From Campaign: Why the best advertising talent no longer follows a straight line by Niusha Koucheksarai

The idea of a linear career path in advertising is quietly fading. In its place, something far more interesting is emerging, as talent pathways are increasingly shaped by curiosity and mobility.

I did not start my career this way. I grew up in TV and media planning and spent more than a decade following a clear and structured model. You move up, you specialise, you build depth in one discipline. That was the model, and for a long time it held. Anything outside of that, whether it was a sideways move or a step into something unfamiliar, felt like a risk. But that no longer reflects reality.

Today, careers are more fluid. People are exploring different roles, industries and skillsets at a pace we have not seen before. Research from Indeed Hiring Lab released in March this year showed nearly two-thirds of UK job moves now involve a shift into a different occupation. What might once have been seen as a detour is increasingly the norm.

And to me, that is a brilliant thing. The most valuable skill in our industry right now isn’t experience in one narrow lane, but the ability to adapt, connect ideas, and keep learning.

Bringing new instincts to the table

We are operating in a world where AI is rapidly transforming how work gets done. It can optimise, automate and accelerate. But what it cannot truly replace is human instinct. The ability to understand culture, think creatively and approach problems from unexpected angles.

Those capabilities are often built through breadth, not just depth. Some of the most impactful people I’ve worked with didn’t follow a traditional path into advertising. At Uncovered, our teams include former chefs shaping food content, an ex-F1 engineer leading organic social strategy, and people who have come from journalism, music, teaching and hospitality backgrounds.

These people understand audiences in a way that isn’t always taught within the industry. When you combine that with the craft and expertise of experienced marketers, the work becomes richer and more relevant.

I’ve seen this play out in real time. Lived experience can completely change how a brief is approached and it performs. When your ECD is a former chef, responding to a Tesco food brief hits differently. It’s grounded in instinct and experience, and the work tastes better for it.

Encouraging mobility in-house

I saw another side of structuring for growth during my time at TikTok. It operated with a deliberately flat structure, which created a different kind of energy. You could connect with anyone, anywhere in the business, regardless of role or seniority. If you were curious, you could learn. If you wanted to move across functions, the door was open.

That environment made collaboration the norm. Movement wasn’t seen as a deviation from the path, but as part of it. We’ve tried to carry that mindset into Uncovered.

A wide range of skills has always been seen as a plus, but at many workplaces learning those skills is not openly encouraged. We want people to try different disciplines, learn from other teams and widen skills beyond their job title.

A shift from account management into production, or from content into creative, is not a step backwards. It’s an expansion of skillset and an opportunity to develop your interests and to figure things out before you have to have it all “figured out”. It reflects the reality of modern creative work, where boundaries between roles are increasingly blurred.

Social has naturally been a hotbed for this. Its proximity to culture, accessibility and the speed at which it evolves mean that rigid structures don’t hold in quite the same way. People experiment, learn by doing and build skills in real time. The creator economy has accelerated this even further, opening the door for talent from all backgrounds to develop creative and production capabilities outside traditional systems.

But this way of thinking should not be limited to social.

Advertising’s evolution

As the wider advertising landscape continues to fragment, the ability to adapt and evolve will become even more important. Traditional career ladders, and the assumptions that come with them, are starting to disintegrate. In their place is something more flexible, and arguably more reflective of how people actually grow.

This can feel both exciting and uncertain for those who are new to the industry. There are fewer clearly defined paths, but far more possibilities. You don’t need to have it all mapped out.

In fact, it’s often the people that don’t follow a set route who end up building the most interesting and resilient careers. The moments that shaped my own career most were the ones that felt the least predictable at the time.

For agencies, it requires a shift in mindset to intentionally create environments where people are free to evolve. Placing value on transferable skills, enabling internal mobility and recognising that growth doesn’t have to be a straight line.

For individuals, it’s about leaning into that. Being open to change, willing to learn, and comfortable with the idea that your career might not follow a predictable path. Mum and dad will understand, eventually.

The future of our industry won’t be shaped by those with the most rigid, single-track careers. It will be shaped by curious people; those willing to explore, adapt, fail and grow. And that is something to feel genuinely optimistic about.

Niusha Koucheksarai is managing director of Uncovered

Original article: https://www.campaignlive.co.uk/article/why-best-advertising-talent-no-longer-follows-straight-line/1958039