April 25, 2023

Hiring for Creative Excellence with CCO Jean Batthany

19 minutes

Award-winning global creative executive Jean Batthany sits down with Roy to dig into the nuances of creative leadership, when organizations should hire a creative leader, and how to assess the skills and competencies that make them successful.

Jean brings a wealth of experience and insight to the podcast; she has spent over thirty years leading brand-side and agency creative teams. Jean began her career at top advertising agencies like BBDO, M&C Saatchi, Merkley+Partners, and Saatchi & Saatchi before transitioning to leading in-house creative strategy for Disney Parks and Resorts, where she served as VP, Global Creative. Most recently, she led a team of over 300 creatives at Walmart as Chief Creative Officer.

Highlights from our conversation include:

The key elements of a successful brand strategy (4:44)

Balancing creativity and leadership skills in teams (5:33)

When and why brands should hire a Chief Creative Officer (7:14)

How to measure the success of a brand creative leader (7:50)

The role CCOs play in driving great creative (9:59)

The best advice Jean received as a young creative (12:28)

What she looks for in creative leaders (13:40)

The difference between a brand creative leader and a CMO -- and how they work together (14:29)

Jean’s advice to early-career creatives (15:51)

Visit HowIHire.com for transcripts and more on this episode.

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