The world is changing faster than we can keep up with. Technology is changing behaviours, brands are struggling to connect with customers which means that they are falling behind. Many of them need to go back to their brand purpose, find a reason for being and rebuild relationships with their customers. The magic lies in that value exchange between brands and customers – that’s where innovation plays a big role. Brands need to do things differently, focus more on their customers, be bolder, take risk and start leading the way into the future. That’s how they connect!

London is a very creative city with lots of theatre, art and design. Creatives from all over the world move here to build their career, be a part of the creative community so it’s quite a diverse crowd. London is at the same time a business centre, not only for Europe but for the world. What makes London really great for innovation is that these two worlds meet here, it’s the intersection of creativity and business. We need these two worlds to innovate, the businesses need creativity, empathy and diversity to solve their problems – the creatives love coming up with ideas and creating something new, never seen before. It’s a win - win for both.

Many big brands are facing problems they have never seen before. They are being attacked from many directions, tech giants, start-ups and companies that might be stretching into their territories. The game has changed with the introduction of digital, now the customer has more control, more choice than ever. They need to rethink their businesses, sometimes from scratch. It’s time to jump or die – now.

Our industry has the power to move hearts, shape values and influence behaviour. I take that responsibility very seriously because we work with brands with the scale to influence.

Any marketer worth their mettle has international experience under their belt. As a native New Yorker I'd spent my entire life with an east coast American mindset. Living in London has afforded me the opportunity to think broadly, experience the world as an outsider and challenge my own perceptions. It's made me more empathetic and hopefully a better communicator.

In a world where borders are closing and the debate between patriotism and nationalism is raging, being empathetic to other points of view is a competitive advantage. As marketers we are in a privileged position to be on the front lines of understanding human behaviour and hopefully shaping values for generations to come.

Advertising’s influence on how people feel, think and act is greater than any other medium. People who want to create a fairer world can either turn their back on it, or they can try and harness it for good.

New York irrationally manages to attract more people, and more different kinds of people than any other place I know of. Like all great advertising strategies, New York is not a rational decision, it is an emotional one.

I used to think that there was ‘a right time’ to do things. But life’s surprises and failures have given me more over the years than anything that I have planned. It’s useful to remember that now is always the time.

I love the advertising industry as it offers a unique balance between creativity, technology and innovation. Our collaborative working model allows technologist to be actively engaged at all phases of a project. Making meaningful contributions reinforces the team model that is necessary to do work we’ll all be proud of.

Over the course of my career I’ve work on both coasts, the South and the Midwest. While all of these regions are special in their own unique way, there was never a moment when I questioned New York as my favourite city for living and working. As America's cradle of creativity, culture and money there's continuous inspiration to create and innovate.

Our industry is at a major inflection point with digital as a disruptor in the overall marketing space. Initially this disruption was driven by digital agencies, but now solution providers, consultancies and product companies have invested heavily in the space. Digital agencies need to challenge their processes and working models to remain focused on creating things that deliver high brand engagement while we continuing to be great partners to the companies we work for.

I always wanted to be part of the process of building brands. Design affords me that opportunity - the process of crafting, shaping and conceiving a brand is critical to its fame and fortune. Today’s cult brands, as well as those with the largest market cap, have shown us that by investing time and resources into the identity, language and experience of a brand, they win consumers hearts, minds and share of wallets. That’s an exciting place to be.

Concrete jungle where dreams are made of? There's nothin' you can't do... This song was released as I left London to move to New York at the end of 2009 and it continues to ring true for me. New York makes my heart race. It’s fast, demanding and relentless. It’s a place where people gravitate for an adventure - to pursue their dreams, to fulfil their ambition, and to realise their potential. New York doesn’t hold back and neither do those determined to succeed here.

The narrative in the creative industry right now is a tough one. Design is well poised to tackle this reality head on, given great design is, at its core, about problem solving and authentic expression. I believe designs’ time is now and there is huge opportunity for brands to apply a design mindset to broader marketing and communication challenges. Our goal as designers is to partner with our clients to find simplicity amongst the chaos, to capture consumers’ imagination in arresting and compelling new ways, and ultimately to seek a unique truth for each brand that only they can speak.

Businesses will always need it and its potency is in its creativity. The best bit is that this creativity can and needs to be applied in more diverse ways than ever before.

Proximity of talent and competition. It makes it infectious and ensures change happens quicker than anywhere else in the world.

Why not now? In chaos there is always opportunity, you just have to be able to see it and get on with making it happen.

Spend your days with wonderful people, working on fascinating problems while creating and making ideas that can influence important global topics and help people to live better lives and make better choices - why do anything other than advertising?

Creativity grows through the cracks in the pavement here. I love it.

Exciting new prospects will emerge as the world pivots and it feels like the right time to be bold.