B&TB&TB&T
  • Advertising
  • Campaigns
  • Marketing
  • Media
  • Technology
  • Regulars
    • Agency Scorecards
    • Best of the Best
    • Campaigns of the Month
    • CMO Power List
    • CMOs to Watch
    • Culture Bites
    • Fast 10
    • New Business Winners
    • Spotlight on Sponsors
  • Jobs
  • Awards
    • 30 Under 30
    • B&T Awards
    • Cairns Crocodiles
    • Women In Media
    • Women Leading Tech
Search
Trending topics:
  • Cairns Crocodiles
  • Nine
  • Seven
  • Pinterest
  • WPP
  • AFL
  • Anthony Albanese
  • Thinkerbell
  • NRL
  • Federal Election
  • Cannes Lions
  • State of Origin
  • AI
  • B&T Women in Media
  • Spotlight on Sponsors
  • Channel 10
  • ARN
  • TV Ratings
  • Radio Ratings
  • Sports Marketing

  • About
  • Contact
  • Editorial Guidelines
  • Privacy
  • Terms
  • Advertise
© 2025 B&T. The Misfits Media Company Pty Ltd.
Reading: Fast 10: Caroline Catterall Unpacks The Gut Instincts Developed Over 20+ Years At The Helm Of Keep Left
Share
B&TB&T
Subscribe
Search
  • Advertising
  • Campaigns
  • Marketing
  • Media
  • Technology
  • Regulars
    • Agency Scorecards
    • Best of the Best
    • Campaigns of the Month
    • CMO Power List
    • CMOs to Watch
    • Culture Bites
    • Fast 10
    • New Business Winners
    • Spotlight on Sponsors
  • Jobs
  • Awards
    • 30 Under 30
    • B&T Awards
    • Cairns Crocodiles
    • Women In Media
    • Women Leading Tech
Follow US
  • About
  • Contact
  • Editorial Guidelines
  • Privacy
  • Terms
  • Advertise
© 2025 B&T. The Misfits Media Company Pty Ltd.
B&T > Advertising > Fast 10: Caroline Catterall Unpacks The Gut Instincts Developed Over 20+ Years At The Helm Of Keep Left
Advertising

Fast 10: Caroline Catterall Unpacks The Gut Instincts Developed Over 20+ Years At The Helm Of Keep Left

Greg Graham
Published on: 29th October 2024 at 9:44 AM
Greg Graham
Share
6 Min Read
SHARE

Caroline Catterall, founder and CEO of Keep Left, has been at the helm of the agency for over two decades, guiding it from a small PR firm to a powerhouse in creative and media. Known for her relentless pursuit of growth and her instinctive, gut-led approach to business, Caroline is passionate about breaking boundaries and helping the next generation of women in media find their voice.

Chatting with B&T’s own Greg “Sparrow” Graham, she shares insights into her career journey, the evolution of Keep Left, and the values that have defined her leadership—from championing a growth mindset to celebrating moments of triumph with her team.

1) You started Keep Left 23 years ago, an amazing achievement, if you could only pick one highlight what would it be?

Catterall: Winning the B&T Award for Best Consumer PR Campaign for Crust Pizza back in 2008. I’ll never forget that feeling of walking up to the stage and accepting the award! That win really energised our team and helped establish us as an agency.

2) You’ve recently won a B&T Women In Media Award & you mentor with the Aunties, why is this important to you?

Catterall: I’m lucky to have been my own boss for the majority of my career, so haven’t experienced the challenges a lot of women face in our industry. But I’m aware these challenges exist and am passionate about advocating for the girl’s club. As an aside, my Aunties mentee recently relocated, so if anyone is looking for a mentor, I’m open for business.

3) I love that you have a growth mindset & follow your gut instincts, is that rare in today’s environment when most people play it safe?

Catterall: I think a growth mindset is a lot rarer than listening to your gut. A growth mindset has probably been my biggest asset over the years and helped me succeed in business. It’s less about taking risks and more about having the ability to stay a course and navigate challenges and setbacks. Particularly in this market, that may just be a superpower.

4) The agency has evolved from PR to advertising, design & content has this been client-driven?

Catterall: It’s been client and media-driven. The landscape we operate in, and what we need to do to make effective work, have changed and we’ve responded accordingly. No doubt, my own professional ambitions have probably played a role in this too. We are proud of our PR heritage but haven’t been content with sticking in a pure PR lane. This ability to flex offers advantages to our clients.

5) Who have been the mentors that have influenced your career?

Catterall: I’ve been a bit late to the party on the mentor front but have made up for lost time in the last couple of years forming relationships with both Chris Savage and Melinda Geertz. I’ve learnt so much from them about running a good business.

6) As an industry what’s one thing you would change to make us all better?

Catterall: I would wave my magic wand and eradicate imposter syndrome, which seems to strike a lot of women in our industry in their late 20s and early 30s. Both the women in our industry and the industry as a whole would be better if women never doubted their voice or seat at the table.

7) You started out in your early 20’s, what has been your one major leadership learning over that time?

Catterall: Be honest, have empathy.

8) With the current economic headwinds, are your clients still spending?

Catterall: 2024 has felt like a maintenance year for a lot of brands. We’re lucky to have some incredible clients who still have the appetite to invest and do creative work, but on the whole, budgets are down, the market is tough, and the hustle is real.

9) What’s one thing that’s not on your LinkedIn profile?

Catterall: The youngest member of our family, the British Shorthair cat we rescued earlier this year, Aggie. She is the laziest animal on the planet and completely hilarious.

10) Important last question: do your parents know what you do?

Catterall: I would guess my parents understand what I do to about 50%. My children, on the other hand!! My 11-year-old has started to give me advice on which parts of the business to focus on, and my 7-year-old is always useful to consult in a moral dilemma. They hear and learn a lot while I’m driving them to swimming classes and talking on the phone.

Join more than 30,000 advertising industry experts
Get all the latest advertising and media news direct to your inbox from B&T.

No related posts.

TAGGED: Fast 10, Keep Left
Share
Greg Graham
By Greg Graham
Follow:
Greg started his advertising career in the mailroom/despatch at McCann's in the seventies. In Greg’s 50 years in advertising, he has worked for several high-profile creative agencies, launched Mindshare in Australia, and spent 25+ years at GroupM/WPP. Sparrow was the Marketing and New Business Director of Mindshare North America, based in New York for 7 years. During that time the agency was incredibly successful and the agency was named Adweek’s Media Agency of the Year for winning more than a billion dollars in new business! Greg is a qualified Coach (IECL & CoachU) and a member of the International Coaching Federation. Sparrow is also Australia’s No. 1 Influencer in the advertising/media category with LinkedIn, was awarded B&T’s Best of the Best Lifetime Achievement Award, and was recently inducted into the MFA Hall of Fame.

Latest News

Westpac Banks On Michelle Klein To Lead Marketing & Growth
23/06/2025
Diversity Council Australia Celebrate Its 40th Birthday With New Brand Identity
23/06/2025
The B&T Awards Are Back!
23/06/2025
Cannes Lions Investigating Grand Prix Win Amid Claims Of Manipulated Submission
23/06/2025
//

B&T is Australia’s leading news publication magazine for the advertising, marketing, media and PR industries.

 

B&T is owned by parent company The Misfits Media Company Pty Ltd.

About B&T

  • About
  • Contact
  • Editorial Guidelines
  • Privacy
  • Terms
  • Advertise

Top Categories

  • Advertising
  • Campaigns
  • Marketing
  • Media
  • Opinion
  • Technology
  • TV Ratings

Sign Up for Our Newsletter



B&TB&T
Follow US
© 2025 B&T. The Misfits Media Company Pty Ltd. All Rights Reserved.
Welcome Back!

Sign in to your account

Register Lost your password?