New Business Diaries: Pedro Martins and Tobi Asare

Author, Founder of My Bump Pay and former Head of Growth at OMD UK, Tobi Asare joins the IPA New Business Diaries podcast to talk to Mediaplus UK's Pedro Martins about key lessons she's learnt from her career so far. They explore the benefits of testing and learning with AI, blending commerciality and creativity and why your people are your number one asset when pitching.

Transcript

SPEAKER_01 0:08

Welcome to the New Business Diaries, brought to you by the IPA New Business and Marketing Group. In this series, we speak to some of the biggest names in our industry on the hot topics in the new business world. I'm Pedro Martins, Chief Groff Officer at Media Plus UK and Behave Consultancy. Today I'm joined by Toby Asari, former head of growth at OMD UK. Author of The Blend, How to Successfully Manage a Family and a Career, and founder of My BumpPay, and passionate advocate for inclusion and balance in the workplace and leadership. We're talking about sustainable growth and what that looks like in agencies today, beyond the numbers, beyond the pitch, and into the people. So welcome, Toby.

SPEAKER_00 0:51

Thank you so much for having me. It's an absolute pleasure to be here.

SPEAKER_01 0:53

Thank you. It's great to have you. First things first, how have you managed to fit everything you've done? Not in your business, the author, the every everything into your life. I mean, that's amazing.

SPEAKER_00 1:06

I mean, I move at 100 miles per hour. I quite like that. Like, I love not necessarily sitting still. It's not always healthy, right? But I just love having things that kind of keep my mind busy and quite a naturally curious person. So I love yeah, dipping into little things here and there, and I think it actually makes you better at my day job. But I'd say the key is weekly planning. It's absolutely a game changer for me.

SPEAKER_01 1:28

Oh, I think we could do a whole podcast of that. I think we should maybe on first. That's brilliant. That was great. No, I barely fit a Netflix series into my life, but that's great.

SPEAKER_00 1:36

That's one thing I don't actually fit into my life as a Netflix series. Compromises.

SPEAKER_01 1:41

Definitely a podcast around productivity. So, Toby, for listeners who might not know your journey, can you share a bit how you came to Leeds within one of the UK's uh biggest media agencies and why you authored the book and started my bump pay along that?

SPEAKER_00 1:54

Good question. So, my career has always been surrounded by growth. Growth has always been an North Star. It's just something that I I love getting into. I find fascinating, I find people fascinating. I find all the different levers that stimulate and grow businesses and make businesses an attractive investment and vehicle really interesting. So growth is really at the epicenter of that. So I've been very, very fortunate that I've always been at the center of growth. Um actually started my career. Well, if you go all the way back, I went to law school. Um I absolutely loved a module that was around kind of private acquisitions, which is the investment space and what makes businesses attractive to buy. And so I found myself within financial services working for what was then a small business is now quite a large global business, but working for a business that effectively helps private equity funds, hedge funds around due diligence, and they also help management consultancies as well. So did that for quite some time. But I've always had this itch of kind of creativity and commerciality. Like as a kid, I had this um clipboard, I still remember it to this day, and it this clipboard had drawers in it and there were colouring pencils, and I would just sit there for hours and hours and hours, and I would design rooms, houses, I'd design clothes. So I've always had that kind of combination of creativity and commerciality. So during lockdown, I thought, oh, I want to scratch this itch and see what I can do with it and kind of take it into, you know, a full-time job of some sort. So I started having conversations about thinking about moving into a new role. And during that time, I was actually headhunted, um, reached out to by headhunter. They said, Would you consider this opportunity at OMDEK? I said, Yeah, sure, I'll have the chat. Had the chat with the then CEO, which was Laura Fenton, and another um wonderful member of her leadership team, Gareth Orr, fell in love with them instantly. I I kind of thought I knew what media was at the time. I didn't really, because I was obviously sitting outside the sector. Um, said yes to the job and absolutely loved it. So that's the whole OMD journey. I guess alongside that parallel to that, I am the mum of two kids. My son is eight years old, and that's quite a milestone age in a sense for me, because when I look at that age and I think actually it's a time where I discovered this burning desire, I guess, to fulfil my ambitions, whatever my ambitions were at the same time, but also to blend that with having a family. And at the beginning of those, you know, that particular journey, I was like, oh my goodness, how am I going to do this? How do people, you know, raise a family and how do people still, you know, push on with their career? Two things that was really itching to do. And I naively thought, do you know what? As I go along this journey and explore and find out more, I will just share it online. Um, so I started my bump pay, which initially was actually all around the basis of money, because money is such an important lever as you make decisions about your life in general and family life. And I really wanted to empower people to make really smart and sensible choices around money in your career and having a family. So that's where it started. And then people are asking me lots more questions around, but how do people make it work? I was like, I don't know, I've got no idea, but as I learn, I I will just share. Um, so you started sharing more via my website, website, and then eventually online through the form of content, and then eventually, yeah, wrote a book.

SPEAKER_01 5:14

That really is amazing. I mean, the the book for anyone who hasn't hasn't uh seen it, read it, heard it on Audible, they should. I mean, I I had I got it on Audible when it was amazing. Literally the kind of thing I wish I'd had, uh my wife wishes she'd had once we started a family. Oh, amazing. So I think that's fantastic. I mean, so you not only did you navigate and transcend two careers, yeah, but also started an online uh portal and a book and a family. Yeah. Amazing. Okay, brilliant. Um coming back and bringing it back to sort of where we are now, and and media, uh, when you look at the agency landscape as it is, what excites you most about where it's headed?

SPEAKER_00 5:56

Yeah. I think it's such an exciting place to be. I mean, when I joined OMD UK, I didn't really understand the depth and the richness of services and capability that an agency basically can provide. I think on the face of it, lots of people think, oh, you know, it's media planning and buying, but actually, media agencies, specifically ones like OMD, and you know, obviously lots of great agencies out there can provide so much in terms of services and capabilities and depth of knowledge and and technicality and access to data and how data is kind of used to transform and fuel and drive these businesses. So on the face of it, people think, oh, it's a media agency, but actually, when you scratch the service surface, it's absolutely fascinating the depth and the breadth of services that media agencies can provide to businesses to really help fuel their fuel their growth. So that's one thing that I find really interesting and exciting. And then the second thing is actually I'm a social media native fan, fanatic, whatever you want to call it. I absolutely love it. And I the reason why I love it is because of the way that I guess individuals can create communities and therefore land a brand message that feels really authentic and really native to them. And as a channel, I think we're not even scratching the surface of what it can deliver as a channel. It's really interesting that we talk about this because I know the IPA have um been involved in a piece of research that really shows actually the depth and breadth of what you know influences and social content can deliver as a channel. So I think if you marry the two of those things, sitting in an agency, harnessing technology and what we can do with it and how it can drive growth for businesses, and actually this new emerging channel, I think the future can be really exciting. So yeah, that's some of the things I'm kind of excited about in the future in our space.

SPEAKER_01 7:40

No, I'm with you. I can see that. And I um and on that theme of sort of the evolving agency and and growth of an agency in itself, I mean, new business has always been the heartbeat of agencies. Um, and it's also where a lot of the pressure lies, I think. You and I both know that. Yeah, and lots of people listening to this podcast know that. Um, how do you see specifically pitching um and business development growing and evolving?

SPEAKER_00 8:06

I love that phrase, and I and I never really used to understand it when you people used to say, oh, you know, new business is the heart of the agency, it's the engine of the agency, but it genuinely is you transcend the what agencies need to do in order to grow, but also listening to prospective clients and their challenges and what it is that they need to grow as well. So it's a really interesting sweet spot, but also driving fame for the agency that makes the agency stand out in a way that clients and brands say, I really want to work with that agency that delivered that piece of work or famous for delivering that piece of business results. So now in an agency, I really understand what that what that means, and I guess the gravity of that responsibility to deliver that growth for an agency. So, like you say, yes, there is definitely pressure. Um, but coming back to that point around technology, obviously we all know about AI and and things like that, and it's you know been well spoken about, but I do think that new business teams do a lot behind the scenes that people perhaps don't see or or know the work that kind of goes into deliver a pitch or you know, win a new piece of business. And actually, AI is really exciting because it can start to maybe take off the pressure in some of those, you know, points where, you know, in a pitch process it can get really, really, really um I guess intense from a workload perspective. And actually, you know, the beauty of AI is that we can use it to our advantage and cleverly and strategically to hopefully take away some of those pain points that allows us to deliver more into the magic. Because I think that is also the beauty of our roles that we don't think we get to speak about enough is you know, crafting really interesting, compelling stories that really meet a client need and pull on the different capabilities and services that an agency or you know has to offer to a brand that fundamentally helps that brand grow. It's almost like kind of going on this discovery or treasure hunt of thinking, okay, right, what does the client need? And then kind of going on this journey throughout your agency and thinking, right, we've got all these different tools, services, people, platform, technology, and putting it all together and crafting this really compelling, compelling story. So for me, I really hope that all new business professionals, all growth professionals can really kind of get ahead of that, use that technology to their advantage, create magic in the points where maybe there are or have been pressure traditionally, and keep the craft alive and kind of keep being that wonderful heartbeat of agencies.

SPEAKER_01 10:38

I think it's um I mean it's impressive that it's taking us this long to get to the word AI. I think you can't have anything coming nowadays without AI. But um, I I completely agree, and I think the points you you've made are really valid. It's not about replacement but supporting and keeping true to the core of your craft, which I think was really interesting storytelling.

SPEAKER_00 10:57

That's what I love that and also experimenting with with it, not necessarily always in your daydrop, but like in my personal life, I I I used it over the summer because I was like, My kids have got holiday, help me. So I literally said, Look, these this is the learning age of my kids. Can you create a workbook for my kids at English, math, and reading that gets harder week by week and just automate it and it just sends you a new worksheet? And so my um every week, and my kids, you know, be like, Mum, can we have our worksheet for today? Can you print it? I'm like, Yeah, sure. Because they knew that was the way that they're gonna watch, be able to watch their screen.

SPEAKER_01 11:31

I love that. I don't know no one can see us, but I'm literally writing it down as an action to take away as soon as I'm gonna do it.

SPEAKER_00 11:36

Yeah, but I think the more we experiment with it in our personal lives, the more we can think about really creative and strategic ways to actually use it for our businesses as growth professionals.

SPEAKER_01 11:44

Completely, and I think it's the the playing around, the having the fun that you're looking to do more with it. So I think that's brilliant. Um, one of the things you you you said was listen to clients uh and the importance of that. And do you think clients are looking for something different from agencies now? Um, and and is that changing the way that we sharpen pictures?

SPEAKER_00 12:01

Yes, I think fundamentally clients are looking for something different, but I might backtrack on that earlier later. So don't hunt me to it. I say yes because what marketers are grappling with, and I think it's well known, is becoming broader, more specialized, and more complex and more complicated. So, in essence, they need more from their agencies, they require their agencies to deliver more, to make them look good, effective, make sure that the work is reaching the right audiences that converts into a commercial outcome. Um so, yes, 100%. I think clients are looking for more depth of capability, more specialisms, but also with that comes the fact that they don't want to navigate lots of complexity alongside that. So, yes, they're looking for more, but they don't want that more to be really complex and hard to understand. And I know that um OMD, or if you even look further afield within the group, which is really supportive, which we know as Omnicon Media Group or OMG, we talk about it as agency as a platform. So the agency is almost the front door to this world of specialisms that we can build bespoke based on what that client needs, but we make it really simple that you've got one point of contact and you've got one point of entry to give you that access into breadth and depth of specialism. So, in some ways, I do think yes, what clients are looking for is becoming more demanding, more complex as the landscape changes and evolves really quickly. On the other hand, I think there are some things that are fundamentally never going to change. They're looking for incredible work, they're looking for smart people, they're looking for people that can definitely push them, they're looking for people who are really passionate about their business and get their business, and you can help them kind of see into the future as much as possible to make their business future fit for today and tomorrow's customer.

SPEAKER_01 14:01

I think um I think everything you said is really interesting, and I think all those things and what clients are looking for, obviously. Um yes, it's the world's becoming much more complex, especially when it comes to media and advertising, but looking for us and the agencies to help navigate that for them. And I think all those things that you said are absolutely right. And you've almost answered the next question I was going to ask, which is um from a new business and marketing perspective, what what have you seen that genuinely genuinely drives NGC performance and success? And for me, those things are the are those things.

SPEAKER_00 14:37

Yeah, they definitely are those things. And I think to build and to add to that, it's maybe coming back to something I said at the beginning is that blend of commerciality and creativity. I think the best new big business functions, so the best new business and marketing functions always allow everything back to the commercial objectives of their agency, and then combine that with a deep understanding of what clients are looking for, prospective and existing clients. So I think as much as you can keep that as your North Star, I feel that you'll always be successful when you're driving that growth new business function.

SPEAKER_01 15:12

Pivoting to or actually in line with that in terms of we've talked a lot about other people and how important that is. And um I wanted to talk a bit more about this sort of the human side of it. Um so uh the Pitcher Positive Pledge uh that was put a spotlight on marketing and making it um on pitching and making it more sustainable. Uh what changes have you seen and how that that approach has impacted your agencies and other agencies?

SPEAKER_00 15:38

I'm a massive, massive, massive fan of the Pitcher Positive Pledge, which is probably no surprise to you whatsoever. Um it's really interesting, actually, when I stepped into the role at OMD, having never worked in a media agency before, I had this wonderful opportunity and all the support and actually the brief to have a look at everything with really fresh eyes. And when I looked at OMD and how they were pitching, I thought there is some real magic here, and the magic is actually in the culture of the business in itself as an agency. And so, how do we put that wonderful culture that OMD has, which is supportive, which has a real growth mindset, which is curious, which is a culture that really partners with their clients. How do we put that culture more and more at the heartbeat of what we're doing from a pitch perspective? So we probably went on that journey just ahead of the pitch positive. Can I get this right now? It's a real test, pitch positive pledge coming out. And actually, when it did, it I guess it gave us more license to be bolder and prouder and louder about what we were, what we were doing. So I'm a big believer that it's no secret, people buy people. So I think the more that you put the people at the front and centre, the heart of what you're doing from a pitch perspective, the more people feel psychologically safe to explore new and really exciting territories to present at a pitch stage that could be really compelling for that prospective client. So we've definitely gone on that journey of really kind of tweaking things to make sure that our culture and how we I guess how we care for people throughout that pitch process is really at the heart of what we're doing. And actually, it's not just about keeping it in silos to your pitch team of the day, it's about making sure that that permeates through your whole agency because you know, pitching is not just about in the room, it's about the whole experience from the very, very moment that prospective client gets a feel for who you are. It's also about intermediaries, which we see as partners, it's also about them getting a really good sense of who you are as a business and who you are as a culture. So it's not just about that pitch process and that pitch positive pledge behaviours sitting in that pitch room, it's about how it permeates through your whole agency. That's one of the reasons why I love it, because it was a really broad initiative. For me, at least it was industry-wide. So it meant that actually you've got the license to make sure that that sits within the culture of your whole business. And also what I love about it is that it has given agencies license to implement some really great positive things about how they pitch and actually say, Do you know what we want to be partners with you in this pitch process? And therefore, for us to be good partners, we need to take stock and make sure that this process works in a way that's really fit for you and for us.

SPEAKER_01 18:44

So, would you say clients have responded well to that in terms of from an agency side, I completely agree, and we've seen the same at our agency. Um, and we've also seen it translate very well. Clients and clients completely understanding. And have you seen the same divine clients that you've worked with, understood it, been on board?

SPEAKER_00 19:02

100%. I think you have to you've got to be able to co-create with partners in the very beginning. Um, and it's almost like the the initial test, right? It's almost like we all know like pitching can be a bit like dating, but it is that initial test of you know, can we co-create a good partnership based on really solid foundations from the very beginning? And and that's how we've always framed it. It it is about a partnership, it's about getting the very best out of OMD so that we can be the very, very best partners for you as a as a client. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 19:30

And and and how can we because I think that's the culture thing is really important. But how do we build ambitious but not exhausting cultures in the process? Because um, I mean it's certainly evolved in my time. I've been doing it a while. Um, but we want people to bring their best self, their best energy to the process. How do we make sure that happens?

SPEAKER_00 19:49

Absolutely. I mean, we look at pitching at OMD, and I love this analogy because I love sport. Well, we definitely look at the pitch process and kind of I guess treat it a bit like competitive sport. It's a bit like preparing elite athletes for for training where you've got a really clear goal, right? Nobody is confused about what that goal is. For us, it's to convert new business and and to win great clients that we want to bring back to the agency that we can be really proud of and do incredible work with them. It's the same for an athlete, right? They want to run 100 meters in sub-10 seconds, for example. And if you look at the way athletes train, is that they've got this in period of intensity, of real focus, of really going towards their goal, of winter training so that in the summer they're absolutely propelled to kind of hit and smash that target. But then they will have a period of downtime and they will have a period of to kind of like reflect, regroup, look at their performance, look at what they can tweak. And so it is that blend and it is that balance of right, there is focus and there is drive towards a commercial output, but there is also time to take stock and look and think where can we tweak, where can we work better as a team, where do we need to look at different processes or different people that we need to bring in support? And actually, also if you look at elite sport, you have a team, let's say it's football. I don't really watch football, so forgive me if this if this example is not you know precise, but on the on that pitch, you've got people that sub in and out. So, you know, how are we building pitch teams in a way that we've got people that can sub in and out and support each other? So it's not just having a superstar bench of people that pitch all the time and are master pitches. That's wonderful, and that's really good to have it. But how do you make that sustainable in a way that you say that gives people time to come up for air where you've got high performance but you don't have people burning out?

SPEAKER_01 21:48

I love that sports analogy. That's brilliant. Um and you've been a strong advocate for representation, um, mentoring, and developing talent. And looking back, What's been the most rewarding part of your journey for you?

SPEAKER_00 22:03

Oh, a good question. Um it's an easy way to I feel like it's a cop-out to say it's all been incredibly rewarding, but it it really has, especially in the last kind of almost five years that I've been at OMD. It's been so rewarding. I think one of the reasons I said yes to the job was because I could see that I could immediately be mentored by the most incredible leaders. I really said yes to working with them with them in a way because I knew that I was going to learn so much. So I feel really fortunate to have been the beneficiary of kind of great mentorship, leadership, sponsorship, all of those wonderful things at OMD UK. And I've seen how it's completely transformed me as a person, as a mum, as a leader, as a friend. And so I feel very fortunate to have had that. And I would love to see that kind of pass down to other people. I think one of the reasons why I do the work that I do outside of work with my bump pain, all that great stuff, is that I hate seeing people who have got heaps of potential not have the conditions for that potential to be unleashed. And that's definitely what I've experienced where I work now. So it just feels like absolutely the right thing to do to make sure that, you know, people who are really hungry, who are ambitious, or just on that journey to learn more and curious have got the right conditions to express that and to to do great work. So I think it's the only it's for me, it's just natural. It's the only thing to do is to just really encourage people in their journey, whatever that looks like professionally and personally.

SPEAKER_01 23:33

I love that. And um a couple of things that you said, uh potential aspects. I think it's in not having the right person support you, mentor you, um sees a lot of potential being wasted. And actually leads me to my next point. And you you said this, you know, you you went with that business for the people, for the people that you really went to the company. And a failure quote I heard, I don't know who said it, but it was uh people don't leave companies, they leave people. Yeah. And I think that's the thing is people leave people. And I think if you can get find the right person, the right mentor, the right boss, anything's possible.

SPEAKER_00 24:07

Yeah, and you're so right. And and I think for me it's been a like perfect combination of the people, the leader, the organization, the capability that we have, like the training, the L and D. I was in the kitchen today. I love kitchen chats, um, at work, and bumped into some colleagues who are doing something we call Omnicom University, which is incredible. So we get taken on this kind of two-year course, and there's two stints of travel within that, and you get taught by Harvard professors. So they're Harvard business cases. Some of them are based on Omnicom actual business cases, some of them are based on uh general business cases. So, for example, could be based on I'm making up here, foam sound proofing boards. I'm literally making that up. Um, and you you get these Harvard case studies and they teach it to you in the style of Harvard, where you you know debate, you get questions thrown at, you literally have this two to three hour session just on this business case study. Some of them are around leadership and how you kind of drive growth and look after your team. It is the most incredible experience in your way for you know, sometimes a week or a weekend with colleagues across RMG or the Omnicom network. Um, and so for me, it has been that combination of being able to work with great leaders. We've got a great set of capabilities, we do great work for clients, but also within this environment that really fosters learning and a growth mindset and lots of collaboration. So it's that perfect kind of Venn diagram when you kind of look at all those different things that need to kind of come together, I think, for individuals to thrive. Like, yes, 100% it is the people, it is that mentorship, it is that stewardship, it's sponsorship, which I think is absolutely critical, but it's got to blend in, I think, with the right growth mindset, values, and the way that they give back to employees.

SPEAKER_01 25:56

Completely agree. And you can't you can't underestimate the value of having something like that.

SPEAKER_00 26:00

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 26:01

Um I know we're coming up on time. Oh no, it flies by, doesn't it? It really does. So just uh wrapping up, uh, just a quick some very quick fire question reflection, if it's okay. So, what's one piece of advice you'd give someone building the career in your business today?

SPEAKER_00 26:17

Love this question. Um always be contextually curious. So be curious about the context of your what which you're working in today in the past and what it could look like in the future, because that will help you connect the dots and deliver the best story that you can for that prospective or existing client. And then also be commercially curious, understand how that business makes money, how they lose money, who their competitors are, what forces are there in the industry that's threatening the way that they make money and rate make revenue, who are the decision makers within that business that contribute to the drivers of that growth. So always be commercially curious and contextually curious, combine the two, make sure that you've always got a commercial North Star and always find solutions. Sorry, that's more than one piece of advice. It's great.

SPEAKER_01 27:03

It's great. I'm just making notes. And then uh and finally, on that note, what does a healthy, successful agency look like to you?

SPEAKER_00 27:09

Oh an agency that has incredible strong client work, that has a growth mindset. I've probably said that a couple of times in this interview, but has a growth mindset instilled, um, and a culture where people can come and do amazing work.

SPEAKER_01 27:24

Toby, thank you. Um it was such an energizing conversation for me. Um and we've talked about growth in a way that's human, inclusive, and sustainable. Um, we do like to close with sharing three takeouts from our conversation. So this is what I've got. Okay. And let me know if you agree or disagree. Um First, I like the idea that AI isn't replacing the magic. It's a support, it's releasing and giving teams more time to think, create, and connect. Uh, secondly, that pitching should feel more like training elite athletes.

SPEAKER_00 27:55

Yes, let's do it. Come with me, come to the gym with me. Let's do it.

SPEAKER_01 27:58

I can see your morning workout happening now. Uh focus, bursts of brilliance, balance with proper recovery. Um, and then finally, uh, growth starts with curiosity and care, and that was contextual being contextual and commercially astute and sharp, and then building a culture where people and clients can thrive together.

SPEAKER_00 28:17

Great summary. I love that the summary was actually precise, but you didn't repeat my words. Great skill.

SPEAKER_01 28:24

Love that. Well, thank you again.

SPEAKER_00 28:26

Thank you so much. Love this conversation.