One Take with Ellen Oppenheim

👉 The Scoop – Full transparency – I have been a card-carrying member of the Ellen Oppenheim fan club for at least 2 decades. But don’t let the friendly accent, which still retains a bit of her southern origins, fool you. Ellen is a New Yorker through and through. Sharp, tough, resilient, she’s made her mark in an industry that was a real boy’s club.

Along the way, Ellen worked on some of the most iconic accounts such as Nabisco, and SCJ; won several “MediaWeek Plan of the Year” awards, drove the agency into direct marketing and more.

👉 Decisive Moment #1 – Ellen was interviewing for an internal promotion. After the interview, she circled back to her uber-boss and simply said “I don’t know if I told you how I want the job”. At that moment, she realized the importance of self-advocating, merging the emotional and intellectual parts and standing up for yourself.

👉 Unexpected change or event – "I probably contributed to that" Ellen says, "but wasn't aware of the consequences". Agencies splintered. Relationships became transactional. Important programs --like training-- were eliminated.  To quote Ellen "we are losing the 'why' and going with the 'what'"

👉 What did she do? – After leaving Y&R and FCB, Ellen has worked for a series of organizations where she can use her wide breadth of knowledge and expertise at building relationships. Today, she's bringing that energy to Roar Forward, a platform that helps companies understand changing demographics.

👉 About older workers – You have to move forward by yourself, by learning new skills and by harnessing your energy. Works both ways, we will see an increase in "reverse mentoring".