Non-executive director

I work with marketing agency owners and join agency leadership teams as a non-executive director.

That means:

• Helping shareholders get clarity on what they want (and need) their agency do for them, which can include exit planning (and sometimes means getting shareholders on the same page)
• Working with founders to plan and build (or upskill or replace) their leadership teams where necessary
• Running sessions with the senior team that will result in a compelling vision and clear roadmap for the agency
• Getting the whole leadership team behind the vision and mentoring each individually, having personally done most roles you're likely to have at that level
• Chairing management meetings and making sure that they're productive, with decisions being made and the right topics being covered
• Holding you and your leaders accountable for moving the agency forwards
• Objectively assessing what's working and what could be improved, along with how we might improve it
• Mentoring agency leaders as someone who's done it several times before...
• ...or troubleshooting and firefighting as the fractional co-founder they wish they'd had.

I work with agency leaders both on calls and in person, depending on what the situation calls for. Every agency is different, so we'll work through what's needed together: we'll have an initial conversation on a call, then I'll bring some options of how we might work together if we agree there's a fit.

Can I engage you as a mentor, without the board responsibilities?

Yes. You can book a one-off call with me to work through something specific - or we can work together on regular calls - without you introducing me to your whole leadership team.

What's your mentoring style?

I listen. I’ll help you to fully understand the problem (and its root causes). I’ll give you different options. I’ll talk about my experience in comparable situations. I’ll give you a direct recommendation if you ask me to.
It’s my role to help you to manage and grow the business you want - not to tell you to do it how I’ve done it.

Do I give you equity?

No, I don't ask for equity in your agency.

Why will you only work as a NED with 4 agencies in this way at any one time?

There are several reasons that I limit the number of non-exec positions I hold:

1. To give me enough flexibility in my calendar to get to urgent problems quickly
2. To give me enough time to think through the challenges and prepare properly for our discussions
3. To avoid conflicts of interest: brands still ask me for agency recommendations, on occasion, and I don't want to be in a position where I have two competing agencies to put forwards for the same work.

Do you work with small agencies? Or networks?

I’ve been on boards for agencies employing between 2 and 250 people (even Rise at Seven was just me and my co-founder once) and worked in group roles across networks of up to 1,500.

I’m more likely to be appointed as a non-executive director by agencies with at least £1.5m turnover, who already have a leadership team in place, or who feel ready to build one now. I may be able to help owners of smaller agencies as a mentor (with weekly, fortnightly, monthly or ad hoc coaching calls and meetings) or as an agency business development consultant (helping you through your sales and marketing challenges specifically).

How do I know engaging you as a non-exec is right for me?

A non-executive director might be right for you if you’re looking for:

• Regularly scheduled time with an advisor (often face-to-face)
• Someone to proactively push you (and your senior team)
• Someone with experience in every role at the top management level, who can give each of your leaders practical advice in a way that you might not feel able to
• Advice at short notice
• Someone who is up to speed with the state of play in your agency before you pick up the phone
• Someone who will use their network to open doors for you where they can
• Someone who’s in it with you for the long haul.