Elephant in the Boardroom - Presented by Supo.
Elephant in the Boardroom is a podcast presented by Supo in which agency founders and senior leaders speak candidly about the issues the industry sees but rarely names. Episodes confront uncomfortable topics such as invisible power structures, dependencies, pretences and decisions being avoided. The tone is direct and unpolished, with no PR spin, focusing on the challenges that keep agency leaders awake at night.
Episodes
THE PEOPLE PRETENCE - Hilary Gray, Emily Cousins & Jana Garous
People are our greatest asset. It's in every agency pitch deck, printed in bold, framed on the wall by reception. This roundtable was about what it actually takes to mean it.Three guests, three different agencies, three different sizes. Hilary Gray has kept culture structural through years of growth at Propeller Group, twice named a Sunday Times Best Place to Work. Emily Cousins started as emp
GROWTH WITHOUT EXPANSION - Guy Wieynk, Michael Semp, Oliver Bradley & Lara Ballard
Bigger teams, more offices, higher headcount. For decades, that's been the agency scoreboard. This roundtable started by putting that scoreboard on the table and asking whether any of it actually counts as growth.Four guests, four different answers. Guy Wieynk bet half his agency's revenue on licensing instead of services. Michael Semp is defending quarterly numbers to private equity in a
AMBITIOUS AGENCIES: rebuilding confidence, risk and momentum - Sarah Vick, Simon Rhind-Tutt, Joanna Anthony
Agency leaders are built for optimism. It's in the DNA. Walk into any pitch presentation and you'll see it: the belief that this agency can solve anything. The energy. The hunger. The confidence that borders on audacity.But the last few years have worn that down in ways that aren't always visible. The roller coaster didn't just go higher and lower - the highs and lows became except
AI, VALUE AN AMBITION: WHAT AGENCIES CHARGE FOR NEXT - James Holden, David Finch, Simon Douglass, Louis Wilkins
The question arrives quietly at first. Then it becomes deafening.Agencies are delivering work faster than ever. Not because they've hired more people or worked harder. Because AI has fundamentally changed how work gets done. A task that took three days now takes three hours. A brief that required a week of research now needs an afternoon. Efficiency has skyrocketed.But something else has happe
THE SAMENESS TRAP - Jeremy Stern, Scott-Ashley Whiteley, Alona Malinovska
Most agencies look the same, pitch the same, and end up competing on price. This episode is about what you do instead.Jim Johnson is joined by Jeremy Stern, Scott Ashley Whiteley and Elena Malinowski for a conversation about standing out in a crowded market. Jeremy explains why he narrowed his niche while everyone else diversified - and how 20 years of sticking to it means over 60% of his income n
