This month the Weber Shandwick Collective (TWSC) appointed a new CEO, but it appears there won’t be much of an adjustment period.
Susan Howe stepped into the role of managing director of the communications agency on December 2 and since joining almost 29 years ago, she has held successive leadership roles ranging from regional managing director to global head of consumer marketing . She succeeds Gail Heimann, a marketing legend in her own right, who announced his retirement earlier this year.
With a tenure roughly equal to Heimann’s, Howe moved into the C-suite in 2017, holding two less common C-suite titles — those of chief collaboration officer and chief growth officer — before becoming president of the agency in 2021. Throughout its growth within the agency, it has adhered to a principle of optimismusing joy and laughter as tools in his problem-solving arsenal.
Howe sat down with ADWEEK to discuss the guidelines and particulars of her professional journey, the sustainability of TWSC, and her thoughts on what’s exciting about the current state of communications.
His words have been edited for length and clarity.
Pick up pieces
I chose to build my career at Weber because it always gave me the opportunity to zigzag, learn and grow. I think for some people it can seem quite linear because I’ve been working at one agency for so long, but in truth, [I] I was gaining skills and opportunities every step of the way. You don’t know what piece you’re getting until you’ve got it all together and need it for what’s next.
Earlier in my career and in partnership with clients, I learned to give and take, to push back and develop ideas. When I ran a few offices, it was about how to assign people to the right role at the right time. When I was able to have global experiences, it was all about the context around me and how local context and culture fundamentally influences the work we do.
A vital part of our story – and I think this is true of mine too – is this collaboration “muscle” that is so intrinsic to the way we operate. When they made me director of collaboration, I think it was a unique role. It was a recognition of the need to change the type of teams we put together.
I knew I wanted to be somewhere ever-changing and challenging. I don’t think I ever imagined what those steps would be like, but I knew that if I could continue to find experiences that sustained my curiosity and allowed me to deploy my optimism, I would stay and try to do what came next.
Success in the era of winning
When I think about Weber and who we are in the industry, we have incredible roots in PR, but we’ve evolved so much to focus on won ideas. I believe we are firmly in the era of earned, and that means finding new solutions for what marketing offers.
Susan would call herself an optimist, but I think you can only be an optimist if you have the intellect, strength, resilience and strategic acumen to handle change and complexity, which she has done and will continue to do. I’m thrilled for her and will be excited to see TWSC continue to soar under her leadership.
—Gail Heimann, former CEO, The Weber Shandwick Collective
It’s a moment [when] what we do in terms of communication is even more important. When you think about all the seismic changes happening in society – in terms of media fragmentation, politicized conversations, the complexity of delivering a message – being the team, the agency, the partner that can harness culture and contribute to a history get into the spirit of the times is incredibly powerful. Merit is needed more than ever on both sides of the coin: we need to protect reputation because of all this complexity, but we also need to promote reputation, and that is just as complex. You need optimism and resilience to overcome both problems.
THE edible mascot at the Pop-Tarts Bowlthat’s communication: knowing what’s happening in the culture, knowing what people will find joyful and accepting [to] tell the story themselves. He is such a brave customer. I remember when we talked about the idea, before we presented it, how we had to prepare for this conversation. We ask ourselves, “Do we really want to present this to the customer?” We are going to eat the mascot. And they said, “You scared us. Let’s do it.” That’s the kind of partnership that is truly just precious.
Building the agency of the future
I am so lucky to be born with this feeling of optimism. In many ways, it is a gift, not a skill. I wake up this way most days, seeing potential. This is me as a person. But also, I think [about] our role in the industry: how can we continue to improve communications? And for our customers, how can we help them solve some of the world’s toughest and most critical problems? All of this is energizing, which becomes the cycle of good to fuel more optimism. My side hustle is I’m a yoga teacher, so [I have] this desire to take the mindset of a beginner and simply bring it back to human form.
What is on the horizon that I need to continue to learn and develop? In many ways, it’s the unknown. I’ve been here my whole career, but what will the next chapter as CEO bring and what do I need to learn?
When you know that others believe in you, it makes you stronger and more willing to take that big step forward. And this is something that I also try to apply myself: how can I support the teams that I partner with and give them the energy and the understanding that we can do this?
Part of my passion has been developing the people here, particularly supporting women leaders. In an industry with so many women, there aren’t enough women in rock star positions: management positions in general, or jobs that make them feel like rock stars, whatever that may be. how they would define that. Many of these jobs are disproportionately held by men. How can we encourage more women into rock star positions? This is part of my mission… [and that means] sponsorship, mentoring, access, experiences, travel – the things that spark their curiosity to continue growing.
The agency we are today is not the agency we need to be in six months, 12 months, or even two months. The future is always imminent. So the focus on continued reinvention and being the agency of the future, whatever that future looks like, has been very, very critical.
