Aileen Sauerman rises to the top as Duke Advertising's newly appointed MD

Aileen Sauerman, newly appointed managing director at Duke Advertising

Being an integral member of the Duke’s leadership team over the past two years, Sauerman says, “We believe that agencies cannot produce world-class work and solve their client’s business challenges without diversity in the senior leadership team that is proportionate to the population.”

I chat exclusively to Sauerman about being appointed Duke Advertising's first female managing director; what the new journey will entail and what her hopes are for the future generations of women in advertising.

Congrats on your appointment. How do you feel about it?

Massively humbled and very proud to take the helm of an agency that has created such a presence in the industry in such a short space of time.

As the new managing director, what will your role entail?

I will be responsible for driving the agency culture, client relationships and overall product delivery, which is central to the success of Duke.

We approach each and every brief with a high level, C-Suite commercial conversation that enables us to generate powerful business strategies. Our creative product is then developed off the back of this business strategy.

How and when did this come about/when does it take effect?

I joined the Duke team as a business unit director two and a half years ago. After growing with the business, and working side-by-side with Wayne (Naidoo) and Nino (Naidoo) during this time, I was entrusted with the role of leading the agency into a new chapter of growth and excellence from 1 December 2020.

As Duke Advertising's first female managing director. What approach will you take?

I’m a strong believer in the power of authenticity. I sincerely hope this authenticity has been felt by the Duke team, Duke clients and the industry as a whole.

Duke has been built from humble beginnings, and has never been dominated by ego or politics. What you see is what you get with us, and I hope I’m a direct reflection of these qualities.

What excites you most about this new journey?

Getting to work with the best in the business, day in and day out. Perhaps it’s the review of spine-tingling creative from our incredible Suhana Gordhan (ECD) and her team, or an inspirational moment of guidance from Wayne (CEO), or watching Steve (CSO) drill down into the depths of a client’s business to offer the most mind-blowing insight and proposition that will revolutionise their business.

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Could we see anything exciting coming from Duke Advertising in the new year?

There’s always excitement coming from Duke! We have some cracker campaigns launching in the New Year, so watch this space!.

What is your hope for the next or future generations of women in advertising / the advertising industry?

In the recent past, ad agencies have favoured the careers of both men and women who were ‘all in’ on agency life. Those with family units to consider were traditionally side-lined when the time for promotions came around. I’ve seen a real shift in this mentality at some of the world’s leading agencies over the past three to four years.

There is a growing understanding that creative work is enormously and positively influenced by having balanced representation at the boardroom table. By ensuring both men and women have the freedom to co-prioritise their career and their family, without having to sacrifice one over the other, our industry can ensure that talented senior women have the choice to stay in the ad game.

What is your key message to fellow women in advertising?

Ignore the existence of a ‘glass ceiling’ from day one. You can’t break through something if you’re distracted by it. You must look beyond it.

I’m a firm believer that if you focus on being the best of the best, on growing yourself every day, and being unashamedly authentic, you become the natural choice as a leader in this industry, regardless of gender.

This has been one challenging year! How will you be spending the rest of 2020?

Dig deep and find the last ounce of energy for the next couple of weeks. And then plenty of quality family time, and lots of present wrapping.