2024 Virtual Coaches Comments

"Yesterday I met one of my mentees, Francisca Duhamel Berríos, Copywriter at Cheil Chile. She’s a riot.

It was our first session of the 2024 LIA - London International Awards mentoring program.

Clearly a creative person, Fran also had the extra, important piece of the puzzle that will make her go very far in this industry – drive. That’s probably the best piece of advice I could give to a young person trying to make an impact in the creative industry. Creativity is one thing, attitude is everything.

Thanks for making the call fun, Fran! You are a credit to your network, don’t forget about me when you’re running it."

“Being a Creative LIAisons Coach is not only a huge honour and responsibility but an opportunity. I find it invigorating to hear what the brightest young minds of our industry are thinking. I can’t wait to learn from them and I hope I can offer something of value to them in return.”

“This is my second year with Creative LIAisons and I’m really not sure who is getting more out of it, the younger creatives I’m mentoring, or myself. It’s an incredibly gratifying experience to give back to the next generation of creative greatness. A generation, who is as appreciative as they are hungry, for this type of guidance and attention. Attention, which is woefully lacking, as our industry gets cut further and further to the bone, making staffing leaner, busier, and sadly, ill-equipped with the luxury of time needed to give younger creatives the level of support they need to learn and grow. Kudos to LIA for helping to fill this void.”
 

"LIA means a lot to me - I was part of the Creative LIAisons program as a junior creative, and was lucky enough to serve on the Pharma & Medical jury in 2022. I am so glad to be able to give back to the program!"

"Being a coach in the LIAsions program has connected me with young talents in our industry, as well as with my past self, who was once trying to figure out the next steps in my career. It is an incredible opportunity to create a safe space to openly discuss work, careers, the future, and even life as a creative, without the fear of being judged. It’s a chance to share what I've learned and to remember why I entered the creative industry in the first place."
 

Participating as a Coach in your Creative LIAisons educational program was quite honestly a personal highlight for me over the last couple of months. All my 1:1 conversations were totally different, really deep and quite revealing on many levels. You might ask WHY revealing? Here are the reasons:
 
    1. Through each conversation, I relived parts of my much younger years as a creative professional. I remembered struggling with the exact same questions. I was able to empathetically share my similar moments, how I tackled them, how it worked out, if I would do the same thing again, or go about it differently.

    2. In many moments of my conversations, I sensed some eye-opening ‘aha-moment’ with my coachees, which was wonderful. Again, I realized the value of the LIAisons programs, to these young professionals in those sparks. It is a wonderful initiative.

    3. Above all, these dialogues were a 2-way exchange, meaning not only was I able to provide perspective, experience, share lived moments, but reversely the experience of these young professionals, provided an invaluable insight for me into their struggles, questions, excitements, challenges, and opportunities today.
 
I’d like to thank LIA for the opportunity of involving me in this program and look forward to meeting you in October in Las Vegas.
 

“As a former mentee in 2019, I can only give back the LIAisons by sharing what I have learnt and showing the path to more young creatives. This year, I am proud to be back to the Creative LIAisons, sharing from my pot generously and putting Africa on the map”
 

“I am thrilled to be part of Creative LIAisons this year, joining an incredible team of mentors. As a Creative LIAisons Coach, I am so energized to learn and grow alongside some of the most talented young minds out there. The program has top in class mentors and mentees, making it such a great opportunity for all involved. I can’t wait to get started and see what amazing things we can achieve together!”

"It's been such an honour to connect with young creatives from around the world. They bring so much optimism and excitement - it's easy to see that the best days of our industry are still ahead. As always with mentoring, I feel like they taught me as much as I was able to share with them. I'm excited to see what they do next!

LIA Creative LIAisons is such a special mentoring program. I would encourage anyone to participate. I've seen first-hand the impact it can have on a young creative's career, and it is equally as rewarding to be a mentor and give back to this incredible community."

"Mentoring sessions of one hour each were held this month with my mentees Kelvin, Eunha and Saba. They are all very talented and wonderful. I also had a great learning experience, learning about the different cultures and environments of each of them. It was very inspiring."
 

 

“LIA is an institution and the program of mentoring young creative talent on the cusp of their careers is an extremely rewarding and fulfilling experience for both mentor and mentee. The industry as we know it is changing and its new technology new tools and the power of AI that dominates every conversation. But we excel at brand building and creative ideas that grow the business we handle and at the heart of advertising lies this truth. I am eager to share, imbibe and hope both sides get to take away something valuable and insightful. And yeah, make it fun.”

“It was an honour to be a coach for the 2024 Creative LIAisons program and work with the rising stars of our industry. Throughout the program I saw first-hand how our future talent is challenging the status quo and bringing brave new thinking to the table. As a mentor, I learnt so much from their diverse perspectives and opinions. The LIA coaching academy is one of a kind. A power-house of creative talent development that is truly important to the longevity of our industry.”

Excited to launch the LIA - London International Awards Creative LIAisons Virtual Coaching program 2024 with my amazing mentees: Daniela Botero, Dani Keiko and María Constanza Santacruz Gaitan (who shall get a Dani nickname by the end of the year)! 

I thought it would be great to kick it off with an extra joint session. 

When it comes to female leadership and mentorship, I find it pretty rewarding when it is not just a 1-1 thing, but an All-for-All thing. This way, a support network gets built, the conversations and learnings get enriched by different perspectives and the fun gets multiplied. 

The LIA platform is a fantastic opportunity to do so and I'm very happy to be a part of it.

This informal meet-and-greet was so good. I can't wait to dive into our individual sessions throughout the year!

This bunch is loaded and ready! 

Thank you once again Laurissa Levy and Barbara Levy for the trust and opportunity.

"Mentoring students from diverse regions isn't just about sharing knowledge, it's about igniting a global perspective in creativity. The true impact of creativity lies in breaking down our own barriers and embracing the endless possibilities it offers on a worldwide stage. When we learn to think beyond borders, we empower the next generation to create work that resonates effortlessly across cultures, leaving a lasting impact everywhere it touches"

"Last year we had one of our creative managers, Mahirah Hussain as a LIAisons mentee and we have seen the positive impact on her work and personality due to the program. Kudos to you and to all of your team and coaches."