Episode 30 – Vicki Maguire

This Way Up

In this episode, I got to interview the brilliant Vicki Maguire. Vicki is the Chief Creative Officer of ad agency Havas and she is one of the most awarded creatives in the industry today. Her work includes the ‘Hands Only CPR’ ad for the British Heart Foundation starring Vinnie Jones – which has now saved over 50 lives – and The Angina Monologues, which earned her a British Comedy Award. A vocal advocate of diversity and inclusion, Vicki was the first female chair of Creative Circle and helped set up its foundation; a charity that helps fund students from diverse backgrounds enter the industry.
What can I say about this episode! I had such a laugh! Why? Because Vicki is a force of nature who tells it exactly how it is. That might be to do with her working-class background, her ability to blag her way into any job or just simply her infectious laughter.
As usual we chart our way through her career from being fired from every job imaginable in the fashion industry to landing in advertising and recently becoming Chief Creative Officer at Havas London.
I don’t want to reveal too much about this interview instead I’ll tell you some of the things you’ll learn from her story – the art of blagging, when to tell it’s time to move on from your job, the value of having a 3 months fuck off fund and how to negotiate your salary – plus much much more.