Award-winning work starts with a creatively brave marketer

The Cannes Lions CMO Accelerator Programme focuses on the key issues CEOs, CMOs, senior directors and their brands face in an ever-changing communications landscape.

The programme runs alongside the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity Festival and is led by Jim Stengel, former Global Marketing Officer of P&G, with direct input from CMOs and agency CEOs attending the Festival.

In this short interview, Jim talks about the programme.

WFA: Why should you attend the CMO Programme?

Jim Stengel: The Cannes CMO Accelerator Programme is distinct from anything else for four reasons. It is 100% focused on helping you be a better leader in an inspiring, mind-opening environment. You will get peer-to-peer learning from counterparts in other industries in a non-competitive, open environment. You will have behind-the-scenes learning from executives from the best companies in the world like Nike and Google. You get to hear about organizational design, corporate structure, processes, hiring agencies, hiring talent, and building a great culture. You will have intimate discussions with industry leaders like Sir Martin Sorrell, and creative leaders like Nick Law and P.J. Pereira.

WFA: What will you take away from the Cannes CMO experience?

JS: The most important takeaways from the CMO Programmes are the specific ideas and inspiration to challenge your own standards in leadership. You will be inspired to truly raise the bar on internal and external leadership of the creative process and beyond.

WFA: What three things do know now, that you wish somebody had told you at the start of your career?

JS: Be ambitious in your brand's purpose and speedy in activating it. Most people and organizations are too slow! Follow your gut %u2013 it is usually right. Spend even more time and energy finding and cultivating talent, especially in your senior leadership.