A cybersecurity giant going back to the future : Maria McLaughin, Abnormal AI
Tue Jan 27 2026
In this episode of The Changemakers, which was recorded as part of our virtual summit Bring Your Own Bold, Wei Kee (Client Services Director at Shaped By) sat down with Maria McLaughlin (Senior Director, Global Brand and Creative at Abnormal AI) and Tom Ovens (Creative Director at Shaped By) to explore how they successfully navigated a full-scale rename and rebrand, and unpack:
How a partnership based on chemistry and mutual respect delivered an extraordinary outcome.The criticality of getting key internal stakeholders, including the CEO, fully committed to a pivotal project.How to manage and deliver meaningful work under "audaciously ambitious" and brutal time scales.The tangible business success of the rebrand, including Abnormal AI's best financial quarter ever post-launch.This is an essential conversation if you're looking to understand how to drive ambitious change and prove the commercial value of a bold brand identity.
🎧 Listen now
2. Timestamps
01:21 - The evolution of the client-agency partnership.02:55 - Why chemistry is one of the key pillars of a successful partnership.04:19 - Stakeholder engagement: The importance of having the final decision-maker in the room.07:55 - Building trust and rapport with the CEO.10:48 - Geeking out: How commonality in thinking helped the connection.13:35 - The power of positive inter- and intra-team dynamics.14:58 - Navigating "brutal" and rigid time scales collaboratively.17:08 - The rewarding outcomes: a durable brand and the best financial quarter ever.19:30 - The internal and external market reception to the new identity.24:18 - Advice for achieving extraordinary results with a creative agency.25:54 - What's next? Up-leveling the work and having fun in 2026.30:35 - Closing remarks: Success comes from surrounding yourself with good teams.Send us a message if you enjoyed this episode
If you enjoy the chats then there are more ways to quench your thirst for creative inspiration in the world of B2B tech.
👉 Watch episodes on YouTube
👉 Follow us on LinkedIn for regular snippets in your feed
👉 Visit our website for more in-depth thinking on topics
👉 Subscribe to Beyond our monthly collection of insight, opinion and inspiration
And finally please rate our podcast on Apple if you enjoyed it!
✌️
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In this episode of The Changemakers, which was recorded as part of our virtual summit Bring Your Own Bold, Wei Kee (Client Services Director at Shaped By) sat down with Maria McLaughlin (Senior Director, Global Brand and Creative at Abnormal AI) and Tom Ovens (Creative Director at Shaped By) to explore how they successfully navigated a full-scale rename and rebrand, and unpack: How a partnership based on chemistry and mutual respect delivered an extraordinary outcome.The criticality of getting key internal stakeholders, including the CEO, fully committed to a pivotal project.How to manage and deliver meaningful work under "audaciously ambitious" and brutal time scales.The tangible business success of the rebrand, including Abnormal AI's best financial quarter ever post-launch.This is an essential conversation if you're looking to understand how to drive ambitious change and prove the commercial value of a bold brand identity. 🎧 Listen now 2. Timestamps 01:21 - The evolution of the client-agency partnership.02:55 - Why chemistry is one of the key pillars of a successful partnership.04:19 - Stakeholder engagement: The importance of having the final decision-maker in the room.07:55 - Building trust and rapport with the CEO.10:48 - Geeking out: How commonality in thinking helped the connection.13:35 - The power of positive inter- and intra-team dynamics.14:58 - Navigating "brutal" and rigid time scales collaboratively.17:08 - The rewarding outcomes: a durable brand and the best financial quarter ever.19:30 - The internal and external market reception to the new identity.24:18 - Advice for achieving extraordinary results with a creative agency.25:54 - What's next? Up-leveling the work and having fun in 2026.30:35 - Closing remarks: Success comes from surrounding yourself with good teams.Send us a message if you enjoyed this episode If you enjoy the chats then there are more ways to quench your thirst for creative inspiration in the world of B2B tech. 👉 Watch episodes on YouTube 👉 Follow us on LinkedIn for regular snippets in your feed 👉 Visit our website for more in-depth thinking on topics 👉 Subscribe to Beyond our monthly collection of insight, opinion and inspiration And finally please rate our podcast on Apple if you enjoyed it! ✌️