Member Interview with Bia Assevero

We are delighted to bring you a Member Interview with Bia Assevero, Strategist, Story Futurist and Founder, Klosis Consulting.

What’s your golden rule?

Treat everything as a story and every story as a choice. Every narrative, whether it’s about a product, a brand, a culture or an individual person is a series of decisions about what’s important or valued and what isn’t. That has implications for people, systems, institutions, even countries. When you see the story, ask who it serves and why, you deepen your understanding of what’s happening around you and you create the conditions to craft the best version of your own story. 

Who has been your biggest influence and why?

A single influence is impossible but if I have to trace the origin of how my mind works, I would go back to my childhood bookshelf and variety of stories that my mother curated for me. Greek myths, African folktales and Amerindian legends sat alongside Goodnight Moon, Dr. Doolittle and the Little Prince. It was also a mutli-lingual bookshelf with stories in French and English. I was wired early to understand that multiple realities always exist, often in a single space. It’s one of the reasons that as a strategist, I’m always looking for what isn’t immediately visible. 

What is your most hated business expression?

"“It’s PR, not ER.” I’m sure there’s an equivalent in marketing; a quip that people reach for to lower the stakes of the work right out of the gate. It annoys me because underneath the self-deprecation is a tacit acceptance of the accusation: this is all fluff in fancy dress. Personally, I reject that. I’m not saying every campaign is world changing but I think that says more about the systems and incentives we’ve built around the work, than about the work itself.  As an industry, we’re happy to claim the power of what we do when it comes with awards at Cannes but when the stakes are high we want to be able to say, “well it’s not that serious.” I think you can’t have it both ways; if you want to take credit for impact, you have to take responsibility too.

What’s the smartest business idea you’ve ever had?

Smart is inherently subjective but a central part of how I’ve built Klosis is bringing futures thinking and methods into brand strategy. These two disciplines typically live on opposite sides of the house; the brand in the marcomms wing and the future facing work in the business planning wing. The disconnect creates narrative incoherence, operational risk and often, missed opportunities. But when the brand and the business are thinking about what kind of future they want to unlock, not just for the organization but for the people it serves, they build the kind of adaptive capacity that is the best antidote to uncertainty.

Which leader do you admire most and why?

I don’t really subscribe to a “great man theory of history” so there are a lot of people I admire, for different reasons across so many different domains. From a strategy perspective - Jasmine Bina, Zoe Scaman, Amy Daroukakis and Matt Klein but also friends and former colleagues like Meg Dolland, Catherine Mersereau and Leah Eser. I think ultimately, I’m most attracted to people that are willing to pressure test their own convictions, often and in public.

What is on your mind the most right now as a marketing leader?

"I think a lot about how we can use our work - and our talent - to unlock multiple futures, to move beyond what’s probable to what’s possible and even preferable. We’re living in what feels like existential times. Global power dynamics are shifting; the Middle East where I’m based now is a case in point. AI is both a technological revolution and a relationship revolution. If we’re going to [re]claim agency and be intentional authors of the future, we need better stories and this industry, if it goes back to its foundations in imagination and worldbuilding, could play a critical role.

Why is being part of The Marketing Society important for your career?

I’ve just moved to the UAE and started my own story + strategy consultancy. TMS opened its arms to me before I was even properly a member (special thanks to Emely Guzman and Sherry Roy). I’m in a season of life and work where relationships and community are hugely important. Equally, one of the reasons I moved to the Gulf was to have a different vantage point on the world so being able to exchange perspectives with people of such diverse backgrounds is really special. 

Why does marketing matter to you?

Marketing is one way that we tell stories and I think stories are the oldest and most powerful technology we have; the one most capable of shaping our shared futures. Maybe it sounds naive to some people but I truly believe in the power of stories to change the world so if I can contribute to moving the industry in that direction, I think that’s time well spent.

Tell us something that’s not on your CV

I love perfume and have been cultivating scent wardrobes long before it was trendy.