40 Under 40 2024: Alexandra Cerruti, Design Bridge and Partners

Alexandra Cerruti

Managing director, SEA & India
Design Bridge & Partners
Singapore 

Specialised design studios often get overshadowed by other revenue-generating marketing disciplines but WPP agency Design Bridge & Partners defied that notion with its Singapore studio performing within the top 25% of WPP agencies according to the network’s 2023 annual client survey. Meet Alexandra Cerruti, the woman behind much of this success.

With 15 years of experience in brand design, Cerruti stepped into the managing director position at Design Bridge in 2020 after a decade of climbing the ranks and is responsible for the overall strategic direction, management, and performance of the agency in Southeast Asia and India. Following a merger with Superunion in 2022, Cerruti led this period of transition by unifying culture and processes.

The merger didn’t cause a dent to the company’s numbers as it recorded a YOY operating profit growth of nearly 20% with core clients growing 17% in revenue from 2022 to 2023 and key client Diageo growing its account by 15%. Meanwhile, Cerruti and her team picked up account wins along the way including Casella Family Brands, Hero FinCops, and Resorts World Sentosa. 

Overall, the SEA and India businesses grew 8% year-over-year in spite of natural challenges during the merger. Looking ahead, she is setting her sights on market expansion, the development of existing clients, and new offerings such as brand experience, motion, and generative design tools.

Alongside ensuring diverse hiring practices, Cerruti introduced a unique internal programme called ‘Rebel of the Month’ where peers vote for their favourite ‘rebels’ who speak out against the grain and are comfortable with being uncomfortable. On top of that, she runs an employee programme called ‘The Art of Saying No’ where she encourages her team to have perspectives on every page, and to deliver them with candor and conviction.

This mindset, where no ideas are bad, is imperative in a discipline such as design, as it can often inspire a wider and more diverse range of creativity. And the numbers certainly prove that: Cerruti’s team recorded the lowest staff churn globally with an engagement score index of 80%.