategy shapes creative and how copywriting shapes strategyCuriosity and relationship building in successful business developmentThe founding of Ladies who StrategizeIf you identify as female and work as a strategist you can apply to join the Ladies who Strategize slack groupFind out more about Kim’s freelance services and experienceHow to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie Chuck Klosterman on interview techniques  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Zoe is the founder of Bodacious, a London based strategy studio. Zoe has brought her strategic brain to leading agencies such as Universal McCann, and Droga5, consulted for Adidas and was the Global Head of Strategy for the Ridley Scott Creative Group. She has a wealth of experience across industries and if you follow Zoe on social media you’ll see she regularly advocates for other women in strategy.Zoe and I chat about:Zoe’s unique journey into strategyThe lost art of asking questions and why this is so importantZoe’s perspective on what strategy is and what it looks likeThe important but scary prospect of expressing yourselfGetting off the agency production wheelLinks to some of the stuff we talked about:Zoe’s strategy studio Bodacious Zoe’s articles on Finding the Beauty in Boredom and The Lost Art of Asking QuestionsYou can follow Zoe on twitter @zoescaman Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On the 6th episode of Strategy Sheroes I'm joined by Debbie Lu.Debbie has a decade of experience in public relations, strategic planning and digital marketing.She was shortlisted for Marketing Magazine’s Top 30 Under 30 Awards, and is the founder and Managing Director of the Canadian based So Agency.Brands Debbie has worked with include Nandos Canada and Hamilton Beach. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Lisa Killbourn is a Strategist with 30 years experience across some of the biggest agencies, including Collett Dickenson Pearce, J Walter Thompson, and AMV BBDO. Lisa is now a freelance consultant collaborating with organisations to develop brand value and business growth strategies. Link to Lisa's article The Perception Problem which we discuss -https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/perception-problem-referendum-clientagency-briefs-lisa-killbourn/  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Judy is Managing Director of Oliver & Co helping organisations think more strategically, manage change and develop effective leadership.I speak to Judy about -Common challenges to effective leadershipGetting buy-in for StrategyMyths around strategic thinkingHow to think wellGetting the best from people’s time in meetingsPersonal strategy Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.