Alexandra Taylor

Creative Director, Creative Consultant, Founder of the Art of Art Direction Masterclasses, Keynote Speaker

Alexandra is a trailblazer in British advertising, breaking barriers for women in the industry.

She was the first woman worldwide to receive the D&AD President’s Award for outstanding contribution to advertising (2014). The first woman in the UK featured in the D&AD Masterclass Art Direction book, she is recognised among advertising’s greatest art directors (1997). She created the iconic “Be the Best” concept for the British Army (1994), which remains central to the brand’s identity over 30 years later. Alexandra was the first woman elected to the D&AD Executive Board (1997) and remains the only person elected three times (1997, 2010, 2013), and is counted among D&AD’s most acclaimed and awarded Art directors. At Saatchi and Saatchi, she was the only woman and sole creative to report to Charles Saatchi, appointed Executive Creative Director, leading the Silk Cut brand (1993) Recognised as a pioneer in a male-dominated industry, she was featured in Channel 4’s Mad Women (2024), which celebrated women who broke barriers in advertising. She succeeded Paul Arden as Head of Art at Saatchi & Saatchi (1990), inheriting his restless drive for creativity. Her years at Saatchi, combined with mentorship from Arden and other luminaries, inspired her to transform creativity into masterclasses, impacting global brands including Apple and Adidas. As an influential mentor, Alexandra continues to influence global brands and creative professionals – not through self-promotion, but through the most powerful voice of all: word of mouth.