Home » “Always Look For Ways To Challenge Yourself And Grow”: 10 Of The Best With Mindshare’s Chris Solomon

30 June, 2022

“Always Look For Ways To Challenge Yourself And Grow”: 10 Of The Best With Mindshare’s Chris Solomon

By James Harrison

2 in 1 week? That’s right! We’ve got a second 10 of the best article for you right here because why not?

But if you’re not even sure what 10 of the best is let us tell you!

It’s our content series in anticipation of B&T’s Best of the Best awards presented by Finecast.

And if you’re not sure what the hell these awards are, here’s the scoop!

These awards are some of the most unique in the industry because they are dedicated to highlighting individual talent in the industry, rather than focusing on an agency or company.

This year’s awards have introduced a new category – ‘Diversity Champion’ – which is here to show the amazing work done by people in the industry who are creating a more inclusive work environment.

You can find a breakdown of all the different categories HERE, along with a downloadable file outlining the full submission criteria.

Come on, you know you want to enter! Head on over HERE to complete your submission.

To inspire you even more to enter Best of the Best, we’ll be publishing some fab interviews with a number of senior folk from Finecast and the broader WPP AUNZ network over the coming weeks.

This time we’ve got the managing director of Mindshare, Chris Solomon…

Best piece of career advice?

Always look for ways to challenge yourself and grow. Even better if they make you feel uncomfortable.

Best agency in Australia now (that’s not yours) and why?

I have 2. Big fan of Hogarth, great offering, great leader. And TBWA, we work with them together on NAB and they are just an amazing group of smart people that collaborate really well.

Best leader in diversity/inclusion and why?

Sonia Harvey, Head of Diversity, and Inclusion at BP. She is incredibly clear in her focus and incredibly clear in how she tells the journey of where we need to head as an industry. Very impactful.

Best mistake you’ve ever made?

Started my own business in China, blew a lot of money. But geez did I learn a lot, fast tracked my learning on how to run a business well!

Best brand you’ve never worked on and why?

Tesla or Apple. The way they have disrupted an industry is just amazing. Would be interesting to be a part of it.

Best song for inspiration and why?

Happy by Pharrell Williams. I like to keep it positive. It’s a song that reminds me of when my daughter was a little girl and the joy she radiated with, I take inspiration from that. She’s still super positive, just verging on teenager positive which is a little bumpy!

Best mentor in your life/career?

Aside from my dad. My old boss from MediaCom China, Rupert McPetrie. See my best piece of career advice, he taught me that.

Best place on your bucket list you want to travel?

Japan. I’ve been there already but it’s been a long time. I love so many things about it, food, culture, vibe. But really would just love a cultural shock after the past few years of being landlocked in Victoria. Japan would bring that in a big way.

Best ad of the past decade?

Nike, Colin Kaepernick, Dream Crazy. It just shows what type of business Nike are under the hood. They backed the right side, they did this at a time when it was brave to do what they did and they stood by it. They did the same when exiting Russia because of the Ukraine invasion, which is very close to my heart given my wife is Ukrainian and I currently have all her family living with us in Melbourne after evacuating them out of Ukraine. Very proud to get to work with Nike. I can contest the people at Nike in Australia live their values.

Best guilty pleasure?

Watching Netflix in bed and eating ice cream.

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10 of the Best Best of the best Chris Solomon Mindshare