November,2025.- In this Roastbrief interview, Tamara Conyngham, Strategy Partner at Lucky Generals, shares her perspective on joining one of the UK’s most creatively ambitious agencies at a pivotal time of growth. With a career spanning high-impact work at Droga5, Conyngham brings a deep understanding of how bold thinking and cultural awareness can unite clients, strategists, and creatives around ideas that truly resonate.
She was drawn to Lucky Generals’ philosophy of being “a creative company for people on a mission”, where great work is not just about fame but about real-world effectiveness. For Tamara, strategy is about listening — to people, culture, and clients — and transforming insights into clarity and inspiration. “No one gets inspired by 60 slides,” she notes, “but by a story they can believe in and explain in seconds.”
As brands navigate a fast-changing landscape where data, creativity, and culture intersect, Conyngham advocates for simplicity, empathy, and courage as the strategist’s greatest tools. Her vision aligns perfectly with Lucky Generals’ distinctive ethos: to create work that’s unmistakably theirs — never predictable, always human, and built to move people.
- You’ve joined Lucky Generals during an exciting period of growth. What drew you to the agency and its “creative company for people on a mission” philosophy?
I’ve always admired what Lucky’s stands for – being “a creative company for people on a mission” and its impressive repertoire of work. There’s a brilliant mix here of bold creativity with real-world impact, and a genuine belief that great work should not only be famous, but effective. In an industry that at its worst can feel like it’s catering to it’s own audience, this combination is irresistibly refreshing and a culture that I’m extremely excited to be a part of. Having worked very closely with Damien and Shelley previously at Droga5 is also a huge plus and I’m looking forward to creating some more great work together.
- Having led strategy at Droga5, what lessons from that experience will you bring into this new chapter at Lucky Generals?
Leading the strategy team at Droga5 was a brilliant reminder that great ideas can come from anywhere, and that the more you can get different kinds of thinkers into a room to chat about something, the more likely you are that the conversation will take you to less expected places. The strategy team here in Luckys is supremely talented, so I’m looking forward to how we can collectively build on the positive momentum already within the building and continue to push for even more bold, surprising and impactful work.
- The agency is known for work that blends cultural relevance with bold creativity. How do you see strategy’s role in helping teams deliver those kinds of big, impactful ideas?
Strategy is the bridge between what’s happening out there and what a brand is trying to build from in here. Our job is to listen deeply – to culture, to people, to our clients – and constantly be on the lookout for an insight or an angle that could spark something creatively interesting and culturally relevant for the brands that we work on. We also play an important role in providing absolute clarity and conviction on what a brand stands for (and what it doesn’t). Once that’s clear, it gives you the creative freedom to engage with culture in an authentic way, rather than just jumping on the latest bandwagon!
- You’ve been praised for uniting clients and teams around ideas that thrive in the real world. What’s your approach to creating alignment and momentum behind a shared vision?
I try to keep things human as much as possible. No one gets inspired by 60 slides of theory – they get inspired by a simple story they can connect with, believe in and – crucially – explain in a few seconds! If people can’t share an idea easily, it’s pretty hard for them to get excited about.
- Lucky Generals has had a string of major wins recently — from Irn Bru to Asda. What’s your vision for ensuring strategic consistency while continuing to push creative boundaries?
I think consistency comes from knowing who you are, not repeating what you’ve done. Lucky’s has such a strong sense of itself and that gives us a solid foundation to keep experimenting. The ambition is always to do work that’s unmistakably Lucky Generals, but never predictable.
- Finally, what do you believe makes a truly great strategist today — especially in a world where data, culture, and creativity intersect more closely than ever before?
The best strategists I know are curious, empathetic, and unafraid to simplify. There’s so much noise in our industry – so much pressure to sound clever or have all the answers – but actually, our job is to keep asking (potentially silly) questions until we can make things clearer, not harder to understand. They also maintain the perfect balance of keeping up with how culture and media behaviours are ever-changing – while always remembering that the fundamental human truths that drive us deep down, never really do.
