VITÓRIA FERRARI

What does winning Next Creative Leaders mean to you?

Winning NCL is both recognition and amplification for the voice I’ve been building since I first started working at 16. For a long time, I didn’t believe in myself. Today, I do. So winning is the ultimate validation of my journey, marking how far I’ve come while also helping me break into new spaces and using creativity as a tool for change.

How did your upbringing, family, or culture shape you as a creative?

I was raised by a single mother, in a working-class family with no support network around her. I inherited her independence, strength, and female perspective on everything. Growing up in Brazil taught me to use creativity to solve problems, to find joy in the middle of chaos, and to make something out of little. That mix of resilience and cultural richness has shaped who I am in my creative career. I care a lot about real problems and try to find empowering solutions. A good result for me is not how many awards a campaign wins, but whether my non-advertising friends can understand it and be moved by it.

“A good result for me is not how many awards a campaign wins, but whether my non-advertising friends can understand it and be moved by it.”

What’s your breaking into advertising story?

Since I was a kid, I’ve been in love with advertising and creativity. So when I turned 16 and had to help at home, I tried my chance at an ad agency. I had no portfolio or contacts, but I had a lot of determination, and that was enough to get me the job. It was the opportunity I’d always wanted, but the reality was far from the dream. I was often the only woman in the creative department. I heard sexist jokes and was dismissed in meetings, but I refused to be silenced. So I made myself heard. Or better, read. Alongside my colleague, I created Feminipsum: a Lorem Ipsum website addressing sexism in ad agencies. Normally meant to be ignored, ours became impossible to overlook. It went viral in Brazil and was featured in Fast Company. Since then, I’ve used creativity to drive change, through mentoring young women or creating norm-challenging campaigns.

“Normally meant to be ignored, ours became impossible to overlook.”

What does leadership mean to you?

To me, good leadership is not about being the loudest voice in the room. It’s about creating a room where every voice can be heard. It’s about making people feel listened to, safe, valued, and free to contribute their own ideas. It puts people first.

What’s one piece of advice you wish someone had given you early in your career?

That your difference is your strength. For a long time, I thought I had to adapt and play by the industry’s old rules. Until I realized that the very things that once made me feel out of place — being young, being a woman, and not studying at the most prestigious schools — would one day be what made my work unique. I wish someone had told me earlier that I didn’t need to fit in. I needed to make the industry fit me.

“I wish someone had told me earlier that I didn’t need to fit in. I needed to make the industry fit me.”

What is the ad industry’s biggest challenge, and how would you fix it?

To me, the biggest challenge today is not losing originality and truth. In a world where AI can do everything faster and cheaper, the industry often gets dazzled by efficiency and underestimates the human process. But human perspective means depth, originality, and insights that technology can’t replace. That’s why I believe the role of creative leadership now is to ensure technology is used to amplify human creativity, not to replace it.