Karen Martin

CEO

Karen Martin stands out as a leader who pairs vision with action, restoring creativity to the centre of the industry’s future.

As both CEO of BBH and President of the IPA, she has spent the past year on a mission to champion creativity as the most powerful engine for commercial growth. Her mission to reposition creativity at the heart of the IPA was introduced through the film The Woman Who Walked Around Soho, a modern homage to BBH’s iconic legacy. At BBH, Martin has combined cultural leadership with commercial performance. She led the agency to huge growth, winning new business from Monzo, lastminute.com, Segafredo and F&F Home. At the same time she oversaw award-winning work for clients including Burger King, Mentos and Tesco, contributing to a 2025 creative awards haul exceeding 50 wins. She expanded BBH’s entry-level programmes, Barn and the Homegrown internship, ensuring accessible pathways for new creative talent. At the IPA, Martin set a bold four-pillar agenda - Celebrate, Train, Attract, Reward - designed to future-proof the industry and reinforce the commercial impact of outstanding creative work. She quickly turned this vision into action by bringing Creative Directors onto the IPA Council for the first time and launching the IPA’s inaugural Creative Effectiveness Award and the Creative Essentials Certificate. Beyond agency walls, she has been an influential industry voice, speaking at Cannes Lions, Campaign Live and the IPA Diversity & Inclusion Conference and alongside organisations such as UN Women UK and AdUnlocked.