You’re in for a real treat today, Women In Media lovers; because today it’s none other than M&C Saatchi’s managing partner Mim Haysom. Here she talks the importance of mentoring, why it’s not always men’s fault and the real value of a great accountant…

My leadership style is very open…
I’m open and always up for a chat. I have high standards and high expectations, I believe the work we all do and what we present to clients should be nothing but first class. I guess you could say I’m firm but fair.

I like mentoring young, up and coming people…
Talent development is a priority for me. I think one of the biggest challenges in the industry is talent, both attracting and retaining it, because we’re not just competing with the other advertising agencies – we’re competing with the big platforms providers, tech companies and clients.  Fostering and nurturing talent is really important, it keeps great talent in the building and that’s a success factor for our business.

I grew up surrounded by creative people and did a marketing degree, but worked out pretty quickly that a more creative environment was the place for me…
I’ve always been innately curious, and wanted to learn about lots of different things. Having experience in just the one company wasn’t really that appealing to me, whereas advertising, with its breadth of clients and projects, just felt like the natural fit. There wasn’t really anything else I ever wanted to go into. So I did. I’ve never looked back and have had the most fantastic experiences and friendships out of it.

I’ve had strong female mentors outside of the industry throughout my whole life…
Women who really trail-blazed throughout their industries, like Adele Palmer and Sally Brown. They were really strong successful business women in a time when that was quite unusual, so I’ve learnt a lot from them and sought a lot of advice from them over the years.

Within the industry it’s actually been more men that have been supportive…
That’s probably because the agencies I’ve spent the most time in have been run by blokes, so that’s just happened naturally. There’s one person I would consider as a current mentor to me. He’s got a great emotional intelligence and a brilliant mind. He knows how to build and grow businesses, he knows how to do deals, and how to manage people through the process. I’ve learnt a lot from him. That’s Cheuk Chiang, the CEO of Omnicom Group Asia Pacific. I worked with him and Cummins&Partners and think he’s amazing. If I’ve got a challenge I need to bounce off someone, he’s my go-to person.

I’d tell younger people getting into the industry, or any industry for that matter, to get the right financial advice…
Invest in an accountant, or a financial adviser, or use the institutions (like Commbank!) that you already have relationships with. A lot have financial literacy programs where you can get guidance and advice on how to set yourself up for the future.