The Steady Hand That Simplifies: Scott McCaffrey on the Role of the Modern Account Manager

Scott McCaffrey is a seasoned media and client services executive with more than two decades of experience in building growth strategies, client relationships and agency leadership.

In June 2024 he joined Starcom Australia, part of the Publicis Groupe network, as chief client and growth officer. In this role, he sits on the executive leadership team and leads senior client leadership and growth initiatives across the business nationally. Since joining Starcom, Scott has launched several agency-wide initiatives to accelerate both organic and new business growth.

Prior to this appointment, Scott has held senior roles in client solutions at other leading media agencies, including as national head of growth. Across his career, Scott has been recognised for his strengths in leading client services teams and senior leadership for major agencies; creating growth-oriented strategies aligned with clients' business objectives; leveraging media, brand, and data strategy to deliver differentiated value; and driving change in a rapidly evolving media and technology environment.

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LBB> How did you first get involved in account management and what appealed to you about it?

Scott> To be honest, I didn’t really plan for a career in account management. I studied advertising and communications and had a strong interest in media before starting as a media assistant in a media agency.

I quickly learnt that the key to success was to be organised, as I reported to a few different people and worked across several accounts. What appealed to me about joining a media agency in the first place was the access to different disciplines and categories across the agency and client landscape. I, therefore, found the best way to elevate my learning curve was in client management.

LBB> What is it about your personality, skills and experience that has made account management such a great fit?

Scott> I’ve always been really organised and disciplined but also am generally calm under pressure. I’m the person in my friendship group that always makes the restaurant reservations and has a day-by-day Excel spreadsheet for every holiday with everything planned out.

I quickly realised that being organised is a superpower in agency land. When it comes to client management, forward-planning allows you to always be prepared for any possible scenario, and always keeps you two steps ahead.

LBB> What piece of advice would you give to someone just starting their career in account management?

Scott> Stay curious and master the art of listening. The best account managers don’t just manage projects; they listen deeply to their clients and their teams. Taking the time to understand both your client’s business and the craft of the people around you will help you connect ideas and spot opportunities others may miss. Account management is about offering clarity, empathy, and direction, and those skills start with listening, learning, and consistently showing up as someone people can trust.

LBB> Thinking back to some of the most challenging experiences you’ve had in your career, what do you think tends to lie at the heart of the more tense or difficult client-agency relationships?

Scott> I often talk to my team about the relationship bank that we have with our clients. We can build up that bank over time by delivering for our clients, but the relationship bank can also deplete when things go wrong. And things always will.

Having enough equity in the bank with clients will ensure that when things do go wrong, there is enough value in the relationship to resolve the issue and move forward swiftly. It’s crucial for client teams to try to see a situation from the client’s perspective and take the time to understand the client’s end goal.

LBB> And what are the keys to building a productive and healthy relationship?

Scott> The key to building a productive and healthy business relationship comes down to a combination of trust, communication, and mutual respect. I believe that clients buy people, and they want a team around them that are as deeply in tune with their business as they are -- for example, Metcash, who has partnered with us at Starcom Australia for 18 years now.

By working side-by-side with their marketing team, we’ve continued to deliver strong growth for the business while evolving alongside their iconic brands like IGA, Cellarbrations, and Mitre 10.

LBB> What’s your view on disagreement and emotion – is there a place for it and if not, why not? If so, why – and what does productive disagreement look like?

Scott> I believe there is absolutely a place for disagreement in business, as long as it is handled constructively.

Disagreement can surface new ideas, challenge assumptions, and drive better outcomes, but it needs to be framed around the work, not personal differences or subjective views.

Productive disagreement, in my view, looks like a respectful debate, active listening, and a focus on shared goals. It’s about asking questions, understanding the reasoning behind different perspectives, and finding solutions that improve the outcome, rather than simply winning an argument. At its best, it builds trust and strengthens relationships, because people feel heard and valued.

LBB> Historically, account management has been characterised as the mediator in an adversarial client and creative relationship – what do you make of that characterisation, is there any nugget of truth in that or is it wildly inaccurate?

Scott> I disagree. Maybe historically, but today the relationship between account managers and their clients is so much more than that. We’re strategic partners, helping to shape ideas, connect teams, and navigate complexity.

LBB> These days, agencies do so much beyond traditional campaigns and as account management you’re pulling together creative, experience, data, e-commerce, social, and more – and that complexity can often be mirrored on the client stakeholder side too. What’s the key to navigating (and helping the client navigate) that complexity?

Scott> I’ve found the best way to manage that complexity is to act as the connector -- the person who has visibility across all the moving parts and who brings clarity to the chaos. Clients really value when you can translate multiple work-streams into one clear story about how it all ladders up to their goals.

I prioritise open communication, consistent alignment, and making sure every specialist, internally and externally, understands their role in delivering that bigger picture. It’s about being the steady hand that simplifies, unites, and drives momentum.