Martin Cowie, OMD’s former chief people officer for more than a decade, has departed the Omnicom agency to set out on his own with consultancy Cowie Coaching.
Cowie Coaching will offer clients a slice of Cowie’s significant experience, training them to become better leaders, managers and, ultimately, people. With more than 30 years of experience at agencies across the UK and Australia, Cowie certainly has a lot to offer prospective clients.
“I’ve got a good understanding of what works and what doesn’t. I can help guide people in that respect”, he told B&T.
“I’m a very good listener but also someone who enjoys looking for the strengths and positives in people and helping them see potential solutions in areas that they may have been struggling with”.
Describing his approach to coaching as “holistic”, Cowie added that for the last three years, he has been a Lifeline Crisis Supporter, in addition to his IECL Level 2 individual and team coach certification. This experience, he explained, has given him the empathy and understanding to help dig beyond the obvious, helping people identify the true problem and find solutions in both their professional and personal lives.
With his extensive experience within the advertising agency world, one would be forgiven for thinking that Cowie would keep his consultancy narrowly focused on the sector. However, he explained that Cowie Coaching will be available to businesses of all shapes and sizes — and that he is already having discussions with s number of potential clients.
That shouldn’t be surprising. Cowie’s alacrity for coaching and personal development was evident from our chat with him — “I realised that, even at my advanced age, that’s where my passion was”, he said.
And, given the names and faces who turned out for his leaving do from around Omnicom, it’s clear that Cowie will leave behind a very big pair of shoes to fill. He’ll also be dearly missed.
“Marv has long been a champion of people within the OMD business”, the agency told us.
“As a collective, the OMD team is better for the coaching and guidance he has given us all during the different roles he held during his tenure with us. We are privileged to have benefitted from both his expertise and his passion for people and culture, and we wish him all the best as he establishes his coaching consultancy”.
Talking about his leaving bash, Cowie described it as “fantastic”.
“All the big players from [Peter] Horgan and Sian [Whitnall] and Laura [Nice] to Kristiaan [Kroon] and all the main exec team and senior leadership team came out and made sure I left the building!”
Their attendance, of course, should be expected considering he has been with the agency for some 15 years over two stints. But he has also been coaching within the agency over the last 12 months, honing his skills and setting his team up for success in the wake of his departure.
So — save for booking a session with Cowie Coaching — what advice does Cowie have for the rest of the industry?
“We have so many incredible, bright, intelligent people with huge IQs. Whether the level of EQ is as high in the industry or whether people are being trained or coached on that is a different matter.
“Most of the problems and conflict I find in the industry stem from not being clear on communication or being courageous enough to be clear or taking the time to communicate”.
Of course, that was not necessarily a problem at OMD. Cowie said the proudest moment of his time at the agency was when it came third in the Great Place to Work rankings — no mean feat considering the fast-paced nature of the media industry.
Should you want to bottle a piece of the lightning Cowie helped create at OMD, you can get in touch with him at [email protected].
