Clemenger BBDO’s top creative, Carolyn Mackintosh, is today’s B&T Women in Media profile. Here, Mackintosh talks her heroes, an oddly named cat and the one quote that gets her through a tough day…

The ones that made it in their own way…
Like Andy Warhol, Vivienne Westwood, Liz Tiberis, Corinne Day, Phoebe Philo and Madeleine Vionnet are the ones that inspired me to go into the industry.

The one thing I’d like to change about the industry is…
I read recently that just three per cent of creative directors globally are women, so that stat would be a good one to tackle.

I grew up in the 70’s, when life was simple and tough in the suburbs…
My parents held high expectations and encouraged me to do or be anything I wanted. The kids in our neighbourhood had freedom but it came with responsibility, we all influenced each other. As a kid I was shy, passionate and fiercely independent and after graduating from art college not knowing exactly what I wanted, my quiet aspiration was to somehow change the world. Nothing’s changed.

My greatest career achievements are…
Well I could talk about them but my real motivation is the success of my team. They’re an eclectic group of super talented funny and generous creatives. Made up of writers, art directors and designers with diverse backgrounds in fine art, fashion and music. An unspoken no-ego policy exists within us making it a vibrant culture with everyone encouraged to be themselves and challenge convention. It means we have the skills to work across every channel. It also means we laugh a lot.

Out of work, my proudest achievements are my girls, Evie and Velvet…
They are both intelligent, hard-working and an endless source of inspiration. I also have a wild Bengal girl cat called Frankenstein

Whenever I’ve felt like giving up – or “shrinking” as I describe the feeling – I remind myself of that famous Nelson Mandala quote…

‘Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate.

Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.

There is nothing enlightened about shrinking.

We are all meant to shine like children do.’

I still feel like a kid and that keeps everything in perspective for me.

Tickets for B&T’s Women In Media Awards in Sydney on 13th August 2015 at 6.30pm are on sale here.