Campaign TV: Chris Ryan, Isobar, on Asia's talent challenges

Ryan declares that 'flexibility' is the key trait required when it comes to succeeding in today's media industry. "The key is staying with the trends and also staying ahead because we owe it not only to ourselves, but also our clients," he says. "Aside from this, having thick skin is important which is not a new thing and has been going on for a long time but is still required."

Isobar positions itself as a global hub for pioneers. Ryan believes that no single department or individual owns the agency's overall 'creativity'. "You're going to have creativity from the top - business directors - right down to the receptionists," he says. "It is a way of living; if an agency feels creative, it's infectious and I believe this is better than any training that you can get. We would look to 'ingrain it', rather than 'train it' when it comes to creativity."

Among the qualities Ryan looks for in his team working on global accounts are "fantastic" leadership skills and the ability to motivate people. This pertains not only to people working in their office, but also remotely with personnel in the network's other countries of operations.

"They also need to be organised and have processes in place. Perhaps most importantly, they need to have both a global and local perspective. In the Isobar network, there is a very close bond between the offices that work together and there is an understanding of what each of those offices have to go through in order to deliver for their clients," he adds.

Ryan says it is difficult to find talent with cross-platform and digital experiences but there is a good reason behind the scarcity. "The biggest problem we are facing at the moment is that agencies still have not managed to address the imbalance in channel spend with their clients. An understanding of the digital space and being able to convince clients that it is where the money should be is not happening."

He continues, "While this is not happening, investment is not coming into the digital space, and thus we cannot invest in digital people. There are very few agencies that will invest ahead of the curve. They will put staff where the money is and I think that is quite short-sighted. We're 20 years into the digital age, and we're still having problems finding digital staff."