CB Hot Suit Takes: Justine Leong, Managing Director, AKQA Australia
CB Hot Suit Takes is our new Q&A series for extremely busy CEOs and senior leaders across the industry ~ covering careers, creativity, challenges and the song that sums it all up. Next in the hot seat is Justine Leong, Managing Director, AKQA Australia.
1. What made you get into advertising?
Creativity in a commercial world. I’ve always been drawn to the world of creativity. I adored film to the point that I studied it at university. After a few years in the world of long-form production and a stint at the BBC, I wanted to try my hand in advertising. There was something both alluring and perplexing about trying to fit creativity into a box defined by budgets, timelines and mandatories. The ultimate challenge but also the reality of the material world we live in.
2. Which piece of work are you most proud of, and why?
Volvo Living Seawall. The Volvo Seawall was a meaningful action demonstrating the sustainability credentials of the Volvo brand. It was such a powerful brand act, enduring as an idea beyond a moment, and still in the Sydney Harbour almost 10 years later making positive impact. It was work that transcended the industry, featuring in the Beazley Awards at London Design Museum.
3. What’s the biggest challenge you face in your role right now?
The external forces. The industry (and world) feels difficult and uncertain, and this sentiment compounds when there are external forces impacting your day-to-day that you have no control over. This is also where the opportunity is. Being comfortable and curious with the unknown is often where the most exciting ideas exist.
4. What’s the most recent thing you’ve learned – professionally or personally?
The magic of imagination. My daughter recently graduated from daycare and started school this year — yes daycare do graduations these days! A video montage of every child was shared with ‘what they want to be when they grow up’. The ambitions of 4 and 5 years olds were shared; firefighters, ballet dancers, policeman, teachers, and then there was Willow — a unicorn, mermaid scientist. She reminded me how important it is to never lose our imaginations, in a world that needs the magic of possibility more than ever.
5. What song best sums up your career so far?
This may sum up my car singalongs as much as my career.
Let it go – Frozen
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