Marian Salzman is an American advertising and public relations executive. She is CEO of Havas PR North America and chairs the Global Collective, the organizing collaborative of all the PR assets of Havas. In 2012, Marian was one of the final judges to select candidates for Venture for America, a program for future entrepreneurs modeled after Teach for America. She now sits on that organization’s board of directors, in addition to the board of the Bob Woodruff Foundation.
BPR: What lead you to become a professional trend spotter?
MS: Pure happenstance from my Brown education. Ironically, as a sociology major at Brown, I learned a lot about microeconomics and began to see patterns early on. Through a lot of good luck after my first job starting a company, I saw things differently and wrote a book about corporate life.
BPR: Who are some of your clients?
MS: Our clients range from Transitions Optical in Tampa, Florida to the United Nations Foundation for their climate change work, to the State of Rhode Island for tourism. We also work for the French government regarding technology and for the Economist magazine. The range is as eclectic as you can get.
BPR: What type of person thrives in the startup field?
MS: It requires a personal resilience because failure is guaranteed throughout the journey. People who do really well in the startup field are good at sulking for a few hours [after failure], getting a good night sleep and waking up and starting over again. Being knocked down doesn’t destroy you; it teaches you something. The reward is both the journey and the destination. There are so many niches open for startups. My friends will ask why I pull all-nighters, and it’s because of who I am, not because someone told me to do it.
BPR: Regarding your work on climate change, do you think that climate change is the largest current security threat?
MS: I don’t know why people are not giving climate change the attention it deserves… The biggest problem I would address, however, is actually anti-social behavior, which is the root of all problems. At the root of terrorism is anti-social behavior, and at the root of climate change is a lack of respect for the planet, which is anti-social behavior. I actually think that the root cause of all of these issues that we face today is a sense of selfishness. If I had to address one issue, I would try to figure out how we can create a more selfless society. This, however, is far more complex to solve.
BPR: You mentioned that citizens should watch Governor Nikki Haley (R-SC) as an emerging figure in politics. Why is that?
MS: I think Governor Haley took some strong, positive decisions to take down the Confederate flag. She’s emerged as a slightly right-of-center moderate, and female politicians, like herself, are the people to watch. She confronted racism in her own state with dignity and grace, and it is easy for people to support her, even though she is more politically right. She also handled herself with dignity in a pressing issue such as the Charleston shooting. If you look at the women to watch right now, it’s Governor Raimondo (D-RI), Governor Haley, Senator Gillibrand (D-NY), and the next generation of women leaders.