Celebrating Culture Through Creativity with BBH's Alex Cuevas
Alex Cuevas is a champion for people, culture, and bold ideas. As head of people at BBH USA - the iconic agency known for zagging when others zig - she leads recruitment, retention, and human resources, helping ensure that talent at every level can thrive in an environment where creativity and originality are celebrated.
A trusted advisor to C-Suite leaders, Alex brings together business insight and a deep understanding of people to build high-performing, future-focused organisations. Raised across multiple cultures and continents, she brings a global perspective to equity, inclusion, and mentorship, while inspiring the next generation of advertising talent. This year, she was recognised by The ADVERTISING Club of New York as a Rising Star & Young Professional.
Q> As we celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month, how has your cultural background shaped the way you approach leadership and people strategy in the creative industry?
Alex> My upbringing spanned three cultures and, therefore, countless perspectives. That experience helps guide my approach to work. I am a third-culture kid - born in the US to Dominican parents and raised for much of my childhood in Santiago, Chile - I’ve had the unique experience of growing up across multiple cultures. This background gives me a broadened worldview and a deep appreciation for cultural nuance, strong cross-cultural communication skills, and the ability to adapt quickly to new environments. It’s also fostered a strong sense of resilience and sharpened my problem-solving abilities - skills that continue to serve me well both personally and professionally.
My passion for celebrating culture through creativity is what makes my role at BBH USA so meaningful. Being part of an agency with 17 nationalities represented makes me feel instantly at home. Just a few months in, I’m energised to be leading talent at the creative crown jewel of Publicis Groupe - where bold ideas and a strong culture consistently outperform in both creativity and business impact. From our work with Oscar-winning actor Zoe Saldaña for 'GREY GOOSE Hôtel,' to Café Bustelo’s 'Está Aquí' campaign, I’ve seen first hand how this agency embraces and reflects culture in the work we do for clients.
Q> You were named an AdClub Rising Star recently, what does this honour mean to you?
Alex> It’s a real privilege to be named this year's Rising Star and Young Professional recipient. This award has allowed me to pause and reflect on the privilege I have experienced throughout my career. It gives me the fuel to keep going and always do the right thing. The timing feels especially meaningful as I settle into my role as head of people at BBH USA - an agency whose bold creativity and strong culture I’ve long admired, particularly its unique philosophy of 'zagging' when others 'zig.' With so much momentum across the agency, I’m energised to keep shaping our people strategy while supporting and nurturing this incredibly talented team.
Q> How did you get into the industry?
Alex> Like many people in this industry, I didn’t take the most traditional path to get here! All of my college internships were focused on Human Resources, with the end goal of attending law school after graduation. After earning my degree, I joined a white-shoe global law firm as a paralegal and took the LSAT. But I soon discovered that the legal path wasn’t where my passion lay, so I decided to pivot to HR.
During my time supporting DDB’s corporate leadership team, I saw first hand how creativity can be a powerful force in business. That experience sparked something in me - I fell in love with the industry and with the energy of working in a creative environment.
Q> What is the best bit about your job?
What motivates me most is empowering people to do what they love within a work environment - whether it’s helping someone break into the industry, championing their growth, or ensuring they receive the recognition they deserve. I’m continually inspired by the opportunity to work with passionate people from all walks of life and corners of the world who believe in the power of advertising. I also love being strategic and a business partner to my leadership – in the end, without our people, there is no success. I am very impressed by Publicis tools such as Marcel (our proprietary Artificial Intelligence platform), enabling us to rotate the best talent across the network and connect with nearly 100,000 employees, across the globe. It combines the capabilities of a search engine, research space, organiser, social media platform, connection tool, learning and development and much more. Having the operations and data support to track employee engagement and resource management makes my job even more fulfilling and impactful.
Q> What are the challenges in recruitment and retention right now?
Alex> The job market remains in flux, with continued uncertainty around economic stability, rising expectations from talent, and rapid technological transformation reshaping the future of work.
Within the creative industry, these dynamics have intensified an already competitive landscape for recruitment and retention. Agencies are competing for a shrinking pool of senior leaders who bring not only creative excellence but also commercial savvy, AI fluency, and cross-disciplinary experience.
At the same time, retention is under pressure. The increasing speed and demands of the industry, coupled with the need for flexibility and a growing desire for purpose, growth, and alignment with personal values, are prompting talent to be more discerning than ever. In this environment, agencies that haven’t evolved their culture, career development, and leadership practices are falling behind.
What attracted me to BBH USA is their unwavering commitment to creative excellence, paired with a culture that genuinely supports and grows its people. BBH USA has a saying, 'Good and Nice,' and I wholeheartedly align with that philosophy - as does the rest of the agency. That rare combination of ambition and humanity makes all the difference - and it’s what top talent is looking for now more than ever.
Q> How has the role of recruitment changed in the last few years, particularly in the creative industry?
Alex> Recruitment has evolved from transactional hiring into a long-term leadership advisory role. It’s no longer just about filling open vacancies; it’s about guiding agencies in identifying the kind of leaders they need to drive growth, transformation, and long-term capability building. Today, proactive pipelining, strategic talent mapping, succession planning, and cross-industry scouting have become essential tools, as agencies seek to future-proof their leadership teams before gaps appear.
Q> What do candidates today expect from agencies?
Alex> Top candidates today are seeking more than just a job–they’re looking for purpose, personal growth, inclusive cultures, flexibility, and leadership that aligns with their values. They expect clear vision from leadership, meaningful creative opportunity, flexible and modern ways of working, and tangible evidence that agencies are genuinely investing in innovation, DE&I, and their people. There is also a growing demand for globally minded leaders who can operate with cultural intelligence and resilience in increasingly complex, interconnected markets.
At BBH, we invest in our flock through intentional initiatives that prioritise well-being: BBHappiness Days grant extra PTO on the year’s data-informed 'unhappiest' days; Identity Day honours personal holidays; and Do Good Day promotes volunteering. In addition to our holiday off-sites and bi-weekly town halls, our Culture Club fosters camaraderie through quarterly events, such as trivia night and axe-throwing, as well as cultural celebrations around Holi and Black History Month. Our comprehensive benefits include support for gender transition, assistance with family formation, and tuition reimbursement. All efforts empower our flock to embrace their most authentic selves, and we ensure that we recognise individual milestones. We also nurture creativity and curiosity through initiatives like our rotating Artist Series - this year, commissioning one of our own to paint a portrait of the Black Sheep - and employee-led research, such as the Silent Spenders study on DINKs, which reflects our evolving approach to understanding audiences by interests rather than demographics.
Q> What is it you love most about mentoring?
Alex> There’s nothing more rewarding than seeing a mentee find their footing–gaining clarity, building confidence, and growing both personally and professionally. When they achieve the goals they set for themselves–that’s the cherry on top. From another perspective, reverse mentorship is a powerful way to learn. Right now, I’m plugged into Girls Write Now, an organisation that’s all about smashing barriers - whether it’s gender, race, age, or income - and uplifting the next wave of leaders through the power of writing. In today’s rapidly evolving AI landscape, I’ve truly enjoyed exploring the published stories, poetry, and inspiring mentor-mentee duos emerging from the program. These women are truly impressive, and if you love the craft of writing as much as I do or helping others find their voice, I would suggest getting involved!
Q> Did you have any mentors?
Alex> Absolutely. I’ve been incredibly fortunate to have so many generous mentors in my life who shared their guidance and wisdom - people like Keith Reinhard, David Lubars, Sophie Daranyi, Steven Panariello, Britt Hayes, Tiffany R. Warren, and countless others. I’m also deeply grateful to Gina Grillo, Elicia Greenberg, and the amazing ADCLUB fellowship program, which provided personalised executive coaching and gave me the confidence to share my viewpoints in the boardroom and in public. Opportunities like that are too often reserved for the C-Suite, and I will always be thankful for it. I carry those lessons with me today in my People role, where I hope to pass that same generosity of spirit down to the next generation.
