Tea Uglow is the award-winning creative leader and ex-Google Creative Lab Founder in London and Sydney. Tea is happily autistic, queer and the co-author of the Trans Flag Emoji in 2020! Take a listen to the podcast to hear about Tea’s journey into in-house creative leadership.

Non-traditional Creative Journey

Tea has had a non-traditional creative journey. Starting with an arts background, Tea then transitioned from design into a more strategic role where she learned to explore ideas without a predetermined outcome. 

This then led on to Tea’s journey at Google, where she began freelance and learned to adapt in a chaotic environment where creative processes are a thing of the past. This then enabled Tea to create a structured creative team. 

Tea is now the Co-founder of Dark Swan, a creative and Strategic advisory agency focused on future trends and exploring cultural digital interface.

Fostering a safe space

Tea highlights the importance of recognising that neurodiversity is not just a label but a different way of being. 

As a trans and autistic individual, Tea speaks candidly about the challenges she faced growing up in the 80’s and the mental health conditions that accompany her identity. 

It is incredibly important to create safe spaces for small teams to explore innovative ideas without the fear of failure, which can lead to surprising and effective outcomes. 

Key takeaway? Work should be fun! And teams should feel that joy within their work environment as it is essential for creativity and productivity to thrive. 

Hear all of Tea Uglow's leadership lessons on the podcast 'The Future of In-House Creative Leadership' created by the Inside Out Community - the professional home for in-house creative leaders.

Join the podcast host Emma Sexton, as she speaks to the community members, award-winners, advisors + industry experts to deep dive into how to elevate the role of in-house creativity to the highest levels of business.