Fran Luckin, CCO at Grey Africa, was recently elected as the new chairperson of the Loeries Board. Here, she tells us more about what the role means to her and as it's Women's Month, what it means from a female point of view, and what she hopes to achieve during her tenureship.
Fran Luckin, chief creative officer at Grey Africa and new chairperson of the Loeries board for 2020/2021.
Luckin takes over from Tseliso Rangaka, CCO at FCB Joburg and Hellocomputer. She said she’s delighted to be joining the team of industry captains to propel the Loeries vision forward and nurture budding creative talent.
I see the Loeries as a very powerful vehicle for promoting creativity as a career, and for driving a recognition of how much the industry contributes to GDP. I’d really love to see advertising, design and creative communication enjoy the same kind of ‘rock star’ career status here that it enjoys in many South American countries.
Congratulations on your appointment to chairperson of the Loeries board for 2020/2021. Comment on what your new role as Loeries chairperson means to you personally and as it’s Women’s Month, what it means from a female point of view.
It’s a great honour and a responsibility that I don’t take lightly. I also think it’s going to be quite fun. I’m going to be working with great people on the Loeries Board and the challenges we’re facing with Covid are going to really call on our powers of ingenuity!
Coming into Women’s Month, I’m grateful to the many female mentors I’ve had and still have and am looking forward to being a mentor to other women in this role.
What does the role entail?
It entails being a flag-bearer for the values and the purpose of the Loeries; to represent these both internally to the Loeries board and externally to the people in the industry and beyond.
What aspects of outgoing chairperson Tseliso Rangaka’s legacy do you plan to keep or build on and what is some of the fresh creative thinking you plan to bring to the table?
Well, the mission and vision and purpose of Loeries remain the same. So, I’m going to build on the great initiatives already in place, which are all about increasing access, celebrating diversity, nurturing and inspiring young talent. I also think the challenges of Covid are going to create opportunities to do things differently and perhaps we’ll find some permanent value in those new ways.
Of course things have changed and I’m sure you’re going to have to forge new paths for the next generation of Loeries chairpersons. Comment on the changes to this year’s Awards and jury sessions and your plans around these?
Well, judging is going to take place virtually this year. Other awards shows have done this already and it works. In addition, because entry was free this year there have been more entries, from agencies who may not have entered before, which is great. Now, how do we keep them in? How do we use this online platform as an opportunity to reach more agencies and creative people?
How are you going to juggle this with your other career responsibilities, as CCO at Grey Africa, and maintain a work-life balance?I’m a good multitasker! Even now, I’m answering these questions and making lunch at the same time. Seriously though, I’m joining a great team of people and we’ll be working together and sharing the load, so I’m comfortable we can achieve our goals while still having the bandwidth to enjoy the process.
What is your view of the impact of the pandemic and lockdown on the industry, locally and across the region?
It’s hard to say right now because it’s nowhere near finished. I sense that even once the infection rate has gone down this pandemic will have a very long tail of after-effects. My most immediate impression of one of the effects of the pandemic is that the move to the ‘virtual office’ has removed a lot of silos. In my experience it has led to much more collaboration across geographies. Grey’s creative leaders all over the world are working more than ever before because we’ve realised how easy it is to connect virtually.
That said, comment on your hope for the future of the Loeries specifically and the greater industry more generally speaking.
I see the Loeries as a very powerful vehicle for promoting creativity as a career, and for driving a recognition of how much the industry contributes to GDP. I’d really love to see advertising, design and creative communication enjoy the same kind of ‘rock star’ career status here that it enjoys in many South American countries.
If you could ask Tseliso one thing to help equip you for your role as Loeries chairperson, what would it be?
I’d love to know which parts of the tenureship he enjoyed most.
Find out Rangaka’s answer to this question in our interview with him:
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