The Immortal Life of Agencies

Today’s guest is Christy Hiler, owner of Cornett – the Lexington-based creative agency – and one of our industry’s leading voices for women-owned agencies.  A huge advocate of empowering talent, Christy candidly shares her own unusual journey from being Cornett’s president to its owner, including the convictions that guided her forward – and the doubts that held her back.  She talks abou...

Today’s guest is Tyler Turnbull, Global CEO of Interpublic’s FCB – remarkably, the winner of Cannes Lions’ North American Network of the Year for seven years running.  Tyler shares the mindset that’s driven this sustained creative and commercial performance. He unpacks where resilience comes from, and how curiosity, experimentation and a willingness to challenge legacy thinking underpins FCB’...

Today’s guest is Zihla Salinas, CEO of a 40-year-old indie that rebranded as ‘Yes&’. She shares the story behind the name, including how the improv-inspired mindset of ‘accept and build’ has become a blueprint for the business.  This philosophy shapes everything from their M&A strategy and client partnerships, to leadership development and creative delivery. You’ll hear why figure-it-...

Today’s guest is Jarrod Moses, Founder and Global CEO of United Entertainment Group (UEG) – part of Edelman. Jarrod unpacks how brands, creators, sports stars and celebrities meet in the fast-evolving world of culture and entertainment marketing. He reveals how UEG structures partnerships that go beyond timesheets and deliverables to also reward performance and behaviours.  Jarrod also discus...

Today’s guest is Loren Grossman, Global Chief Strategy Officer of the ‘Solutions Group’ within Publicis Groupe – so he’s right at the centre of how the agency world is evolving. Loren describes a ‘golden age’ of impact, explaining how Publicis has built a future-facing model that goes far beyond marketing communications. From bold acquisitions like Epsilon and Sapient, to their ‘Power of One’ appr...

Today’s guest – for our 50th episode! – is Haley Hunter, Co-Founder of Party Land – proudly known as comedy’s greatest ad agency. In this lively conversation, Haley unpacks how humour has become a strategic superpower, not just a punchline. She shares how Party Land went from convincing clients that comedy belonged in advertising to being the go-to agency for those wanting to master it – not least...

In a first for the show, today we have not one but two guests – Jaime Robinson and Lisa Clunie, co-founders of the creative agency JOAN, born in NYC and now smashing it in London and Berlin too.  Jaime and Lisa reveal how they’re blending the rigour of classic brand building with the pace and energy of modern culture. They share why they believe now is a golden age of creativity, how disrupti...

Today’s guest is Andrew Swinand, CEO of Inspired Thinking Group, a PE-backed and AI-enabled content business that is scaling faster than most in our industry. With two decades at Publicis, including running Leo Burnett and leading creative in the US, Andrew brings a rare dual perspective on both the creative and operational sides of the business. He shares why the HoldCo.s are trapped in the class...

Today’s guest is John Harris, President & CEO of Worldwide Partners Inc. With nearly a decade leading the world’s most collaborative network of independent agencies – and a prior career inside holding companies – he brings a rare balance to one of the industry’s most polarised debates. John explains indies’ undoubted ‘moment’, but also recognises the unique strengths of the holding company mod...

Today’s guest is the incomparable Karen Martin, CEO of BBH London and Dublin, and President of the IPA. Known for her infectious optimism, Karen brings a fresh perspective to how agencies can thrive in uncertain times. For her, positivity is more than just a nice-to-have – it’s a business imperative that lifts entire industries. Karen also argues that the sector is in better shape than many fear,...

Today’s guest is Guy Wieynk, Global CEO of AnalogFolk Group. This conversation is a masterclass in the business of creativity. With 17 years at AKQA, followed by a European CEO at Publicis, Guy knows how to blend scale with agility. He unpacks the shift from big ideas to ‘open ideas’, and why connecting brands to culture isn’t optional but essential. From productising services to evolving pricing...

Today’s guest is Dimi Albers, CEO of Dept – one of the new breed of fast-growth PE-backed agency groups. And if you think rapid scaling comes at the cost of culture, this conversation will prove you wrong. Dimi shares how Dept has grown from 120 people in the Netherlands to more than 4,000 across 20+ countries – all while maintaining a unique ownership model with nearly 200 equity partners. He exp...

Today’s guest is Mark Figliulo, Founder and Creative Chairman at FIG – and if you’re worried about AI’s impact on creativity, then you’ll enjoy his proactive optimism. From working with legends like Lee Clow to launching one of New York’s most respected indies, Mark’s on a mission to keep creativity relevant – not least by cutting through our industry's obsession with this brand versus performance...

Today's guest is an atypical champion of agency independence – Rania Robinson, CEO of Quiet Storm. Rania takes us behind the scenes of Quiet Storm’s 30-year journey – from selling to a larger group, buying the agency back through a Management Buyout, and then transitioning to an Employee Owned Trust. She shares what those decisions meant for their culture, clients and commercial performance, and w...

Today's guest is Luke Smith, the founder and global CEO of Croud – the digital media agency with a pioneering crowdsourcing model.  Luke shares how he left Google in 2011 with the intention of just undercutting the market. But now Croud operates in 120 markets, with 600 people and nearly 3,000 freelance ‘Croudies’, having scaled with private equity investment.  He unpacks why investing i...

Today’s guest is Richard Morris, CEO for UK & EMEA at IPG Mediabrands. He’s seen the industry evolve from the high-reach, low-cost media buys of the 90s to today’s data-led, tech-powered landscape.  But as he explains, the real competitive advantage for your agency isn’t just about speed or efficiency – it’s about blending technology with the human creativity that clients can’t get anywhe...

Today’s guest is Tesa Aragones, AKQA’s CEO for the Americas – one of few agency CEOs who have also succeeded at the highest level on the client-side.  With her background at Nike and Volkswagen, Tesa brings a uniquely empathetic view on what it takes to build stronger, more human relationships between agencies and clients – especially in today’s fast-moving, tech-fuelled landscape. She shares...

Today’s guest is Valerie Beauchamp, VP Global Head of Agency Development and Marketer Education at LinkedIn. And if you’ve ever written off B2B as a less exciting part of the industry, then this episode will change your mind. Valerie spent two decades agency-side before heading to Amazon and now LinkedIn – so she knows the landscape better than most. She shares why B2B is full of creative, strateg...

Today’s guest is Mojo Supermarket’s President, Armando Turco – talking about reinventing his passion for agency life.  After a standout career at BBH, a transformative spell at Vox Media, and a client-side role in the disruptive world of Oatly, Armando swore he’d never go back to agency life. But as you’ll hear, never say ‘never’.  He shares how working client-side changed his entire per...

To celebrate the launch of Robin’s book, Market of One, this special episode features a Freaky Friday-style role reversal, with IPA Director of Effectiveness Laurence Green in the interviewer’s chair and Robin answering the questions.  Unpacking the exhausting ‘Big Grind’ that many leaders feel, Robin unpacks how agencies can break out of so-called ‘oversupply’ and build a more profitable and...

Today’s guest is Maureen Falvey. Formerly a senior exec at Grey, Saatchis and McGarryBowen, she’s now a professional coach and trainer.  Maureen explores how a coaching mindset isn’t just a personal development tool – it’s a cultural and commercial unlock for modern agencies. She dives into why coaching is all about asking, not telling, and how that shift helps agency leaders unlearn old habi...

Today's guest is the renowned author, branding expert and industry commentator Allen Adamson - co-founder of Metaforce, adjunct professor at NYU Stern School of Business, and former leader at Ogilvy and Landor. Reflecting his brand strategy lens, Allen explores a crucial yet often overlooked question: if every agency claims to be different, why do so many feel exactly the same? Referencing powerfu...

Today’s guest is Michael Olaye, EVP at Huge - one of the world’s most respected digital agencies - and newly independent after their exit from Interpublic. Michael shares how the recent alignment of Huge and Hero Digital was built on shared values - not just capability - and why that matters more than any press release. His big idea is how agencies can move beyond just ‘making things’ to creating...

Today’s guest is Matt McNeany, President of WPP Open. Drawing on two decades of experience helping the world’s biggest brands and agencies navigate digital transformation, Matt offers some much needed big picture context around AI. His ‘streamline, expand, disrupt’ model extends the established benefits of greater productivity and unpacks why differentiated agencies will be more essential than eve...

Today’s guest is Lisa Colantuono, President of search consultancy, AAR Partners. With decades of experience and zero time for fluff, Lisa lays bare what agency searches should really be about - forging proper partnerships, not playing matchmaker.  Building on themes of trust and transparency, Lisa shares horror stories as well as best practice - including how new-business is never a numbers g...