Belen Wilson is a digital creative director at integrated marketing agency, Jaywing.
In her 20+ year career, Wilson has seen it all, progressing from junior designer to creative director, working across print, TV, digital and social.
Joining Jaywing in 2025, Wilson now leads a team of digital and social creatives working across clients such as Yorkshire Tea, Merrell and Aston University.
From surviving the 7/7 London bombings to best failures, Wilson shares some of the lessons she’s learnt across her life and career so far…
Which single daily habit or practice could you not do without?
My dog Olive’s morning cuddle. She hears the alarm, climbs onto our bed, and that’s it. My day has started. It’s the only ritual that pulls me out of sleep and straight into something cute and grounding… despite her stinky dog’s bad breath, I love her.
What’s been your luckiest break?
Surviving 7/7. Nothing else comes close. It reset my entire operating system. Everything since is borrowed time, which weirdly makes me braver with my work and many other aspects of life.
What’s your best failure?
I came to the UK planning to work here for just two years and then head back home. Spoiler: that didn’t happen.
What is the best investment you’ve ever made, either financial or time?
Going freelance when I had kids. Back in 2007, “flexi-time” was basically a dirty word in ad agencies, code for “your commitment is slipping.” Freelancing was the only way to design a career that worked around real life. It wasn’t instant glory. It took me two whole years to make the finances line up and feel stable. But once it clicked, everything shifted. I could be present at home without sacrificing my career, and the industry gradually began to bend around my life rather than the other way round.
Which podcast or book would you recommend others to read and why?
I recommend everyone listen to BBC Sounds’ Antisocial. It’s an antidote to the internet’s tendency to scream first and think later. They take a messy, polarising topic each week and break it down with research, context, and people who know what they’re talking about, which is gold dust in a world where everyone is an expert or has an opinion.
What one piece of advice would you give your 21-year-old self?
Your accent is not a flaw. Use it. And don’t stop going to dance lessons!
Who or what has had the single biggest influence on your working life?
The people who’ve given me creative freedom before I “deserved” it. The ones who said yes to half-formed but ambitious ideas. They shaped the way I lead now.
Tell us something about you that would surprise people.
I grew up in Andorra. I also worked from Trinny’s kitchen table (from Trinny and Susannah and Trinny London) once. She also told me my eye makeup technique made me look older, but she was right.
If there was one thing you could change about your career, what would it be and why?
Early in my career, someone else went to Cannes Lions to represent my work. I would have loved that to be me… mainly because I haven’t had the chance since to go again. One day…
What does success look like to you?
My daughter is about to turn 18, so I’d say success looks like delivering that project in one piece, with minimal compromises… despite the surprise budget overruns and last-minute creative crises. Pretty much my proudest launch so far. That said, I’ve got a second similar creative project in the pipeline that’s shaping up nicely too.
