This month, meet Sarah Roberts, Account Director for Red Havas Manchester.

Where are you from and how did find out about Red Havas?

I am from Marple Bridge which is a cute village less than an hour from Manchester.

I have followed Havas with interest throughout my career, I have friends who work at Red Havas and Havas Lynx so had my heart set on a job here for a long time. When I was considering a move from London to Manchester, Red Havas was the first agency I reached out to.

What is your role within Red Havas and what does it entail?

I am an Account Director which is a really varied role and includes everything from client services and providing strategic counsel, media and creative strategy, new business planning and pitching, content creation and overseeing and motivating the team… to name a few…

What does your day-to-day look like?

Cliché alert: no two days are ever the same!

However, generally a day would start with a thorough review of the morning’s news and sharing client-specific trends and opportunities. This would be followed by a media relations meeting with the team to share guidance and support on content going out that day. Rarely do we have a day without a creative ideas session for a current or potential client brief and a solid chunk of my day will be spent creating and approving content for clients, not to mention my fair share of Teams meetings.

What are some of the challenges you face in your role?

The buck really does stop with the Account Director, so it is vital to stay one step ahead of everything going on across the agency, our client industries and the news agenda. Keeping multiple plates spinning is exciting…but challenging.

What is your favourite part about your job?

Nothing beats the feeling of delivering a creative campaign through from start to finish. I really love seeing a ‘wildcard’ brainstorm idea through to the finished coverage report.

How do you unwind after work?

I unwind with a big, sweaty F45 workout.

What do you like best about working at Red Havas?

Hard work and good results never go unnoticed at Red Havas. We are highly collaborative and work really well across the network. We always support each other and share the load and most importantly, we know how to have a good time!

What do you think makes Red Havas a strong player in this industry?

I think one of the key elements that sets Red Havas apart from other agencies is the commitment to collaboration across our global network. We are made up of experts across creative, advertising, stakeholder engagement, health and wellness, insights, analytics, media planning, buying and production. Whether we’re in the same office or collaborating with colleagues in different countries – we are equally driven with the same relentless passion for excellence.

What do you think helped you (and your team) get through the past 12 months, in light of the global COVID-19 pandemic?

Positive mental attitude!! The light at the end of the tunnel hasn’t always been so easy to see but we have helped each other through it.

Lastly, coming out of lockdown, are you Team “Work from Home,” Team “Work at the Office,” or Team “A Bit of Both”? Why?

I am self-appointed chairperson of team ‘Work at the Office”!!