RACHEL PINFIELD

Rachel Pinfield worked at Colgate-palmolive for more than a year before moving to A&E/DDB as an account executive in 2016. She works mainly on Lloyds Bank and Halifax and, when not focusing on them, Pinfield is involved with the agency’s Eve initiative, which champions gender equality in the agency and the wider ad industry. She also manages the slightly smaller but no less enjoyable task of co-running the agency book club.

“When I worked client-side, it became very clear to me very quickly that I wanted to get more involved in the creative,” she explains. “Everyone here is incredibly hard-working and giving of their time but no-one is ever too busy to offer advice.” According to Pinfield, what sets A&E/DDB apart from its rivals is “bravery” in that the agency knows what will make an impact and is committed to getting the best work out of the door.

But this commitment also brings challenges. As Pinfield explains: “We have a real ‘what’s next ?’ approach, which means sometimes we don’t get as much time to enjoy the successes.” Indeed, there are few agencies that upon hearing they had won Campaign’s Ad Agency of the Year award would spend the afternoon discussing how they would retain it.

Pinfield experienced a few culture shocks when she first joined the agency. “Coming from the client side, it was quite a surprise to find there weren’t any offices but it is reflective of the lack of hierarchy,” she explains. Indeed,

Pinfield has no regrets when it comes to leaving behind the perks of client life (such as subsidised toothpaste) to embrace the collaborative culture of A&E/ DDB. She explains: “It is not about being here all hours of the day, it is about doing your best work and taking the opportunity to get involved with a broad range of opportunities.”