New British Arrows Chairman on the challenges ahead

Last month, at the British Arrows ceremony at the Grosvenor House in London, it was announced that the Joint MD & Partner at Academy Films, Simon Cooper, would be taking on the mantle of British Arrows Chairman.

Cooper takes on the role after the previous Joint Chairwomen, Jani Guest and Clare Donald, stepped down after four successful years at the helm. The British Arrows has been at the heart of the UK advertising industry for more than four decades, championing and celebrating the creative output of countless innovative companies. 

Maybe the greatest threat to the awards and the industry is just the inexorable movement to blander, risk-free advertising.

Cooper joined Academy in 1987, two years after the company opened. He left briefly in the early 1990s in order to travel the world and take photographs but returned to advertising not long after, first at Rose Hackney Barber then Rogue, before returning to the Academy fold to produce for Jonathan Glazer. He has been a partner at Academy since the early 2000s and now co-owns the company with Medb Riordan. Over his career Cooper has produced or executive produced a vast array of award-winning work including Stella Artois' Ice Skating Priests, Sony Bravia Paint, Vodafone The Kiss, John Lewis The Boy & The Piano, Coca-Cola Masterpiece, and many more.

Here, Cooper, talks about why he decided to accept the chairmanship, discusses the importance of the British Arrows, and reveals what the challenges ahead look like, both for him and for the UK industry at large. 

Above: Cooper has produced or executive produced an enormous amount of award-winning and iconic work across his career, including the recent Coca-Cola film, above.

You've been an Arrows board member for five years; why did you feel now was the right time to volunteer to chair the Arrows board?

It’s obviously and enormous honour to Chair the Arrows and I was immensely flattered when Jani and Claire proposed that I take over. Clearly, I missed the meeting when all the more suitable candidates said no. 

I intend to use [the Arrows board] as co-chairs as and when necessary. They just don’t know it yet.

Given that, currently, new Chair-people can only be drawn from the existing board, which is a fairly small group of  successful and extremely busy people, the question becomes more about who feels they can give the required time and energy to it. I felt I could.

Your predecessors, Jani Guest and Clare Donald, took on the roles of Joint Chairwomen over the last four years; did you consider teaming up with someone else to take on the position?

Well, I’m not autocratic by nature, I much prefer to debate and discuss change and progress. Lisa [Lavender, Arrows Managing Director] and the Arrows team are so brilliant, and the entire board are such an extraordinarily talented collection of wise advertising heads, that I intend to use them all as co-chairs as and when necessary. They just don’t know it yet.

Above: Simon Cooper, Joint MD & Partner at Academy Films and the recently appointed Arrows Board Chairman.

The Arrows brilliantly navigated Covid; barring another global pandemic, what do you think is the next big challenge faced by the organisation, and by the industry at large?

I sincerely hope there is nothing as potentially catastrophic around the corner as Covid but, in the absence of anything as unexpected as that, I think the challenges are the same as they always are; maintaining the Arrows relevance, interest and affordability to an industry that is more creatively and financially challenged than it has ever been. 

I think the challenges are the same as they always are; maintaining the Arrows relevance, interest and affordability to an industry that is more creatively and financially challenged than it has ever been.

The organisation is not-for-profit, so honing and tweaking the categories, the prices and the sponsorship to keep it financially viable are critical. But, ultimately, it relies on the work being made. So, maybe the greatest threat to the awards and the industry is just the inexorable movement to blander, risk-free advertising that fails to challenge or inspire or engage except in the shallowest, least controversial way. 

Above: The Young Arrows was launched in 2022 and Cooper's aim is to grow that event for 2023 and beyond.

Can you tell us anything about your plans for the Arrows and how you intend to approach the role?

I think Claire and Jani have left the main awards in a pretty good place. We have only just settled back into the Grosvenor. We will continue to tweak and improve where we can, but I have no immediate plans to throw everything in the air. I would rather concentrate on growing the Young Arrows into a bigger, more widely appreciated and enjoyed event, and to explore more avenues for teaching and encouraging new diverse talent into the industry, helping to create future Young Arrows winners.

What has your time on the board taught you about the Arrows and its role in the industry?

I’ve been on the board for five years but, to be honest, I’ve felt deeply connected to the Arrows for a long time. You only have to look at Academy’s board room to know how important the Arrows have always been for us. 

You only have to look at Academy’s board room to know how important the Arrows have always been for us.

For over 47 years they have represented the most significant and respected recognition of craft and excellence in UK advertising. But being on the board has given me an understanding of the level of work that goes into protecting that position in the industry.

Last year the Arrows launched the Young Arrows; how important do you envisage that becoming, and do you think the industry has sometimes neglected its rising stars?

I think launching the Young Arrows was Jani and Claire’s greatest legacy and its importance, in rewarding those on whom the future of the industry (and the Arrows) depends, can’t be understated and is long overdue.