Episode 25 – Rania Robinson

This Way Up

“I've thought about my career over the years, and there have been a number of situations where it's got tough, it's got really, really tough and I probably gave up on things way too soon. Whether that's been a job, a role or a client relationship. But since having my own business, you realise you can’t walk away. And it’s because you can’t walk away that you realise that you can come out the other side, you come out often better with a better perspective.” Rania Robinson

In this episode, I talk to Rania Robinson, CEO and Managing Partner of the award-winning ad agency Quiet Storm.

Rania who was born in Cairo Egypt and arrived in the UK at 3 years old, starting primary school without knowing a word of English. She lists her ability to get comfortable with feeling uncomfortable as one her superpowers, something she attributes to this experience. And unknowingly, this set her up perfectly for the volatile world of advertising.

We talk at length about how she felt directionless and going from job to job after leaving school at 16. That was until she got her first proper break at big ad agency Billington Cartmel. But things weren’t easy, as she joined an industry that at the time was adamant you must have the correct qualification to succeed. However, that didn’t deter Rania who went on to successfully work her way up the ranks, progressing through different planning, strategy and production roles.

We also talked about how having children helped her gain a different perspective, recognising that the industry wasn’t compatible with being a mother and deciding instead to go freelance so she could be in charge of her hours.

And of course, we talked about the dynamic of working with her husband Trevor Robinson OBE who originally founded Quiet Storm 25 years ago. She was only supposed to help out for a pitch and thought because of their relationship it wouldn’t work long term. However, she found this relationship to be a huge strength. It means there’s no bullshit, they go straight to the point to get to decisions made, meaning they can concentrate on creating memorable work for their clients.

So much to learn from this conversation, I hope you enjoy listening to it as much I did recording it!