From Creative Director to Chief Creative Officer: R/GA

Are you a Creative Director who wants to grow to a Chief Creative Officer role? Are you curious about how to become one, which skills you need and which mistakes to avoid? Find out answers to these and many more questions we discussed during our Design Leadership series.

Tiffany shared insights on how to stay relevant in an ever-changing industry, lead a team of over 200 cross-disciplinary designers, as well as balancing being a parent and a Global Chief Creative Officer. Our personal favourites are her tips on fighting the imposter syndrome, scaling the team and hiring for senior roles. Watch the full interview below. 👇

6 Crucial skills you need to be a Chief Creative Officer:

1. 📊 Understanding Business Terms: A Chief Creative Officer should understand and use business terms relevant to creative work, such as ROI and P&L. Grasping these concepts helps in making informed decisions that align with the business's goals.

2. 👷 Leading Through Change: The role of a CCO involves managing change—whether it's through organizational restructuring, adopting new technologies like AI, or evolving creative processes. Being adaptable and forward-thinking is crucial.

3. ⚖️ Creative and Leadership Balance: Balancing creative work with leadership tasks is a key challenge. A CCO needs to know how to juggle being deeply involved in select projects while also having broad oversight over all creative work.

4. 📍 Pathway to Leadership: The journey to becoming a CCO involves being proactive in your role, taking on responsibilities beyond your job description, and aiming to solve larger business challenges. This often means choosing projects that grow your skill set and expand your understanding of the business.

5. 💎 Impact and Value Creation: A Chief Creative Officer must focus on creating work that has a substantial impact on the client's business, demonstrating the value of creativity in achieving business objectives.

6. ☘️ Sustainability and Future Thinking: Championing sustainability and considering the long-term impact of creative decisions on the environment and society are increasingly critical aspects of a CCO's role.

Want to make the next big step in your career?

Want to go further with your leadership journey? Learn Business Strategy, Finance and Leadership hands-on from leaders at Pentagram, Wolff Olins, Zaha Hadid Architects, Saatchi & Saatchi, Google, Amazon, and many more on our Design Leaders programme.