In this episode, Ciaran McCarthy, VP Brand & Advertising at Microsoft, shares his path from art school in Dublin to his current position at Microsoft. What started with a blunt rejection from a professor became the catalyst for a career spanning agencies, global campaigns, gaming and now the frontlines of AI.

Ciaran takes us behind the scenes of creative life and reflects on the pivotal shift from agency to client side, where creativity meets business impact  and what it really means to become a “creative business leader.”Now at Microsoft, Ciaran is at the heart of one of the most transformative moments in technology. He shares how AI is reshaping not just the outputs of marketing, but the entire creative process—from idea generation to prototyping and brand building. 

Tune in for a deep dive into curiosity, resilience, and what it takes to create meaningful work in an era where the rules are being rewritten in real time.