The Arc of Creative Influence

Two of advertising’s most decorated creative leaders sit down for a candid exchange on craft, culture, and the long arc of creative influence. Susan Credle—this year’s Lion of St. Mark honoree—reflects on a career spanning more than four decades, from her start as an intern at BBDO New York to creative leadership roles at Leo Burnett and FCB, and most recently, as Global Creative Advisor at Interpublic. Along the way she reimagined icons of American culture, from the literary twist she brought to McDonald’s Happy Meals to the celebrated makeover of the M&M’s characters, while building creative cultures where talent and standards rise together.

She is joined by Margaret Johnson, Chief Creative Officer and Partner at Goodby Silverstein & Partners—the first female partner in the agency’s history and Ad Age’s 2018 Executive of the Year, consistently named among the industry’s top creative leaders by Forbes, Adweek, and The Drum. Together they explore how influence is really built: not through a single famous campaign, but through the work, the people, and the values a creative leader leaves behind.