How do you take over from an entrepreneurial founder and put more structure into the agency without losing its core culture?

Charlie Marchant is CEO of Exposure Ninja, the digital marketing agency. She took over from their founder three years ago. Since then, she’s maintained revenue, reduced headcount through natural attrition and almost doubled their profit.

In this episode, Charlie shares how she:

• Found her own leadership style after initially struggling to see herself as CEO - and why trying to copy the founder would have been a mistake
• Learnt to embrace the messiness of experimentation after years of preferring processes, workflows and optimisation
• Leads change by being explicit about what is changing, what isn’t and whether something is an experiment or a committed decision
• Shares revenue, profit and EBITDA with the whole team - helping people understand both the health of the agency and the commercial reality their clients face
• Builds connection in a fully remote team through regional hubs, cross-department buddies and personalised recognition
• Makes learning part of the weekly rhythm, including company-wide sessions that teach people how other departments and disciplines actually work

Charlie offers a thoughtful perspective on what happens when an operator takes over from an entrepreneurial founder - and why structure and experimentation need each other if an agency is going to keep moving forward.

How do you lead through mergers, restructures and AI disruption without losing the trust of your team?

Nick Towers is CEO of the digital experience consultancy Remarkable. Since taking over the business, he went on to acquire three more businesses before bringing them together under a single brand. Along the way, he's led restructures, international expansion and difficult redundancies while keeping people and culture at the centre of every decision.


In this episode, Nick shares how he:

• Brings multiple businesses together by involving people early and building trust through constant communication
• Creates certainty during change by explaining the process and timelines, even when the outcome isn't yet known
• Uses the ADKAR change framework to structure communication, training and adoption during major change
• Builds a culture around being a genuine joy to work with - for clients, colleagues and the wider community
• Treats AI as a growth opportunity rather than a headcount reduction exercise, positioning it as an enabler instead of a threat
• Balances global consistency with local culture so teams feel part of one business wherever they work

Nick offers a thoughtful perspective on leading through uncertainty, showing that successful change depends as much on trust and communication as it does on strategy.

How do you build an agency where people don't just work – they genuinely want to belong?

Julie Oxberry is Co-Founder of Household, the brand experience design agency in London and New York. 22 years after launching the business, she shares how culture is built through trust, communications and giving creative people the freedom to do their best work.


In this episode, Julie shares how she:

• Builds belonging through deliberate rituals, from weekly agency-wide meetings to fast-paced Pecha Kucha sessions that help people get to know each other
• Uses transparency, shared ownership and B Corp principles to create a culture built on trust rather than hierarchy
• Links everyone’s objectives directly back to the agency's growth plan, ensuring performance is measured through both results and values
• Believes creativity thrives when people have clear commercial boundaries, fast decision-making and the freedom to move without micromanagement
• Applies the idea of creating "fans, not customers" internally, building a team that stays committed because it understands and believes in the business
• Learnt that leadership means communicating before every answer is known and stepping back so others can step forward

Julie offers a thoughtful perspective on building an enduring creative business - showing that trust, transparency and a genuine sense of belonging create a stronger business than control ever can.