In February, Dentsu Aegis Network Spain appointed Camelia de la Nava to the role of Advisor to André Andrade, CEO Iberia & SSA. The new role of CEO Advisor has been created at a time of strong growth and big, exciting projects in this market. Camelia has developed a solid professional career in the sector as strategy director, brand managing director, head of operations, and managing director. In this interview, she evaluates her first four months in the company and looks to the future.

What did you know about Dentsu Aegis Network before you joined?

I obviously knew its position in Spain and of its magnificent evolution in recent years, with much higher growth rates than the rest of competitors.

Also, many of Spain’s most prominent professionals were already part of the Group ─ some of them former partners of mine ─ so both factors ─ its very positive evolution and the outstanding level of professionals ─ made DAN a very attractive company for me.

And now that you’ve got to know us better, in your opinion, which are our most competitive or differentiating factors, when compared to our competitors in the Spanish market?

What has surprised me the most is discovering such a solid network of brands, each with its own unique personality, but that all work well together under a unique umbrella, all well assembled and united by a well-defined company culture and values.

What do you expect working at Dentsu Aegis Network will add to you professionally?

I am lucky to have joined at such an amazing moment for the company in Spain, it’s a source of extra knowledge and experience, given the complex and broad network of brands that are part of the Group; all of them leading brands in their particular field of expertise.

Tell us about your responsibilities in your role as CEO Advisor.

The Group is immersed in many growth projects, and my role is to promote them and strengthen the Group’s capacities transversely, collaborating with all brands to do so.

How do you think you can apply our motto, “Embracing Disruption”, from your position and with our clients?

Innovation in both content and technology is key. We must try to offer our customers value propositions that lead to maximizing connections between consumers and brands, giving them greater strength and relevance, hence brands can maximize their business goals.

In this regard, being able to work transversely with all the Group’s brands gives us the opportunity to offer a much more robust and integrated service. At the same time, delivery is easier when performed through a clear and integrated operating model.

Which is your main goal for this year during your first phase working at DAN?

My first few months have been very exciting: I have had the opportunity to deepen my knowledge of the corporate culture and to get to know the different brands, their abilities, and the great leaders they each have. This is key to achieve my main goal: adding value to the development projects in which I am involved.

From your point of view, what does the future of advertising and marketing look like in Spain?

Digitalisation and technology makes everything change and evolve at a breakneck speed. We are not facing a time of change: we are facing without a doubt a change of an era. This makes our work far more complex, but much more exciting too. Communication has evolved from targeting a mass audience to much more personalised and tailored messages based on the interests and behaviour of individuals. Data intelligence and its data handling bring obvious advantages but only those brands that know how to take advantage of this will be winners in this new ecosystem. Hence the importance of having a good agency with the right capabilities and ambition that allow brands to generate competitive advantage in this new environment.

Lastly, could you summarise Dentsu Aegis Network in one word?

Let me give you two: Transformation and Future.