Campaign TV: Andreas Vogiatzakis, OMG Malaysia, on talent challenges

On the talent hunt, Vogiatzakis doesn’t confine himself to paper qualifications or technical skills, searching instead for attitude and an inquisitive mind. “The key elements are curiosity, creativity and imagination. I think the knowledge of how to use a computer is easy to find but attitude, creativity, inquisitiveness… these are the values I really look for,” he said.

It is what the talent market calls 'soft skills' that Vogiatzakis said is hardest to find in potential candidates. “Behaviour we can control, technical we can teach — even in the digital arena, we can instill the skills necessary to do an A1 job. The tough part is the attitude and how they can connect with the clients and do what needs to be done properly.”

Grooming Gen Y talent, he added, is a mix of creating an environment that instills discipline without crushing creativity. “We create an environment where they can ideate, express themselves – but within the parameters of what needs to be delivered to our clients… Gen Y typically has the passion and action but discipline we need to help out with.”

In his opinion, held by many in the media industry, the discipline as a whole has been in the background compared with the creative agencies. As a result, creative talent tends to consider joining a creative agency first before a media agency.

“Lately, we’ve started to realise that we haven’t done enough and need to do more to source for talent in the industry," he admits.