Forsman & Bodenfors' new global CCO on how creativity and inclusivity drive her vision

Justine Armour started her new role in London on Monday (March 24) after being appointed as global chief creative officer at Forsman & Bodenfors. 

The former chief creative officer of Fig, in New York, will now oversees Forsman & Bodenfors' creative direction across its nine offices.

She started in New York before relocating to London this month.

Prior to Fig, she was the first female chief creative officer at Grey New York in more than 105 years. Her career spans agencies such as 72andSunny, Wieden & Kennedy, Publicis Mojo and Saatchi & Saatchi.

She will report to James Denton-Clark, Forsman & Bodenfors’ global chief executive. Denton-Clark was appointed to the role in October 2024 following Toby Southgate's departure from the agency. 

He said: “Justine's outstanding creativity and track record of producing work that helps brands grow makes her the perfect partner for us – curating Forsman & Bodenfors' direction as we move into a new era.”

For Armour, the decision to join the agency came at a time when she was considering starting something of her own. But after meeting the Forsman & Bodenfors team, she felt an immediate connection to its approach and culture. 

She told Campaign: “I had actually started putting sketches together to start my own thing when I met some of the Forsman & Bodenfors team, and here I found a company that basically captured all my core tenets, already had 30-plus years of enviable creative work, and had assembled a really lovely collective of people – many of whom have stayed for decades. The very thing I could only hope to create had landed in my lap.”

Beyond creative ambitions, Armour has been vocal about the challenges of gender equity in the advertising industry. She pointed to the continued imbalance in leadership roles despite the fact that women and people of colour form the backbone of the industry. 

She said: “It’s absurd to me that we’re still debating equity and inclusion in an industry that is held together by women and POC. That sells products to a market overwhelmingly driven by the purchase decisions of women." 

She noted that Forsman & Bodenfors has already implemented structural solutions, such as global Fair Workplace gender pay certification, allowing her to focus on the work itself. 

She added: “Every single agency should follow the Forsman & Bodenfors playbook on gender equity, and let’s all just get on with the very fun business of creativity.”

Reflecting on her leadership style, Armour spoke about the pressures she has faced throughout her career and the impact of imposter syndrome: “I never allowed myself to relax into any of those important roles. ‘Fake it till you make it’ was my motto, which is really the only thing you can do to succeed in an industry and culture that isn’t built for you.” 

She believes that a leadership approach based on fear and self-doubt can have a negative impact on teams, making them hesitant to take creative risks. Instead, she appreciates Forsman & Bodenfors’ collaborative structure. “I love the structure at Forsman & Bodenfors because I’m actually not the boss; the boss is the task we’re doing. I’m not here to be a north star shining down, but really to be the most supportive, clarifying, and energising person in the room," she continued. 

Looking ahead, Armour sees an opportunity for Forsman & Bodenfors to expand its global presence. While the agency is well known in creative circles, she believes there is room to increase its visibility. She said: “I think the Forsman story has been a little quiet globally… So I guess the goal is to remain humble, remain true to Forsman, but let a lot more people know how good we are at this.”

As she takes on this new role, Armour says she is eager to embrace Forsman & Bodenfors’ way of working and to enjoy the creative process. 

She added: “I plan to have more fun than I’ve ever had before.”