Janou Pakter of Janou LLC
(Amsterdam, Netherlands)
JANOU LLC is a Global Creative & Marketing Executive Search firm founded on Janou Pakter’s 30+ years experience in the industry.
Between 1995–2012 Janou founded search offices in Amsterdam, Geneva, Paris, Milan, New York, San Francisco and Los Angeles. She co-founded NONSTOCK, the first non-traditional stock photo agency later acquired by Getty. In the ’90s, she launched the award winning online magazine for the arts, IDANDA, which featured the work of celebrity designers, architects and artists. Her search agency has received numerous design awards for first-in-industry ad campaigns. Some of them are part of the permanent collection of the Cooper Hewitt. Janou’s modernist approach originated from her Dutch Design background and has earned her a reputation for having “the eye” in the Creative Search Industry.
After selling her renowned namesake brand, Janou launched JANOU LLC in 2014 to provide highly personalized executive search and strategy within the Luxury, Beauty, and Lifestyle Industries.
Today, JANOU LLC is led by its partners Janou Pakter and Damian Chiam, whose international backgrounds and expertise in Creative & Marketing provide clients with a unique perspective on the industry’s ever-changing talent needs. Janou has placed some of the most talented creatives for various companies globally including Chanel, Christian Dior, The North Face, and Tiffany.
Tell me about your company, JANOU LLC.
The former company I sold became so large that I found I was no longer doing what I loved most, which is engaging with clients and candidates directly. So, when I decided to create JANOU LLC, I was determined to remain small and exclusive, so that I could maintain a highly personalized service with integrity. Our clients appreciate our targeted focus in Creative, Design & Marketing Search.
When did you first realize that you wanted to create your own company or brand?
I was working for a search firm called Jerry Fields. I headed up the design and advertising department and built it to be the most successful department of the company. After 5 years, when Mr. Fields retired, I had one of two choices: work for a competitor, or do something entirely different.
My previous partner was highly entrepreneurial and convinced me to start my own company. At first, I wasn’t prepared for the challenge, but he believed in me and convinced me to go into business with him. He would focus on finance and administration while I would do what I do best: discover and nurture talent, make the best talent/client matches and consult both the artists and the clients how to achieve the best results. The business grew exponentially, and soon we were able to leave the small studio where we started and move to a larger space. That was when I first got a taste of what it’s like to build my own brand, what that means, and how amazing that is.
Who are some of the people that have inspired you along the way?
One of the people is John Jay who is now the top creative at Uniqlo. When I met him many years ago, he was the creative director of Bloomingdale’s in New York. He asked me to help him search for a few innovative graphic designers to create marketing materials, advertising campaigns, and a visual identity for Bloomingdale’s. I had recently interviewed two designers who came to me after every search and recruitment agency in New York had rejected them. Their work was unusual and highly creative, and did not fit in a box. They had a European sensibility that showed a witty and conceptual thought process. Some of it was quite abstract. Their work showed storytelling, video, animation, photography, conceptual art. I was blown away by their originality and creativity. They were really transformative artists, much like what I look for now in talent. Knowing that John Jay is a visionary, I knew he would be intrigued by their work. He called the same day after he met them and said: I want to hire them both! I was still at the beginning of my career, and his enthusiasm and acknowledgment gave me a huge boost of confidence.
What advice would you give to your younger self who wants to create a brand?
You can’t go in thinking that just because you are creative and have amazing ideas, you are bound to succeed. You need to be resilient, be able to take risks. It’s important to do research, read, absorb, and talk to people who have experience. Learn from their mistakes, learn how they went about starting a brand and don’t forget to pay attention to the finances. Don’t leave that to others, no matter how much you trust them. Trust your instincts and immerse yourself in every aspect of the business. The more you know, the clearer the path to success.
Interview by Marley Shelby (marley@andthem.com)
Edited by a guest contributor
