Wayne Naidoo, CEO of ad agency Lowe Bull, speaks to Margaret Harris

How do you go about attracting top talent?

The key to attracting top talent is to create a great brand for the agency. If an agency is consistently producing ground-breaking work, it is naturally going to draw leading creative thinkers. A clear indication of this is how the phone lines go crazy the minute you win awards ... everybody wants to work in a high-profile, creative environment!

What do you look for when recruiting employees?

Our priority is always diversity. We look for people from all walks of life, welcoming individuals of all ages, backgrounds, and cultures. A cutting-edge creative agency should always be a melting pot of thoughts and ideas, and these are derived from people who bring different experiences and perspectives to work with them. It is important to mention here that open-mindedness is a quality that we are continually looking out for.

What technical skills should employees have?

There are certainly specific fields within advertising, for example copywriting or art direction, which professionals within an agency would traditionally have received prior training in.

Most of the major educational institutions within advertising - such as the AAA School or Vega - would indeed encourage specialisation at an early stage. That said, there are exceptions - people who work their way up from the very bottom, acquiring the different skills as they progress. The most important thing is to arrive with a 'can-do' attitude - the rest will inevitably follow with hard work and discipline.

How important are the 'softer skills'?

The advertising industry is essentially about people, so the softer skills are of paramount importance. Technical skills are just the ticket to the game - it is how you can manage people, and the intricacies of communication, that can make or break a career. Those that have an abundance of people skills are ideally positioned to succeed in this game.

Is there room in your organisation for graduates who lack experience?

Absolutely. We are currently running a fantastic programme called 'The Bull Pen', in which recent advertising graduates are selected to work alongside the Lowe Bull team on live projects. This gives talented youngsters the rare opportunity to mingle with some of the industry's leading creative minds, and to experience the day-to-day workings of a dynamic agency.

How much training and development do employees receive?

In my view, employees cannot get enough training, so this is a top priority within the agency. We have various programmes and initiatives in place, one of which involves sending our executives and creative leaders to life coaching sessions. We are also continually sending our top people overseas, and one way we do this is through the Young Stars initiative. In partnership with Lowe Worldwide, we send two individuals (under 30 years of age) to the Cannes Lions International Advertising Festival every year, where they work on live projects within teams over the course of a week.

In addition, we frequently send people to our offices in London and New York to receive exposure to different markets.