Chelsea Sietses
Senior Art Director at Ogilvy NZ
Kia ora, I'm a Senior Creative who loves finding clever, simple ideas and lateral thoughts, then turning them into reality through craft and collaboration. Over the last 10 years, I've worked in the UK, Aus and now back in Aotearoa convincing clients to buy big bold work, which has resulted in a decent trophy cabinet of international awards. It's nice being recognised, but nothing beats using creativity to make a positive impact in my small piece of the world. Coming from rural NZ and now a toddler mum, I'm an advocate for more parents and more diverse backgrounds in creative industries. I'm driven by kindness, laughter and testing the limits of what's possible both in creativity and in outdoor pursuits - such as how fast can I walk 100km and extreme puddle jumping with my littlest love.
Career & Background
What inspired you to do what you are doing now?
I’ve always enjoyed adventuring through my mind and the outdoors, but my original plan to be a ‘professional bush-adventuring-art-making-fairy’ wasn’t financially viable (sorry 7-year old me) so I went in search of a different career and discovered that advertising would give me the ability to constantly create and learn new things.
My high school design teacher also told me not to bother with design school because I didn’t have natural talent. While spite shouldn’t be a motivator, she did inspire me to back myself and fight for things that matter.
What was your journey and where are you headed in your career right now?
After graduating uni and not being able to afford to do an unpaid internship, I started out as a designer in a tourism company, saved the money to head to Europe where I got my first job as a proper creative. Eventually I found my way back home via Australia, where I started doing the best work of my career.
I’m also focused on growing my leadership skills and collaborating with as many incredible people as possible to make epic work. I’m lucky enough to have an incredible female ECD who motivates me to work towards my ultimate goal of also having those three letters in my job title one day.
Your favourite food for thought
Books
- The Alchemist – Paulo Coelho
- The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F-CK – Mark Manson
- Shoe Dog – Phil Knight
Podcasts / Thought Leaders
No podcasts or leaders, but here are places on the internet I love.
- Love the work
- The Female Lead
- Re:News
What drives and inspires you
What are your core values?
- Kindness
- Success
- Wellbeing
Who is your biggest inspiration and why?
There’s not a single person, but instead a collection of people and experiences.
When I am in need of deep inspiration I always spend time in nature or doing anything that is the complete opposite of sitting in an office. It heals and inspires every single time. To me, creativity is about storytelling and those stories won’t be found or told by spending 24/7 stuck behind a screen. It maybe a cliche, but inspiration truly is everywhere (at least to me!).
You as a Mentor
Why have you decided to become a mentor?
In my career so far, the creative floors have been mostly male, even more so in leadership positions and now (finally) the balance is starting to shift and I am keen to be a part of the change.
Being a mentor is my way of giving back to those who helped me become a more confident person and creative. It is also my small way of making sure that other women entering a creative career come in unapologetically themselves, embrace their backgrounds and never sacrifice laughter for success.
What are the top 5 skills or qualities you bring to mentoring?
- Empathic
- Generous with time
- Looking for potential
- Open
- Resilient
Ready to apply?
The best time is right now. Take a chance – you never know where an Assisterhood mentor can take you.