DDB’s Priya Patel talks diversity, creativity and humanity on latest ep of Brown Riot podcast

The latest episode of Ant Melder’s Brown Riot podcast has just dropped, featuring the managing director of DDB Sydney, Priya Patel. It’s the latest in the series featuring candid chats with highly respected and awarded ECDs, creative leaders, MDs and CEOs from a range of ethnic, cultural and socio-economic backgrounds. The podcast conversations cover themes including diversity, lack of representation and racism, with an insightful but light-hearted approach. All episodes are available via Spotify, Apple Podcasts and at brownriot.com.

In this episode, Priya Patel, a self-confessed lover of good books, fancy restaurants and cheesy R&B music, talks about her Indian background, her upbringing in Cambridge in the UK, how she got into advertising and her journey from lead roles at renowned London agencies to MD at one of Australia’s most iconic, award-winning agencies.

Along the way she has fascinating points to make about feeling like “the only Indian person in account handling in London”, the benefits and problems of quotas, her love of the medium of posters and how “having as much difference as possible will improve creativity”. On the subject of diversity, she talks about leaning into ideas and initiatives “that show difference but identify the humanity that makes us all the same.”

Brown Riot is an ongoing podcast series hosted by Ant Melder, creative partner at the independent creative agency, Coffee Cocoa Gunpowder and produced by sound and music legends, Smith & Western. Guests so far have included ECD of BWM Ash Naidu, ECD of M&C Saatchi Avish Gordhan and creative consultant Karen Ferry. The theme that unites all of the guests is their breakthrough success and willingness to use their influential voices to help move the industry forward in a positive way.

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