Vaunnie McDermott was appointed Managing Director of Connelly Partners’ Dublin office in 2018. She has overseen the growth of the agency to a 50 person team in Ireland and led the integration of ZOO Digital. Under her leadership, the Dublin office has become a key hub for Connelly Partners—a global agency with offices also in Boston and Vancouver.
What are your main priorities and goals in your role?
My goal is for Connelly Partners to be recognised as Ireland’s most effective advertising agency—one that delivers commercial growth for our clients through standout, strategically-led creative solutions to their business challenges. My priorities are twofold: drive strategic business growth and continue building a high-performing, future-ready team. That means continuing to invest in upskilling, particularly around emerging tech like AI, while creating an environment where talent feels supported, inspired, and empowered to do their best work.
What are your biggest challenges as a business leader?
Companies across the country are facing challenges around the speed of change – and our challenges are no different. It’s about staying agile, always finding new solutions and acknowledging that previous processes and ways of working may no longer be of value. Managing teams and driving organisational culture with hybrid working, balanced with rising costs of running a business.
What have been your highlights in business over the past year?
The past year has been a real turning point for us. We welcomed new creative leadership with Sam Moorhead and Mikey Fleming as Co-Creative Directors, joining legendary Executive Creative Director Mike Garner and digital specialist and Creative Director, Chris Preston. We have other exciting additions coming soon too. We’ve had some major new business wins, including Waterways Ireland, University of Galway, the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration & Youth, and being added to the HSE agency framework. The merger with ZOO Digital has made us one of the largest independent full-service agencies in Ireland, and having the support and insights from our teams in Boston and Vancouver allows us to deliver meaningful work that resonates both locally and internationally.
Where do you want your business/brand to be this time next year?
A year from now, we hope to be operating on a bigger, more connected scale. Not just growing our team, but working smarter. We’re currently exploring a new office space that encourages creative collaboration across disciplines and makes it easier to work face-to-face with our clients. We want collaboration to be less of a scheduled event and more a part of how we work every day.
Our goal is for clients to see us not just as their agency, but as a trusted partner—someone they can count on to help them move their business forward and understands the commercial goals of their business.
Over the past few years, we’ve focused on breaking down silos between teams, offices, and even countries to deliver the best thinking, quickly. Next year, we want to keep building on that—going deeper into the industries we know best, fine-tuning how we work, and staying one step ahead so we can help brands do the same.
What new trends are emerging in your industry?
AI is constantly evolving in our industry and everyday new tools are available. The challenge/opportunity is to use AI effectively and efficiently for our clients – using human minds to prompt and curate the technology to augment our talent and get the reliable results our clients need to keep them ahead of their competitors.
What are the challenges facing the industry going forward?
One of the biggest challenges is the sheer volume of content competing for attention. In a world of constant change and content overload, brands are under enormous pressure not just to stand out—but to truly connect. Our response is to think outside of traditional advertising. It’s about understanding what motivates your audience’s behaviour and building campaigns that are culturally resonant, not just creatively clever. This is especially important to reach younger audiences. They expect brands to show up authentically, in the spaces they already occupy, with ideas that feel relevant.
This shift demands more from agencies: more agility, more integration, and a deeper understanding of both the customer journey and the world our audiences live in. It also challenges agencies and clients to move beyond the brief and become true strategic partners.
Are there any major changes that you’d like to see in your sector?
I’d like to see the reframing of the client/agency relationship so agencies are seen as a strategic investment on the P&L, not just a transactional service that costs money. Too often, the conversation still starts with cost and ends with deliverables. That mindset limits what we can achieve together. Agencies should be viewed as growth drivers, not suppliers.
Our job is to see around corners for our clients. We bring a deep understanding of consumer behaviour to the table, and when that’s combined with the client’s brand expertise, it becomes a powerful partnership. That’s where real impact is made—and where our value lies. It’s time we moved the conversation on from hourly rates, and towards measurable impact and long-term value. When we’re aligned around growth, everyone wins.
As an employer, are you finding any skill gaps in the market?
What we’re noticing isn’t so much a lack of individual skills—it’s a gap in how brands are able to keep up with the pace of change, especially when it comes to delivering consistently across the full customer journey. Too often, efforts are still fragmented—different partners for different channels, each with their own priorities. That slows things down and makes execution harder than it needs to be. That’s why, back in 2021, we set a clear goal: to simplify things. We wanted to remove the friction of working across multiple agencies, verticals, and markets. So we expanded strategically, made acquisitions, and built out new capabilities to offer everything under one roof. Now, our clients have one agency, one partner, one call.
We understand how each piece of the customer journey connects—from awareness to conversion to retention—and our teams are set up to move with that full view in mind. It’s not just about having the right skills; it’s about having them all work together seamlessly. That’s where we’ve seen the biggest difference for our clients—and it’s why we’ve built the model we have today.
How do you keep your team/staff motivated?
Culture has always been a commitment at Connelly Partners—not a buzzword. Staying aligned on values and building a strong internal identity around our mission and vision is key to keeping teams engaged. People need to know why they’re here, and why they’d choose us over another agency. That clarity and sense of purpose makes a real difference.
We also invest in initiatives that support both personal and professional growth. One example is CP Abroad, which gives team members the opportunity to work from any of our global offices. It’s been a huge motivator—broadening perspectives, deepening collaboration across hubs, and reinforcing our commitment to being a truly connected, international agency.
What is the best advice you have been given, or would give, in business?
Control what you can control…. Find a way to get back into a flow mindset where you are at your best. Focus on how you can get the job done and not be overwhelmed by the deliverables because with a clear calm mind, you will do a much better job.
Check out the full article from Business & Finance here.
