Hasta La Creative!

“I never aspired to be in charge of the creative department because of the men that ran them,” said Vicki Maguire, who was recently promoted to joint chief creative officer at Grey London alongside Caroline Pay. “I don’t get in the way of people’s work in progress. I don’t give people ideas and tell them to go away and write them. And I would never have a row of five junior creatives waiting in line outside my (nonexistent) office waiting for me to get back from lunch at the Ivy.”

And yet, she says, these are all indignities she’s endured at the hands of male superiors.

Advertising may still be a boys’ club, but creative departmentsoften seen as the most misogynistic part of the agencyare on the cusp of change after an unprecedented number of women stepped into the role of chief creative officer within the past year. Wieden & Kennedy has just promoted Susan Hoffman to global chief creative officer, joining Colleen DeCourcy, who became the agency’s first chief creative officer last October and continues in that role as partner with Hoffman. Other recent chief creative appointments include FCB’s Liz Taylor and Margaret Johnson at Goodby, Silverstein & Partners last August; Robin Fitzgerald at BBDO Atlanta in July; BETC London’s Rosie Bardales and Grey London’s Maguire and Pay in March; and Chloe Gottlieb, who was promoted to R/GA’s U.S. co-chief creative officer alongside Taras Wayner just last month.

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