The role of creative in the business strategy

In our January roundtable, Yasmin Vachet brought together a brilliant group of Creative Directors and Heads of Creative. Together they explored what the role of a Creative Director looks like in 2025, and how is it adapting to an ever-changing landscape?

What followed was a lively discussion about leadership, influence, and the changing perception of creative functions in business. They discussed:

• The evolution of creative into a strategic force
• The importance of collaboration
• Navigating growing demands for content output
• The role of creative leadership

Keep reading to learn the key takeaways from their conversation.

The evolution of creative

In recent years, we have seen the creative strategy evolve from one of execution to a vital business pillar. The Creative Leaders shared that they're seeing an evolution of creative from a service function to a strategic force. 

From execution to influence

Historically, companies have brought in creative teams to “make things look good,” but that is slowly changing. Our attendees shared that business leaders are recognising the value of creative thinking in the brand journey from the start.

Many are pushing for earlier involvement in strategic planning - whether that's around campaign planning, brand identity, or customer experience. This comes the need to prove creative’s value in new ways.

As one creative lead put it, “The seat at the table doesn’t come automatically. You earn it by showing how your work drives brand and business outcomes.”

Cross-functional collaboration

The group discussed the increasing complexity of brand touchpoints, especially across digital and social channels. 

Many shared how creative teams are working more closely with product and marketing teams now. This helps to ensure consistency across the full customer journey. Others highlighted the importance of strong internal processes to support scale without losing creative integrity.

One attendee summarised the conversation well: “When creative is siloed, the brand suffers. We need to be embedded, not adjacent.”

Navigating growing content demands

Teams are under growing pressure to deliver more and faster. So, it's unsurprising that the balance between creativity and content volume was another hot topic. The Creative Leaders discussed the challenge of maintaining high standards, while meeting the demand for constant content across channels.

How are creative teams delivering more?

Some are leaning into modular design systems or templates; others are investing in creative ops to preserve thinking time. The takeaway? “Creativity needs room to breathe - but it also needs to be operationally savvy.”

What impact does artificial intelligence have on creativity?

AI, unsurprisingly, sparked some debate - particularly around its role in creative workflows. What stood out was a collective leaning toward operational AI over generative tools - for now, at least.

“I don’t want AI to generate the idea. I want it to give us more time to have the idea.”

Rather than replacing creativity, leaders are exploring how AI can support operational efficiency. Some highlights included versioning and asset resizing, to automating repetitive tasks that eat into concepting time.

There was a cautious optimism about what’s possible. The Creative Leaders in the room shared a sense that AI is a tool to augment human creativity, not replace it. Many are still in the experimentation phase, but the goal is clear: unlock more space for strategic thinking and creative originality.

The role of creative leadership

Perhaps the most powerful through-line was the role of creative leadership in 2025. Today's Creative Leaders wear many hats: 

• Advocating for creative at C-suite level
• Mentoring team members through ambiguity
• Designing high-quality creative ideas that contribute to a successful business strategy

Leadership today isn’t just about craft - it’s about influence, education, and commercial awareness. As one attendee noted, “You can’t lead a creative team well if you’re not plugged into the wider business.”

Do you have the Creative Leaders needed for success?

Creative teams are no longer just executional arms - they’re shaping brand, culture, and customer experience in real, measurable ways. But to fully realise this potential, leadership, collaboration, and strategic alignment are key.

A huge thank you to the inspiring Creative Leaders who joined us for this session. Your thoughts were incredibly insightful into the present and future of design and creative. Off the back of this meetup we set up an online community for similar types of conversations, albeit in a more targeted/problem-solution way. If you’re a Creative Director or a Head of Creative and would like to join please reach out to Yasmin directly. 

If you're reading this and would like more information on how Creative Leaders can support your business, get in touch with our expert recruiters. Entrenched in the design and creative network, we're best positioned to support your growth.