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‘Creativity has never been more important’: Nicola Mendelsohn, Facebook, on Exceptional Women of the World

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By Doug Zanger, Americas Editor

June 21, 2017 | 4 min read

For Nicola Mendelsohn, VP of EMEA at Facebook, there is no shortage of energy or optimism.

Nicola Mendelsohn, Facebook’s VP of EMEA

Nicola Mendelsohn, Facebook’s VP of EMEA

Mendelsohn is a force to be reckoned with, relentlessly espousing the gospel of getting out there and “making more stuff”. She also believes that we shouldn’t be afraid to fail and that “done” is much better than “perfect”.

Inspiration is all around Mendelsohn, who began her career at BBH in London — from her experience in South Africa with small business owners who built their businesses on Facebook to her children from whom she learns every day, especially as it relates to their adoption and use of technology.

Moreover, her contributions as co-chair of the UK government’s creative council give her a front row seat to the challenges of change and allow her to continually advocate for the creative industries

An advocate of doing things that one might usually be afraid of, Mendelsohn, one of the co-editors of The Drum’s special Cannes issue with Sheryl Sandberg and Mark D’Arcy, feels that being out of one’s comfort zone is the best way to learn, and that putting the phone down and actually looking up from time to time, especially in cities, can be a revelation.

Additionally, Mendelsohn believes strongly that relationships truly matter — as do the little things in relationships. She relays a story about how she became “phone friends” with the PA for BBH CEO, John Bartle, and how her act of kindness gave her an opportunity to meet with him, which was a critical learning.

In her mind, life is precious and she consistently shows gratitude for her career opportunities, family and friends — and is keen to make the most of it, packing in as much as she can.

For the industry, Mendelsohn is convinced that creativity has never been more important than it is today — and fitting the biggest ideas in the world’s hands is a worthwhile and exciting challenge.

Find out how to get hold of a copy of this issue of the magazine check The Drum website.

Exceptional Women of the World is a podcast that highlights and celebrates the great achievements, lives and POV of amazing women throughout the world of advertising, marketing, digital, tech and creativity. Started as Exceptional Women Out West, you can listen to previous episodes here. If you would like to nominate exceptional women to be part of the show, please complete this form: http://bit.ly/EWOWPitch.

Creative Exceptional Women of the World Cannes Lions

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