So you’re curious about working in strategy but don’t know where to start. What does it mean to be a strategist in the creative industry? What roles are available for entry-level talent and what kinds of skills might you need to work in this area? If you’d like to know the answer to any of these questions, you’ll want to register for our next networking event, Meet & Greet.

From associates to senior and head strategists, we’re inviting 12 industry professionals to shed light on the opportunities out there, share insight into their roles and offer advice for anyone looking to follow a similar path.

So whether you’re a student, a grad, or simply in the first year of your career journey, this is a chance to meet industry professionals, connect with fellow emerging attendees and ultimately learn more about what it’s like to work in strategy in the creative industry.

The session will take place over Zoom on Thursday 30th November, from 5pm to 8pm GMT. There are only a limited number of places available, so make sure you sign up to register your interest.

After a short panel discussion with our industry experts, you’ll be put into breakout rooms of three attendees and one industry expert, where you’ll get the chance to ask questions, receive advice and find out more about their role. This will then rotate, so you get to meet several industry experts throughout the evening.

Please note that while you do not need a portfolio to register, we do ask that you submit a question for our industry experts when you apply, along with a short line about why you’d like to attend. Simply register your interest by 11.59pm on Monday 20th November via the link below.

Roland Beckley (he/him), strategist, AKQA
Roland studied computer science at university and uses his technical insight to improve the way companies use technology to engage with consumers. Having previously worked at Apple and TBWA/Media Arts Lab, Roland is now at the digital agency AKQA, where he combines art and science to create a lasting impact with clients.

Read more about AKQA here.

Sho Kubota (he/him), strategist, Wolff Olins
Sho studied accounting and finance at Bournemouth University before joining professional services network Pricewaterhouse Coopers (PwC) for a year to work on mergers and acquisitions. After that, he completed an MA in banking and finance – but Sho also considers illustration to be a hobby, which saw him join Landor & Fitch as a creative intern and junior designer before coming to Wolff Olins in 2022.

Read more about Wolff Olins here.

Naphtali (Naph) Torrance (he/him), brand strategy director, GoodLove
Having originally studied English Literature and Language, Naph’s career started in advertising and he worked at some of London's top agencies for almost a decade – including adam&eveDDB and BBH on clients such as Audi, Google, and Volkswagen. Naph then moved into the world of start-ups, heading up marketing at Entrepreneur First, before specialising in brand specifically. Now a strategy director at GoodLove, Naph works with ambitious tech start-ups on all things brand strategy, from naming and positioning to purpose and values.

Read more about GoodLove here.

Lari Wong (she/her), social strategist, Anomaly
After completing Brixton Finishing School during lockdown, Lari joined Anomaly as a social community manager before being promoted to her current role as a social strategist, utilising skills across strategic thinking, problem solving and social media for clients like MINI, Diageo and more. Being second generation with Colombian and Chinese dual heritage, part of the LGBTQ+ community and a woman, Lari prioritises inclusive thinking and giving space for voices that may not be represented in the room as a BFS ambassador and Good Nugget mentor.

Claire Strickett (she/her), strategy director, Anomaly
Also joining us from Anomaly is Claire, who says it took her about five years post-graduation to find her home in advertising. As a brand strategist with seven years’ experience in creative and integrated agencies. Claire worked at VCCP, adam&eveDDB and Jellyfish before joining Anomaly this year. Since then, she has developed brand positioning and creative expression for brands including O2, Domino’s, easyJet, Virgin Media and YouTube – and now Comfort and RIMOWA.

Read more about Anomaly here.

Neil Sheakey (he/him), creative strategist, Uniform/Continuous
Having worked at Continuous (and the Uniform Group) for 12 years, Neil’s career has spanned graphic and brand design, digital design (UX and UI) and now brand strategy. For Neil, the common thread between all these ventures is problem solving, learning, understanding businesses, sectors and consumer problems and trying to find advantages that drive creativity and produce impact.

Read more about Uniform here.

Tom Moloney (he/him), senior strategy director, Koto
After studying graphic design at Kingston University, Tom pursued a couple of design roles before landing his first full-time job in the industry as an account executive at NB Studio. He had a quick go at business development before discovering and developing his skills as a strategist. Now senior strategy director at Koto, he leads a team of strategists and writers working on a wide variety of brands all over the world.

Read more about Koto here.

Lauren Clark (she/her), lead strategist, The Mix Global
Lauren has been a strategist for over four years. In that time she’s worked with lots of familiar brands – from supermarket names to the likes of Nike and Asics. She initially studied social science, before completing a year in industry at The Walt Disney Company in their consumer insights department. Today as lead strategist at The Mix Global, Lauren specialises in using consumer insight (qualitative and quantitative research) to inform brand strategy, helping companies to be more people-minded in their decision making.

Read more about The Mix here.

Alice Auxenfans (she/her), midweight strategist, DixonBaxi
Alice went from being a graphic designer to a brand strategist during lockdown. She interned and freelanced with DesignStudio, Koto, Lovework Studio, Zag and many others. Alice also started The Burning Agency, a freelancer duo with another strategist during lockdown. Having worked at DixonBaxi for almost two years, Alice has been sharpening her skills in strategy working with some of the world’s biggest brands.

Read more about DixonBaxi here.

Hannah Vatandoust (she/her), strategist, Wieden+Kennedy
After completing her history degree at SOAS, Hannah joined Brixton Finishing School to explore a career in advertising, which is where she first learnt about the role of a strategist. She’s worked on Nike for four years, starting at R/GA as an intern, working her way up to becoming a strategist at Wieden+Kennedy where she now also works on Ford.

Read more about Wieden+Kennedy here.

Alex Ostrowski (he/him), founder and creative director, Lovers
Alex has been advising brands on communication for over 15 years, from record labels to tech companies, funeral directors to mochi makers. He thinks up creative, original strategies for brands to express ideas that get audiences emotional. He’s worked with brands including Nike, Greenpeace, Google, the Museum of Sex, Tate and Warner Music.

Read more about Lovers here.

Ren Balogun (she/her), senior strategy consultant, Revolt
Ren’s career began unassumingly on a placement year, where she developed a passion for strategy and communications. In her most recent years agency side, Ren has worked with brands like Rothschild and co. to devise the purpose for Rosa’s Thai alongside her work building to make marketing more inclusive and sustainable with the likes of Mars Global and L’Oréal USA. With a passion and expertise in delivering diversity and inclusion strategies, she’s got a wealth of advice on how to add complementary strings to your bow.

Read more about Revolt here.

This session is open to students, grads, or those within the first year of a creative career. You’re only eligible to register if you are:

• Within the first year of your career
• Based in the UK
• Aged 18 and over

Please note that while you do not need a portfolio to register, we do ask that you submit a question for our industry experts when you apply, along with a short line about why you’d like to attend. Simply register your interest by 11.59pm on 20th November via the link below.

Registering for this event does not guarantee a place. Those invited to attend will be emailed a week before the event and will be asked to pay a £5 deposit. This is to confirm your attendance and will be refunded after the session.

We hope to see you there!