Chris Skinner is President EMEA of media agency UM, which delivers media campaigns across channels for brands including Spotify and Coca Cola.
I recently caught up with Chris to chat about his role and achievements at UM, the ad sector’s so-called ‘great resignation’, and the importance of building strong agency culture.
Chris Skinner
Tell us about your role. What does a typical day look like for you?
My days always start early, recently that’s particularly been the case given I’ve been collaborating on a project with our APAC team. That said, they used to start even earlier pre-pandemic when I did a lot more travelling to stay connected with teams and clients around the world. Although that had to change, I still love the daily connectivity and bustle of working across lots of international markets, even in digital form.
Whenever possible, I like to start the day by clearing my head with a run. That used to be around Richmond Park, but since moving to Cambridge I’m still looking for the ideal route – any suggestions are welcomed!
I typically spend some time every day with Photo Editing Services the client teams and direct reports around EMEA, making sure they have the right support. We’ve all had to change how we work over the last few years and this has seen benefits too: UM has transitioned to hybrid working, and in a sense we’ve formalised this new model with the launch of our new European and UK headquarters, The Bailey.
The thinking behind the design is to break down any barriers between teams; to bring people together no matter where they’re physically based, and to build cross-functional teams around the direct needs of clients rather than expecting them to fit around how we work. The new set-up will also give me more one-to-one time with people face to face, whether that’s the weekly team huddles, or reconnecting with clients and media owners.
Taking our client strategy from concept to reality has defined much of my time recently, but it will certainly be worth the effort. I’m looking forward to seeing how this will change the shape of my ‘typical day’ as the new office makes it that much easier to put the concept into standard practice.
What has been the greatest achievement during your time at UM so far?
I’m proud of so much, but helping build a strong culture stands out; I think it’s a big differentiator for UM. We’ve always had a good reputation for looking after our people, but what’s important is building a working environment in which everyone feels confident enough to share their ideas, aspirations and concerns. There’s no doubt it’s this mentality that ensured UM was able to adapt to the challenges of the last 18 months.
I’m also very proud to have led the team that won the European Honda account at the start of the year. It brought together so many parts of the business and so much talent. For me, this represented UM at its best; brilliant, highly skilled people supported by truly innovative tech.