"Janet has taken Effectiveness out of the back office and into the Boardroom. She’s brought the client community into the IPA, got them (literally) round a table with agency people to get serious about proving our worth. The effectiveness story has many authors but she’s surely the Editor in Chief. From recognising the need to balance star power with data geeks at EffWorks, to her insatiable appetite for new thinking – she’s kept the story fresh for newcomers and old hands alike. Her legacy is second to none. Hat’s off to you Janet, and much love."
"Janet is a tour de force. Indefatigable with an incredible drive and determination to better our industry. During her stand-out tenure, she has always managed to be steps ahead in shaping the industry agenda – from apprenticeships to CreaTech to EffWorks Global and far, far more. And in doing so she has prepared the climate for IPA member agencies to not just survive but to thrive. We owe her an enormous thank you for all that she has achieved for our collective benefit."
"Janet is a one-in-a-million leader. A rare combination of 21st-Century entrepreneurial energy and old-school class. Her commitment to evolving the IPA's behaviours while staying true to its fundamentals has been inspiring. It's been a privilege to collaborate with her on the IPA Effectiveness Leadership Group on that journey."
"I had the pleasure of working with Janet on several high-profile IPA projects during the 1990’s and 00’s including the Value of Advertising Group and the important ‘Magic and Logic’ research jointly sponsored by the IPA, ISBA and CIMA. At that time, I was Planning Director of Saatchi & Saatchi and there’s no way I could have done either of these projects without her brilliant contribution.
"I loved working with Janet. She is a singularly talented person who combines a sharp strategic mind with a remarkable ability to get things done: she is the archetypal completer-finisher (such a joy to work with when you’re a Planner!), a sort of Planner and Account person rolled into one. She is also highly collaborative and finds exceptionally good people and influential organisations to work with, or work through, or harness to the IPA agenda to amplify its case. And allied to that she’s absolutely shameless about asking busy people to do things, as many of us know!”
"Janet has been immensely supportive of the work that Peter Field and I have done with the IPA Databank over the last 20 years. In many ways, she has been the driving force behind our research, getting sponsorship, pushing us to deepen our understanding of the data, and helping to bring our findings to the wider world. In fact, it was Janet who suggested we call our 2013 book “The Long and the Short of It”, which was a stroke of genius. We will miss her terribly."
"Janet Hull's influence on the global advertising effectiveness conversation is enormous. She spotted the need for creative advertising to get better at marketing itself and has worked relentlessly to bring an understanding of advertising effectiveness to a broad commercial audience, both in the UK and internationally.
"She has been instrumental at bringing the industry together, with marketing leadership, agency leadership and the media and measurement industry collaborating to make the case for advertising. Her partnership with Les Binet and Peter Field, bringing Google and Thinkbox along as sponsors, has led to evergreen reports that get to the bottom of how great marketing works. She will be a very hard act to follow.”
"Janet is a true force to be reckoned with and a delight to be around. Her sharp wit and love of mischief have brightened many a dreary meeting and her energy and passion for the industry know no bounds.
"Whether she's jetting off to Silicon Valley to learn about the latest tech innovations or leading trade missions to Beijing and India, Janet is always on the move, always striving to make a difference. I have witnessed first-hand the positive impact these missions can have, both for the IPA and also my agency, VCCP.
"I can also attest that she is capable of talking anyone into doing anything. And even though she's received numerous accolades and awards over the years, including an OBE for her services to the Creative Industries, she remains refreshingly humble and down-to-earth.
"Janet's legacy as a trailblazer will continue to inspire and motivate generations to come through the initiatives she helped to forge. Her commitment to creativity and belief in making things happen has left an indelible mark on the advertising industry. She is a true role model and a shining example of what can be achieved through hard work, collaboration and a pioneering spirit.”
"In the short time that I've been on the Effectiveness Leadership Group, Janet has been brilliant at holding her own in large diverse groups with very different perspectives. She's provided a clear steer to the group, has really been the guiding star for all of the ELG, and is an absolute pleasure to work with."
"I have had the pleasure of working alongside Janet for many years and have been both humbled and energised by her ceaseless enthusiasm and collaborative drive for all things in the effectiveness realm. She has always had a clear and compelling vision for where we collectively needed to go, and much progress has been made under her custodianship as a result. I only wish her the very best of times as she starts to plan her future and hope we can all mutually continue her mission with the same gusto.”
"When I first heard Janet speak so passionately about the importance of advertising effectiveness, I knew I wanted to make it central to my agenda here in Scotland. What I didn’t expect was the level of support and encouragement from Janet to help me achieve this. She went out of her way to help me, organising a platform at Effworks Global and creating our own effectiveness event here in Edinburgh.
"It has been an absolute pleasure to work with Janet, her professionalism balanced with kindness will be very much missed at the IPA. I wish her a very long and happy retirement."
"I have always believed one of the key roles for the IPA is thought leadership. Yes, of course our job is the simple maintaining of professional standards. But the IPA can, at its best, be more. It can create standards. To achieve that difficult task, it needs someone capable of leading its thoughts… and help make them happen. When I picture Janet, I picture that person.
"I first met Janet when I was Convenor of Judges for the Awards in 2010. Janet joined me as one of the judges dedicated to creating our, as we coined it, ‘treasure house of learning’. But the IPA and Janet’s involvement in effectiveness has meant more than running the Awards. For me one of the priority areas for leadership has always been (and always will be) driving a focus, understanding and ‘culture of effectiveness’ in our industry. It is surely more than ‘correlation’ that Janet has ridden shotgun, and helped drive, the major steps forward the IPA has made on this agenda over her time with us. So much more…
"It has meant developing the tools to extract learning through the IPA Effectiveness Databank. It has meant helping publish seminal pieces like ‘The Long and Short’ series. It has meant working with the professional development team to create training in Effectiveness. And the Accreditation in Effectiveness programme that attempts to embed effectiveness mindset into our everyday not just big days and holidays. It has meant creating a ‘Festival’ of Effectiveness called Effectiveness Week. Janet has been instrumental in all those initiatives… and many more. There will always more areas to lead on, always another chapter in Effectiveness best practice - for example, advertising and the ESG agenda and its effect on other stakeholders. Sadly, we will not have Janet to help drive those agendas, but we do have, thanks to Janet’s championing support and hard work, the tools and platforms we need to evangelise and share our thinking."
"Did you know that Janet was the one that came up with the name for the 'Long and the short of it'? That and a million other contributions to making the advertising world more effective that you may never have heard of. The industry will miss her, in so many ways. And for me, I'll miss the wonderful conversations and the valuable guidance. I'm very sad to see Janet go, but she deserves every bit of joy her retirement can bring."
"After WW1, the IPA was commissioned by Royal Charter because Britain wanted to foster the unique ability of agencies to drive prosperity. Today, so valued are the IPA’s events, research, insights, publications, courses and accreditation, their impact spans six continents. This is largely due to the marketing vision of Janet Hull. When attending my conference in the U.S. (a decade ago) or hosting me as a speaker at EffWorks London or “Breaking Brand” in New York, Janet would confide her aspirations to dramatical elevate marketing effectiveness; build awareness and access to its tenets globally. So much of what she strategized has come to pass that the IPA’s impact - her impact - now powers prosperity for thousands of agencies, brands, and the economies in which they operate. It will continue to do so for years to come."
"Janet Always. Janet is simply phenomenal. I feel blessed to have been part of the Janet Hull Project! She is so smart, so full of ideas, so full of energy, restless to do even better always, always building and always taking everyone to next level… and in this pursuit, she is always so charming and so collaborative and so professional. She always shows the utmost respect for those lucky enough to be around her - always listening, always debating, always encouraging and always fascinated.
"I have so enjoyed working with Janet over the years in so many areas and feel we have achieved so much together …on the IPA Council, as Chair of Effworks, landing new initiatives such as the Effectiveness Accreditation scheme, as Chair of IPASocialWorks, on Adaptathons, on trade missions to China and Brazil and the US and so, so much more. It has been a great privilege working with the very special Janet and I will miss her smile, her wit, her intellect and her energy a great deal “
"I first met Janet when I was at Cadbury’s, and she applied for a graduate trainee role. I did not feel that this would meet her aspirations but that a creative environment would suit her best - I suggested to her that a role in advertising would be much more suited. The rest is history as they say. We have kept in touch over the years and enjoyed many sociable lunches whilst discussing her career! I was flattered when she described me as her mentor. Every good wish to her as she embarks on the next chapter of her life."
"Janet was my critical partner as IPA President. I loved working with her, brainstorming together and then seeing her executing at the highest level. She is a true pioneer and embraced digital from its earliest days working with UKTI to devise the earliest study tours to Silicon Valley. She recognised the importance of the ad industry as part of the wider creative industries which led to her representing advertising, marketing and media on the government’s Creative Industries Council. She created the first showcase event for the creative industries CreaTech initiative successfully bringing investment from overseas into the industry.
"A passionate advocate of DEI throughout her career she launched Creative Pioneers, an apprenticeship programme that over the decade created 1500 jobs for underrepresented people. She has always been one step ahead in her thinking to ensure that IPA member agencies can be ready for the next iteration – her retirement is going to create a big gap for the industry as she will be much missed."
"Janet has always been a passionate advocate for agencies around the UK. For example, we worked closely together when Janet championed the Creative Cities initiative. This did a great job showcasing advertising and the wider creative industries in Newcastle, Bristol, Manchester and Birmingham, through a series of regional IPA agency-led events, supported by the IPA, CIC and The Drum. And Janet’s visionary body of work to create an effectiveness culture is some legacy: through game-changing publications including the ‘The Long and the Short of it’ and ‘Effectiveness in Context’, to launching Eff Week, the ELG and IPA Effectiveness Accreditation."
"It is my good fortune that I have spent over a decade learning from Janet, as my boss and mentor. I have always been hugely motivated by her unwavering love for, and knowledge of, the industry and her belief in the definitive role and purpose of the IPA in preparing the climate for member agencies to survive and thrive. Together we have seen through the most impactful of programmes - from securing job opportunities for over 1500 young people through Creative Pioneers apprenticeships programme, to our journey with the Creative Industries Council including incredibly influential launch events, parliamentary receptions, the CIC website and roadshows to many cities around the UK. But most of all Janet has been an active sponsor, ally and source of strength to those who work with and for her. A true believer of diversity and inclusion, I’d like to thank her for supporting me, helping me find my niche and have the kind of career that I can be proud of.
"Janet leaves behind an incomparable legacy, a strong line up of talent and a robust structure that is the IPA pillar strategy in the areas of Effectiveness, Talent and Commercial. Her infectious positive energy, can-do attitude and her remarkable intellect will be missed every day. I know that all the goals she has set for herself in retirement will be met and surpassed. A huge congratulations from one of her proudest students and biggest cheerleaders."
"Janet’s 30-plus year tenure at the IPA is marked by an extraordinary and unmatched track record, firmly establishing her as a driving force in the advertising industry. Collaborating with the industry’s brightest minds worldwide, she has tirelessly championed the understanding and appreciation of advertising effectiveness, leaving an indelible mark on the global stage. Recently, her efforts in India have further exemplified her commitment to spreading knowledge and fostering growth.
"Janet’s unparalleled strengths lie in her unwavering belief in making a difference, proactively driving change, harnessing collective intelligence, and shaping the industry’s future. Her ability to anticipate trends and set the agenda has consistently elevated the discourse in the industry and raised the bar for thought leadership. Working alongside Janet has been an incredible privilege for me, as her passion and dedication are truly inspiring."
"Janet is smart, and more radical than she might initially appear. She’s had a significant impact on our industry and my own career. I love her sense of humour and personal style too."
"I’ve worked with Janet since the late ‘90’s when I joined the IPA Council and became Chair of the Advertising Effectiveness committee. I saw from then the energy, insight and creativity Janet brings to everything she does. Her contribution through her IPA work to the understanding and profile of advertising effectiveness in the wider industry cannot be overestimated. We know from research that the UK’s reputation globally as a centre of excellence rests of the twin pillars of creativity and strategic capabilities and our ‘effectiveness culture’ has been created and sustained with this work at its core.
"More recently, Janet has worked closely with the Advertising Association’s UK Advertising Export Group, as our Chair over the last couple of years. This achieved a great deal in promoting the UK’s capabilities on the global stage and Janet has been at the heart of this. Our efforts through trade missions for instance in China are great examples, for instance when Janet led ‘UK day’ as the Shanghai International Advertising Festival, a first in China and with an audience online of many thousands. Her work through the Creative Industries Council, her drive to create recognition and engagement in the burgeoning ‘Martech’ space, her work for the Creative Industries Trade and Investment Board, are all important contributions to the advertising and wider creative industries. Janet has made so many important contributions to our industry and I am full of admiration for what she is has achieved."