Challenge, Curation and Switching On - Havas London's Strategy Chief

Switching on the antenna

If there’s one thing I’d want strategists to prioritise above anything else is keeping your ear to the ground. And sometimes that’s easier said than done! As a mum of two, life can too easily default into routines. That’s why I make an active choice, to flick that internal switch from “head down, must-get-this-done” mode to “antenna up, pay attention” mode. When I make that shift, I stop moving through the world on autopilot and start noticing the brilliant everyday details that can otherwise pass me by. Snippets of chat in my local pub, the way parents hype their kids at swimming lessons, the honesty commuters share without meaning to. Living in Lincoln helps too; I get a view outside of the capital - and the conversations are different! When I’m switched on, normal life becomes a constant feed of clues about what people value, fear, and want which inspires new thoughts for the clients I work on. 

Curating inputs that stretch my perspective

Inspiration also comes from what I choose to surround myself with, and the variety of diverse, brilliant minds at Havas, this is often one of the first places I’ll turn. I’m lucky to work closely with my colleagues in PR, social, media, events, corporate comms, CX, and more. Just being around that mix of skills gives me access to perspectives I wouldn’t get anywhere else!

But beyond my work home, I always supplement my inspiration pot with varied inputs - reading outside the marketing world, dipping into psychology or anthropology are loves of mine, or watching documentaries on subjects I know nothing about. Or, when life needs to go horizontal, and I end up going down a TikTok rabbit hole that starts with one video and ends somewhere completely unexpected. When I give myself a wider set of ingredients, I feel like I can make more interesting mental connections and my strategic thinking feels bigger and more exciting because I stop thinking purely through the lens of briefs, campaigns, or categories.

Letting myself be challenged and changed

The final part, and maybe the most important is remaining open to being wrong. My inspiration often comes from moments that challenge what I thought I knew. A throwaway comment in a café that contradicts the category narrative. A behaviour that doesn’t match the research deck. A colleague pushing back on an assumption I didn’t even realise I was making. These moments can feel uncomfortable, but that’s exactly why they’re valuable. They force me to rethink, reframe, and sometimes completely reset my understanding of a problem. And that’s where the fresh thinking comes from. 

Being a strategist isn’t about having the answers straight away, it’s about being curious enough to let the world shift your perspective.