The Strategy and Leadership Podcast with Anthony C. Taylor

Unlocking Creativity: Lessons from a Global CEO | Toby Southgate Global a CEO at Forsman & Bodenfors

·32 min·3 clips

Toby Southgate, global CEO of Forsman & Bodenfors, explains why his agency's inverted pyramid puts him at the bottom.

The episode begins with host Anthony Taylor introducing guest Toby Southgate, global CEO of Forsman & Bodenfors, a creative collective founded in Sweden 37 years ago. Southgate describes the agency's global footprint with offices in New York, Toronto, Dublin, London, Gothenburg, Stockholm, Singapore, and Shanghai. He explains the agency's inverted pyramid structure, where leadership supports from the bottom, and its reputation for work with clients like Volvo, Visit Sweden, H&M, and SK2. Southgate shares his career background, including roles as chief growth officer at McCann World Group and time at WPP under Sir Martin Sorrell, plus earlier stints in independent agencies. Taylor asks how to communicate the value of creativity, and Southgate defines it as solving business and societal problems, emphasizing marketing as an investment, not a cost. They discuss differentiating between clients who want tactical solutions versus those seeking transformative partnerships. Southgate highlights the 'squiggle process,' a non-linear, human approach to problem-solving that he has tattooed on his arm. Taylor inquires about leading creatives, and Southgate shares three key lessons: clarity on organizational purpose, the effectiveness of small teams, and balancing empowerment with accountability. He references McCann's 'Truth Well Told' philosophy and Amazon's two-pizza rule as examples. The conversation turns to advice for entering the creative industry, where Southgate recommends developing 'ambidextrous brains' that blend analysis and creativity, a concept from WPP's fellowship program. He argues this skill remains essential despite technological changes like AI, as marketing targets human decision-makers. Taylor concludes by encouraging listeners to embrace winding career journeys.

As heard by us

A grounded case for treating creativity as the method for finding the problem, not just finishing the work.

Toby Southgate frames creativity less as a finished asset and more as a way to get closer to the real business problem. As global CEO of a Sweden-born creative collective of about 450 people, he makes the case for starting with a wider, sometimes uncomfortable conversation about…

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Why you'd press play

You want to hear a global agency CEO describe creativity less as output and more as the way through a hard problem.

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