As we prepare for the launch of our very first HERlarious event on Tuesday 9th October, which will be hosted by one of the most famous creative agencies BBH at their central London offices in Kingley Street, we thought we’d start at the top and find out what makes BBH London MD Karen Martin tick!
Funny Women: How did you get where you are today?
Karen Martin: I was born in Dublin and started my advertising career there. I ran off to Australia for some sun in 2002, and returned 14 years later. I started working in London in 2016 and in 2018 became MD of BBH London.
In short: six agencies, 17 years, lots of clients, lots of brilliant work, loads of excellent people. My parents still don’t know what I actually do!
FW: What motivates you to go to work every day?
KM: The intellect and the joy. I love our industry, I always have. We can make people feel, we can create and contribute to culture, we can use our creativity to do good things in society, we can make people laugh, and on top of all of that, we can have a bloody good time doing it.
FW: What makes you laugh and why?
KM: Everything and anything. I need to laugh, it’s like oxygen for me. I find lots of things funny or I try to find the funny in everything. I would like to sit with Dylan Moran every day, then I think it would be actually possible to die laughing. I am also a huge fan of all-round funny woman, Sharon Horgan.
FW: What’s your top tip for being a female creative in what remains a largely masculine environment?
KM: Don’t ever change. Never feel you need to become more masculine, there’s enough of that. Women are brilliant because we do things and think about things very differently. In a world where everything is starting to feel the same, be more woman.
Karen will be welcoming us to BBH for HERlarious on Tuesday 9th October, from 6.30pm. To book your place and find out what’s on offer click here.
