Accreditation at Work
In this series, we look at how agencies are implementing Accreditation.
In the first of our series, Carolyn Maloney, Director of People Management at DDB, looks at Learning and Development at DDB Group.
“Our most valuable asset is our talented people and our most precious commodity is the ideas our people have and
the great work they do”
Bob Scarpelli Worldwide CEO, DDB
Over the past three years I have been driving the learning and development program for the DDB Group.
DDB has been committed to training and learning programs since DDBU (DDB University) launched in New York in 2000, and since that time senior managers from around the world have benefited from attending workshops in areas of leadership, financial negotiation, strategy and creativity. For the past few years DDB Australia has been delivering similar programs locally using John Boyle and his team from 6 Degrees and also through our internal Champions in areas of management and leadership, business management skills, presenting creative, DDB planning tools and financial management as well as cross discipline training in digital, direct marketing and branding, public relations and brand activation in order to develop team leaders who truly understand and represent integration.
We also regularly send our people on ‘creative excursions’ to unleash their creativity and also have lectures from people outside the agency on new trends and topics of interest.
DDB has been a leader since inception of the Accreditation program in March 2006. They achieved 5216 hours against the required 4416 hours, and that was by doing little more than what we have been doing, over the past three years.
It’s important for all agencies to get on board to help contribute to developing the industry’s talent, and thankfully, through the Accreditation program, it’s now an expectation, not an option.
DDB has been enormously successful in attracting and developing young talent in the marketplace through our Graduate program. It has run since 2000 recruiting over 35 graduates during that time, including seven this year. And for young creatives trying to break in, DDB’s Launchpad program attracts and trains the best young creative talent. Each is given three months experience in the creative department working on real briefs and productions, after which they are either offered a role –as four have in the last 12 months- or to go forth into the world and secure roles in other agencies.