Mary Rego is the Visionary Founder and CEO of The Brand Collective
As the Founder and CEO of The Brand Collective, Mary Rego is at the helm of the 0.1% of creative agencies owned by women. With almost three decades of experience, she has consistently pushed the boundaries of branding, business development, creative design, and experiential media, delivering innovative solutions for some of the world’s most iconic brands. Driven by her belief that good design can create change – no matter now big or small the problem, she recognized that brands need fearless teams to help them navigate their vision, evolve their identity, and share their voice in a truly genuine way. She is a compassionate, direct, and honest leader who thrives on creating authentic relationships, building trust, and celebrating the wins but always seeking creative solutions to overcome challenges together. This unique approach has earned her agency notable recognition and accolades from International Awards Associates, Webbys, Muse, and American Advertising Awards – just to name a few
Who Influenced you the most?
I am surrounded by a network of strong women and fearless female entrepreneurs who constantly inspire me; however, if I had to say honestly, I think it’s those who had set limitations or barriers for me at a young age. Hearing “No, you can’t”, “It’s too hard for you” or “It’s not a woman’s place” left lasting impressions on me a young woman and, if anything, made me defiant and stubborn to prove myself. It allowed me the tenacity to face challenges head-on throughout my life and career, and taught me the lesson of advocating for myself, and later, others.
What Does Women’s Empowerment Mean to you?
As a new, first-time mom of an incredible little boy, Lio, I’ve developed a new perspective of the world and what it means to be a woman, a mother, a provider, a sister and a wife. Women are absolutely incredible creatures and I’m even more amazed at how we balance, support, strive for greatness in our careers, and give love to those around us. My job now is to raise my son with this in mind and to teach him how to support, respect and empower the women in his life. To stand up for their rights and expose stereotypes when they arise. In the end it takes a community to empower women.
How are you supporting the next generation of female leaders?
I’m deeply committed to nurturing diverse talent in the creative field. Being both a woman and minority in an industry that only sees 3% of women in creative director roles and 5% of Black-identified art directors, I look to empower young female and minority creatives by providing mentorship and encouraging them to embrace their talent, share their voice, take risks and seize opportunities. It is important to me to support the next round of incredibly talented entrepreneurs and help push their ideas forward in a world where women lead the purchasing decisions.
What’s the best advice you’ve received?
Goodness, I’ve gotten so much! lf I had to identify one to take risks! Take your chances when you’re young. In the early stages of one’s career, you may not have children or a mortgage; the same things make it limiting later in life. Risks can pay off big! Be fearless! If the risk pays off, it might jumpstart your career, help create a new product or form a new partnership, bring a new passion, or simply just be an incredible learning experience. Looking back, I would have taken even more risks in my early career
