Vicki Saunders has been in a senior leadership agency role for more than 10 years. Currently MD of MISSION Group’s Special Purpose Vehicle for Post Office, Vicki oversees the management of all MISSION’s work for this retail giant. She also co-leads krow London, managing a cross-departmental team of passionate individuals committed to developing brand communications that make a Big Positive Impact.
Best known for being a fierce but fair female leader within krow Group, Vicki is passionate about creating an inclusive culture that is supportive of the diverse needs of the passionate individuals that make our industry great. In a world of influencers, Vicki also works hard to ensure krow is a good one, leading their team of Environmental Champions to set ambitious targets in minimising the negative environmental impact of the way they work and the work they do. A master of multi-tasking, when she’s not leading her agency, you’ll find Vicki navigating her way through life with young twins.
Tell us a bit about yourself and your background.
I can’t believe I’m saying this but I’m starting my 25th year in agency life. While I sometimes feel old, I also feel more confident in my judgement than ever before.
I cut my marketing teeth in below-the-line channel work for automotive, entertainment and mobile brands. These years were instrumental in helping me shape my core skills in client and project management.
In 2007, I joined Leo Burnett’s BTL arm, Arc, where I had my first career-defining moment – leading the Fiat 500’s unveiling at the London Eye. Whilst working on this launch, I met the founders of krow group, who invited me to join their new agency.
I’m as passionate today as I was then about krow’s agency model; a model that has been instrumental in helping me grow into the leader I am now.
What inspired you to pursue a leadership role in the communications industry and how did you get started?
I didn’t know I wanted to be a leader. I remember saying at the age of 28 that I never wanted to be an MD – the thought terrified me!
My ambition to succeed wasn’t driven by title, it was driven by a belief there is always better. Better client service, better strategic and creative effectiveness, better team leadership. The potential to achieve more is what drove me then and continues to be my motivation.
Over the years, I’ve been lucky enough to have bosses who saw this ambition and allowed me to drive change.
How do you balance the responsibilities of overseeing a major client like the Post Office with co-leading krow London?
Initially, this was not an easy juggle. For the first six months, I took a temporary step back from leading krow London, so I could focus on establishing Cloak Lane (the internal agency created to service the Post Office).
A year on, and it still requires me to prioritise the important over the urgent, but Cloak Lane was built around krow’s agency model so the core structure and approach is mirrored across both agency units, minimising the operational management.
A key learning this year: accepting that I can’t do it all. I’ve empowered my team to drive forward areas I used to oversee. I expected releasing control to be hard, but it’s been rewarding to see my team step up, giving me more time for new challenges
What challenges have you faced as a female leader in the communications industry and how have you overcome them?
My biggest challenge has always been self-belief. My only ceiling was the one I put there. Part of that doubt came from within, but part came from not seeing many female leaders in the industry. I questioned if I was good enough to join the men at the top. Overcoming this meant listening to the people around me, building on my strengths and being open to feedback.
I’ve been fortunate to learn from some inspirational bosses who often saw more potential in me than I did. It’s hard to overestimate the importance of having a boss who believes in you and gives you opportunities to shine. So often in today’s agency world, leaders try to shield their teams from the fears that come from operating outside of their comfort zone, but in doing so, they also limit their ability to grow.
Today’s leaders must empower their teams, even if it creates temporary discomfort. This discomfort pushes both sides to work harder and improve.
Can you share some initiatives you’ve spearheaded to foster an inclusive and supportive culture at krow Group?
This is a huge passion area for me. The best work comes from a happy and well-balanced team who feel valued and empowered to succeed. At krow, we’ve always had a supportive agency culture with a team spirit that feels more like an extended family than a workplace, but when we grew across four different offices and embraced hybrid working, we realised it was harder to maintain that culture in every location.
In response to this, we launched a cross-office team charged with developing krow Group’s first wellbeing platform – krowkind; an always-on hub that enables the agency to access a combination of digital and real-world initiatives to support their wellbeing. Since its 2021 launch, we’ve seen engagement increase by 21%, with 76% of the agency actively engaged with activity.
In your opinion, what role does the communications industry play in driving positive environmental change?
As marketing agencies, we are in a unique position to be able to reach huge numbers of people with persuasive messaging. We have a duty to use this power to make a positive impact not only on our clients’ bottom lines but also on the world around us. As krow’s sustainability lead, I’ve learnt a lot on our journey to securing ISO14001 certification, not least the need for agencies and brands to be more accountable for their environmental impact by monitoring emissions, having controls in place to manage them and promoting environmentally responsible behaviour in their communications.
What advice would you give to other women aspiring to leadership roles in traditionally male-dominated industries?
My advice is the same for any aspiring leader: be the change you want to see and lead by example. Don’t wait to be asked. Be proactive and bring ideas to the table. Then when you have a consensus, make it happen. Too often, ideas are discussed and opinions given, but few can make those a reality. It’s important to make your voice heard and then turn that voice into action.
How do you manage the demands of both professional leadership and personal life, especially being a mother of twins?
For so long, my career was everything and it defined me. But then my twins came along and tipped my world upside down. As a working mum, I compromise on a lot of things, but the key is working out the right sacrifices to make. When my children were younger, I wanted to be with them more often than I wasn’t, so I reduced to a three-day week. As they’ve grown older, it’s about ensuring I’m there for the things that matter – the music show, football match or open classrooms. Our industry must be more flexible to enable parents to show up for the important stuff in their kids’ lives, or we’ll lose great people from our industry.
What’s the most rewarding aspect of your work at krow Group, and how do you stay inspired to keep innovating?
It’s the people. I am really lucky to meet, work with and learn from such a diverse group of interesting and talented people. Every day is a school day, even after 25 years. It is in being open to learning new things and actively listening to all the people around me, that makes me able to identify better ways to service our clients and lead our incredible team.
If you could go back in time, what advice would you give to your younger self?
Short and simple, I’d say believe in yourself!
Read more from our other inspirational profiles here.
Hosted by the Women Pivoting to Digital Taskforce in collaboration with Lloyds Banking Group, this event is for women based in Leeds who are considering a move into tech or digital roles and are interested in learning more about how to transition.
