Welcome to the OWN IT podcast, where we celebrate the growing number of (women and non-binary) ad agency owners and talk about buying out of the boys’ club of advertising, one agency at a time.
Today, we’re talking to Kate Wadia of Mrs & Mr. Kate found her path to ownership through the creative side of the business. During the 10 years she spent at Arnold, she actually pitched against her husband for a big account. They decided working together would be better, so they started Mrs and Mr. in 2016.
We talked about her background, people and places that inspire her and, of course, the challenge of closing the gender gap in agency ownership.
Kate is such a delight to talk to and her vision and energy is inspiring. I think you’ll agree.
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Kate's former client, Clinique, threatened to leave the agency after Kate announced her departure. This unexpected turn of events presented an opportunity: if she could quickly form a new agency, Clinique would become her first client. This provided the crucial initial push and client base needed to launch Mrs & Mr.
Kate emphasizes that her partnership with her husband, Daniel, works due to their complementary skill sets (she's creative director, he's strategic director) and mutual trust. They respect each other's "swim lanes" and abilities, which fosters efficiency and a pleasurable working relationship.
Drawing from past experiences in competitive agency environments, Kate actively cultivates a supportive, collaborative, and team-oriented culture at Mrs & Mr. She believes that collaboration leads to the best creative work, where everyone's voice is valued, egos are set aside, and the focus remains on improving the work collectively.
Mrs & Mr. seeks to hire versatile "Swiss Army knife" employees who are good at multiple tasks. The agency encourages staff to expand their skills and move beyond their defined roles, believing that this growth leads to job satisfaction, better work, and a stronger team.
Kate advocates for women to take the leap into agency ownership by building confidence and being willing to "give it a go." She stresses the importance of working harder and smarter, making oneself indispensable, and being more hungry, passionate, and creative than others, despite the challenges of a historically less nurturing industry.
