CB Hot Suit Takes: Jaimes Leggett, Founding Partner, Today the Brave
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 Jaimes Leggett, Founding Partner, Today the Brave.
1. What made you get into advertising?
A hotel bar, an observant regular and a law degree I was never really meant for.
Don could see something I couldn’t yet see for myself, that the bits I was drawn to in law; identifying the problem, developing strategy and framing an argument were all key tenants of advertising too. He made an introduction, I got the interview, and never looked back.
2. Which piece of work are you most proud of and why?
I’m fortunate to have been close to some incredible work in my career, but a timely example has to be Clever Buoy for Optus.
It started as a standard network brief, but instead of the category trope; talking about coverage we decided to demonstrate it…
Australia has a few unavoidable truths: fires, floods, and sharks. The ocean met the brief, so we locked in on that and built something useful that demonstrated the breadth of the Optus network. Facial recognition combined with sonar to create an early-warning shark detection system. The idea cleaned up in Cannes, winning 10 Lions, including a Grand Prix and Titanium.
3. What’s the biggest challenge you face in your role right now?
Not confusing speed with progress.
When the world is in flux, clarity becomes a superpower. Without it, you’re not being agile, you’re just reacting.
Long-term planning isn’t about predicting the future. It’s about deciding what you’re here to build.
Conviction over certainty.
4. What’s the most recent thing you’ve learned – professionally or personally?
This is more of a reminder than a learning… It’s simply how intoxicating and infectious creativity is. And how lucky we are to do what we do and call it work.
5. What song sums up your career so far?
Changes by David Bowie.
I’ve never really followed a straight line. From big agencies to starting Today the Brave, it’s been a series of pivots, resets and a few moments where we’ve deliberately thrown out the playbook and started again. That’s always been the fun part. The song captures that energy – a bit restless, a bit optimistic, and always moving forward. For me, change isn’t something to manage. It’s where the good stuff happens.
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