Mediaweek held its inaugural Power Lunch in October, celebrating the successes of the media industry and the people who make it.
Anathea Ruys, CEO of UM Australia, claimed the 8th spot on the Agency 50 list. Ruys spoke to Mediaweek about her homecoming to the Australian market, UM Australia’s exceptional work and how the industry can improve and future proof itself.
Mediaweek: Congratulations on making the #8 spot on our Mediaweek Agency 50 list. What was your reaction to your placement?
Anathea Ruys: I was unable to be there on the day as my sister, and I were in outback South Australia visiting my dad, so I literally could not have been in a more different environment than the power lunch – which looked incredible in the pictures.
Being recognised in this way is a huge honour, especially as I was out of the Australian market for many years. Returning last year was not just about coming home personally, it was also coming home professionally. I really love being part of this industry in this market.
MW: How does your position on the list reflect the achievements made by UM Australia?
AR: The reality is I am just the face of that position on the Powerlist. The actual position belongs to everyone at UM for the investment they have made into the business in order to drive positive outcomes for our clients. I was recently looking at a body of work from across the agency – consumer facing work, client facing work, internal facing work – and I was blown away by how exceptional the thinking was. To deliver at that level, all the time, is so powerful. I am really proud that the team at UM upholds those standards for themselves, their teams and their clients.
MW: What are three industry issues on your mind, and in your opinion, how can they be solved or achieved
AR: As an industry we need to support people to have robust, interesting, challenging, sustainable careers and that means supporting people to build strong foundations early in their careers. The challenging market has seen people be promoted too rapidly, or encouraged to move across agencies at real speed, and sometimes not given enough support as they step into new roles. There are no winners in this situation.
You might have a high-end title or a big salary but if you don’t feel equipped to do the work, it can lead to extreme stress and ultimately burnout. While I love people to have ambition and be prepared to step into areas that stretch and challenge them, I also really encourage anyone to consider how long your career can be if you nurture it. Spend the time getting your foundations right and the career built on them will be strong and flourishing.
There is so much to love about our industry. But there are still areas that are necessary and important but don’t add real value either to the individual in terms of their growth or to clients in terms of their business success. We need to be even more ambitious when it comes to identifying those tasks and automating them. I am so pleased that this is a particular focus at UM.
We have several bots in play that take away a lot of these types of tasks and as they become ubiquitous in our business, we are exploring other areas where this technology can be deployed. This kind of change isn’t easy to implement because it is about breaking down practices and habits that have been formed over many, many years, but it is exactly what is needed to future proof our industry and ensure it is attractive to people to join, and valuable for clients to invest in.
Mediaweek: What is your outlook for UM Australia in 2023?
AR: I feel really excited and buoyant about what 2023 will bring in part because I am not going to label the year in any way! Over the past few years, I have fallen into the trap of talking about “after Covid…”, “next year will be different”, or conversely “next year will be back to normal”. Instead, I will happily roll along with whatever 2023 presents, but I am very motivated by encouraging, supporting and celebrating continued excellence across the agency.
I am committed to helping every single UMer explore the strategic dividend that is important for them in 2023. And I am focused on ensuring that we live up to our position as the only family friendly certified agency. Every single person that works with us is part of a family – and every one of those families has different needs which UM is committed to supporting as best we can.
MW: What are your hopes for the industry in 2023?
AR: I love the work the MFA has done in 2022 celebrating our industry and the people in it. As an industry we do make change, we influence behaviour and we create growth for our clients. It’s both a great privilege and responsibility and as an industry I want us to shout that from the rooftops.
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Top image: Anathea Ruys