CB Hot Suit Takes: Ben Walker, Chief Doer / CEO, Those That Do
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 Ben Walker, Chief Doer/CEO, Those That Do.
1. What made you get into advertising?
I didn’t exactly choose advertising, it sort of ambushed me.
I was on a grad scheme based in an advertising building, doing all the jobs no one else wanted: newspapers, post, switchboard and making lunches.
But that building had six different agencies inside it, so I got a front-row seat to the industry without even realising it.
Every now and then they’d pull me in to help out. A few weeks here, a few weeks there. That was enough. The energy, the chaos and the fact that no two days looked the same, quickly hooked me.
It felt like a place where constant creation was possible, which perfectly matches how my mind works.
2. Which piece of work are you most proud of, and why?
Lifebuoy.
This one started life as something small, a tactic that could’ve easily been lost in the mix. But instead of leaving it there, we pushed it. And pushed it.
It grew into a full idea, one that became commercially ownable for both us and Unilever. Not just a campaign, but something with legs. Something that could keep going.
That’s the difference for me. Anyone can make a nice piece of work. Far fewer can create something that actually embeds itself in a business.
3. What’s the biggest challenge you face in your role right now?
The world, mostly.
Running an agency right now feels like going a few rounds with a heavyweight boxer who doesn’t follow the rules. Just as you find your feet, boom, left hook: economic shift. Right hook: cultural backlash. Uppercut: client changes.
And in the middle of that, you’re expected to produce clarity, confidence and great work.
The real challenge isn’t the chaos, it’s not letting the chaos dilute the reason why we exist and the work we do.
4. What’s the most recent thing you’ve learned, professionally or personally?
That most of the industry hides behind complexity.
Long decks, layered language, overthinking simple things, it’s often a smokescreen.
The best ideas, the best businesses, the best leaders are the ones who can say something clearly and stand behind it.
Clarity cuts. And more often than not, it exposes whether there’s actually an idea there in the first place.
5. What song best sums up your career so far?
Mr. Brightside, The Killers
A bit obsessive, slightly unhinged at times, but it just keeps building and somehow everyone still knows the words.
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