Don’t Ask for Permission

Pass The Mic Podcast

In this episode of Pass The Mic, host Morgan James interviews Delphine Ernoux, Chief Client Transformation Officer at Omnicom Media. Delphin

Key takeaways

• Delphine Ernoux attributes much of her career success to her curiosity about the digital era during her time at Microsoft and CBS International.
• Moving to the United States eleven years ago served as a pivotal moment that opened limitless professional possibilities for her.

Main topics

• Career transitions and relocation
• Authentic leadership styles

Notable quotes

Don't wait for permission... pursue your ambition, ask for forgiveness and not for permission.

Conclusion

The episode serves as an inspiring call to action for professionals to

Transcript preview

Speaker 1 (0:05) The future doesn't belong to people who wait for change. It belongs to the people that create it. Sometimes, doing something before you get the green light is the pivoting point for your career. Challenging things, asking better questions, and imagining something new are all the first steps to creating something better. Welcome to the Pass the Mic podcast, giving you inspiration from female leaders across the country. United Through Audio to let their voices shine. I'm Morgan James, content marketing specialist at SiriusXM Media and co-host of the Pass the Mic podcast. This season is all about the women of Omnicom Media, and we're celebrating some of the women who are shaping the future of media through leadership, innovation, and mentorship. I'm joined today by Delphine Arnoux, Chief Client Transformation Officer at Omnicom Media. Our conversation is about embracing change, understanding your own values, and not waiting around to do the things you want to do. Speaker 1 (1:11) Welcome. Thank you so much, Delphine, for joining me on Pass the Mic and taking the time to have this conversation. To kick us off today, please introduce yourself, name, title, and company. Speaker 2 (1:24) Well, thank you so much, Morgan, for inviting me to this incredible opportunity. My name is Delphine Ernoux, and I'm Global Chief Client Transformation Officer for Omnicom Media Global. Speaker 1 (1:35) Amazing. Well, I would love to know more about your background and how you got started. So let's go back to the beginning. And I'd love for you to tell me a little bit about what kind of drew you into the industry and if you imagined that you would be where you are today when you first started. Speaker 2 (1:53) That's a loaded question and a great question. And if I'm completely honest, I think that I fell into this industry almost by accident. I think that very quickly I became quite fascinated by what the digital era was already making possible at that time. I started at CBS International and Microsoft after, and I think that I started to really witness a massive shift in how businesses and brands and people were communicated. And I think that I was So curious and I think that has been a part of my DNA. I think that I always love learning and discovering new things, challenging myself. And I think that I have never been really afraid of. you know, testing new things. And it was quite, you know, the opposite. I was really, really eager to discover new things. And I think that that's what really dragged me into this industry. And that's what has always energized me. And it was more, yeah, the energy that I got versus being very intimidated by this industry. But to be honest with you, if I think about the question you asked, which is, did I imagine that I would be there today? I have to tell you, absolutely not. I think that, you know, and more especially when I think about where I'm coming from. Speaker 1 (3:03) Yeah, wow. I mean, I'd love to know more details on that. And specifically, like, was there a moment where you realized that you were kind of on the right path? And you were like, wait, maybe this is it. Speaker 2 (3:13) I think that yes, at some point when I started to meet lots of leaders, and when I saw all the leaders who started to really believe in me, but I think that when I think about where I'm coming from, I'm coming from a very modest family in the south of France, I grew up in a village of 800 people. Yes, a very small village. The truth is that my parents couldn't really afford to send me to business school at that time because it was just too expensive. But I do think that they gave me incredible values. I think that they gave me a very strong set of values and belief that showed me that working hard was probably the most important thing. And I think that they taught me work. probably one of the most important things. And this lesson stayed with me for my entire life, I would say. And I always work hard, push myself, invested in myself, of course, but invested in others. And I think that I went back to school after. When I was working at Microsoft, I was fortunate to go back to school, to the London Business School and HCC. And I think that I just needed to prove something to myself way more than anything else. But I was fed by... you know, this industry and the environment and all the things that I was learning all the time. And I think that that's the reason why I stay in this industry, because I do think this industry is full of incredible talent and full of incredible opportunities where creativity is, you know, always possible. And yes, you have a framework, but you also have lots of freedom in the framework. Speaker 1 (4:44) Do you think that there was a moment in your career where It felt like a really big turning point, something that was really defining for you and your path. Speaker 2 (4:55) Absolutely. And I have to say that it's funny because it's June 17 today. And 11 years ago on June 15, I moved to the US. And that was definitely a very strong defining moment. I think that I was very fortunate at that time to have the chance to move to the US for professional reasons. And I clearly see that it truly opened a new limitless possibilities. I never look back. And I see now New York has my hometown. And I'm so grateful for having this chance to really be in a market where I can do so much and I'm surrounded by incredible talent and incredible partners and incredible clients. Speaker 1 (5:41) That's incredible. I can't even imagine switching to a new place and having to basically relearn, you know, the culture of how business works in a different country. Do you think that was a difficult obstacle for you to hurdle or do you think it was kind of easy for you to adjust to a different lifestyle or pace? Speaker 2 (6:00) Well, I will never say that it's easy to move to a new country where you think that you're very familiar with the culture, but in reality, you're not really familiar with the culture. You discover the culture all the time and more especially at the beginning. So I don't think it was easy, but I think that, you know, I was mentioning that I'm very curious and I'm always eager to learn. And I decided to trust myself. I decided to trust my supporting system and I decided to embrace the change. and see what I could find out. And I honestly, I have no regret. I think that that has been just an amazing journey. Of course, I'm not going to