Episode 85 - Claire Hollands

Today’s guest is Claire Hollands, CEO of Saatchi & Saatchi, one of the most iconic agency brands in advertising.

Claire unpacks how she revitalised this “legacy brand” by giving its most famous belief – ‘Nothing is impossible’ – renewed meaning for a more client-centric age.

She describes creating an operating model around realising impossible ambitions – from seeking clients at transformative moments to setting a clearer creative standard and giving every employee their own ‘impossible ambition’.

Claire explains why strong agency brands still matter – not least within holding companies – including how Saatchis acts as a doorway into the wider Publicis offering.

She also reflects on letting go of leadership ego, building a more inclusive culture, and why creativity and human intelligence remain fundamental to driving business growth.

HIGHLIGHTS:

[03:47] Rediscovering Saatchis’ DNA

[10:01] Agencies as change agents

[13:39] Strategy drives the proposition

[14:54] Relevance through differentiation

[19:20] Power in the collective

[25:01] Bringing ‘Nothing Is Impossible’ back

[29:40] Inclusivity over sub tribes

[30:20] Creating a ‘We’ culture

Previous episodes

Embracing your superpowers

Episode 84

Eric Segal & Brett Banker

Co-Founders, X&O

Meeting clients where they’re at

Episode 83

Sam Hawkey

CEO EMEA, Digitas

Follow the consumer

Episode 82

Michael Nyman

Founder & CEO, Acceleration Community of Companies (ACC)

Pivoting a life and an industry

Episode 81

Patou Nuytemans

Former CEO, Ogilvy EMEA

Crack the Procurement Code

Episode 80

Stuart Dunk

Founder, Don't Forget to Look

Going back to basics

Episode 79

John Connors

CEO, Boathouse

Making the impossible happen

Episode 78

Courtney Worthman and Stacey Gersten

Co-Founders, Main Character

What clients don’t understand about indies

Episode 77

Micky Ogando

CEO and Chief Creative Officer, Bakery

How pragmatism drives growth

Episode 76

Måns Hosk

Co-CEO, Eidra

When everything changes all at once

Episode 75

Josh Campo

CEO, Huge

How client-centricity drives growth

Episode 74

James Greenfield

CEO, Koto

The simplest path to profit

Episode 73

Marcel Petitpas

CEO, Parakeeto

The changing face of innovation

Episode 72

Enda King

Head of Innovation, Accenture

Evolving your core discipline

Episode 71

Jonathan Emmins

Founder and Global CEO, Amplify

From back office to boardroom

Episode 70

Greg Caplan

Co-Founder, Dovetail IT

Being a media indie in 2026

Episode 69

Jenny Biggam

Owner, the7stars

Thriving in the AI industrial revolution

Episode 68

Justin Billingsley

Co-Founder, Simbioniq

Growth in the ‘Goldilocks’ zone

Episode 67

Ben Rudman

Executive Director, MSQ

When a client CMO leads an agency

Episode 66

Zaid Al-Qassab

Global CEO, M+C Saatchi Group

Raising the bar for customer experience

Episode 65

Craig Elimeliah

CCO, Code and Theory

Showing up with a point of view

Episode 64

Sean McDonald

Global Chief Strategy Officer, Rethink

Redefining on-demand talent

Episode 63

Christine Olivas

Practice Director - Advertising & Brand Marketing, Toptal

How principles are good for business

Episode 62

Jared Belsky

CEO and Co-Founder, Acadia

Why Dentsu believes in agency brands

Episode 61

Beth Ann Kaminkow

CEO, Dentsu North America

Reviving an icon

CONTACT US

OUR WORK

USEFUL LINKS

Subscribe to Believe in Better