CEOs during COVID-19: Sue Squillace on calming client panic, homeschooling three girls, and why 2020 isn’t a year for profits
In this series, Mumbrella’s Brittney Rigby asks media agency CEOs how they’re leading their teams through a once-in-a-lifetime pandemic. Here, Carat CEO Sue Squillace explains how she’s responded to clients asking ‘What can we cancel?’, why she’s missing connections with media owners, and how she’s re-thinking culture to deliver it virtually.
Eight months ago, Sue Squillace walked out of Spark Foundry, turned right, and slid under a new desk next door. It’s barely a two minute walk from Publicis Groupe’s Walsh Bay offices to neighbour Dentsu Aegis Network, where Squillace was now CEO of media agency Carat.
That must feel like a lifetime ago. She was coming into an agency riddled by account losses – including Mondelēz International, Super Retail Group, Virgin Australia, Asahi, Amart, Bega, David Jones, and Disney – to rebuild Carat alongside DAN CEO Henry Tajer.
Really enjoying this series, thank you Mumbrella!