Member Interview with Natalie Cooke Tombs

We are delighted to bring you a Member interview with Natalie Cooke Tombs, Chief Client Partner, M+C Saatchi Group.

What's your golden rule?

Trust is the only currency that compounds, and you earn it in the uncomfortable conversations, not the easy ones!

Who has been your biggest influence and why?

My dad. He hustled relentlessly and sacrificed more than I probably understood at the time, all so the people around him could have more choices than he did. He was straight talking to a fault, and he taught me that standing up for what you believe in is not optional, it is the whole point. That has shaped everything about how I work. As a woman in this industry it would often be easier to soften your view or read the room and stay quiet. I don't, and that is him. He showed me that respect comes from being honest, from doing the work and from holding your ground when it matters.

What is your most hated business expression?

"Let's take this offline." It usually means "I don't want to be accountable in front of witnesses."

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

Honestly, the smartest thing I have done is not a single business or campaign idea. It is a way of working. Early on I realised that in this region the agencies who win are not the ones with the flashiest reel, they are the ones who genuinely understand a client's commercial pressures and act like a partner rather than a supplier. So I stopped selling work and started solving problems. That shift, from being briefed to shaping the brief, from delivering campaigns to being in the room when the real business decisions get made, is the smartest bet I ever made. It is unglamorous and it rarely wins awards, but it is what turns a project into a relationship and a relationship into growth.

Which leader do you admire most and why?

Cindy Gallop. She built a serious advertising career, starting up BBH in New York, then had the nerve to step away and build something entirely on her own terms. What I admire most is her candour. She says what others in the room are thinking but won't voice, and she does it while staying commercially credible. She proves you can hold a strong point of view and still deliver. 

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

The region is growing fast and the temptation is to chase volume. The harder, more valuable job is building brands that actually mean something.

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

The best thinking rarely comes from people who do exactly what I do, it comes from diversity of thought, being in a room with marketers, founders and clients who see the world differently. 

Why does marketing matter to you?

It's one of the few functions that can change the trajectory of an entire business.

Tell us something that's not on your CV

My CV suggests a career of confident, deliberate moves. The truth is most of the best things that happened to me came from saying yes to something I was not always ready for, then working out the rest on the way.