World's Most Successful Agencies

Employment data is often seen as the most important metric for DE&I progress. According to J.J. Carter, Global Chief Operating Officer & President, Americas at FleishmanHillard, data transparency is critical but changing culture to create belonging for diverse talent is equally necessary work.  Learn how FH is taking steps to achieve this internally, while at the same time applying the principles through a new service offering that more than 100 clients have already tapped. 

How many people find a career where they are excited to show up every single day -- for decades?  Maryellen Royle, partner at Evoke KYNE, shares how purpose-driven healthcare communications inspires her, and in turn, she is gratified to help her teams find that inspiration. Healthcare PR is a fast-growing field and Evoke KYNE has enjoyed the boon.  The firm is committed to bring in diverse talent – ethnically to experience – not only to grow the business but also for the rich insights it brings to the work.

For Inkhouse CEO Beth Monaghan, allowing talent to show up as themselves every single day is the guiding principle. Nowhere is this more evident than in “Aren’t We Lucky”, a newly published collection of staff stories highlighting resilience during the pandemic. This bolstering of authenticity is the cornerstone of Inkhouse’s diverse and inclusive culture. Learn more about how Beth uses personal storytelling and innovative thinking to not only deliver for clients but also to reinforce culture within her fast-growing agency.  

When three friends banded together to parlay their Wall Street expertise into an agency, the goal wasn’t to build a big firm; rather it was to create a decent, balanced lifestyle for themselves.  Listen in as Tom Ryan, CEO of ICR, shares how the firm’s growth to almost 300 strong with sector expertise across every communications discipline has meant great opportunities for the team.   

People have been the focus of Kristin Cahill’s work in healthcare public relations and also what has kept her at GCI Health for 18 years. Beyond her close relationships with colleagues and doing purposeful work, she has enjoyed constant opportunities to learn and grow – the latest is being named global CEO of this fast-growing agency. In addition to her journey, she shares some of the ways she and her leadership team are supporting the mental health of GCI’s people through the pandemic.

Best-in-class expertise available when a client needs it was the inspiration behind The Sway Effect. Having just marked two years in business, the fast-growing concept has proven attractive to clients and a growing list of expert partners.  Listen in and learn how founder and CEO Jennifer Risi taps experts across The Sway Effect network to assemble teams that are diverse in every way to solve client problems efficiently and effectively.

Bob Osmond, President of RacePoint Group, took the reins one month into the pandemic and only now is starting to meet colleagues face-to-face.  Learn how this authentic servant leader worked to earn the trust of a team he only saw chest-up through Zoom. Employee burnout from the COVID pandemic and the emotionally charged racial justice movement provided numerous “moments of truth” for this new leader and Bob shares how he works to set a tone of accountability balanced with self-care every single day.

The rebranding of ICF’s integrated marketing communications and associated technology businesses into ICF Next was just over a year old when the pandemic hit.  Kris Tremaine, Senior Managing Partner, who leads a 1200-employee-strong team, shares how everyone rallied behind a new brand promise to earn active participation to drive business results for clients.  Listen in to learn how the active participation of ICF Next employees contributed to a year of successes.

A rarity in this field, Matt Kucharski has spent his entire career at Padilla, the agency he now leads. Thirty-two years is a long time to observe the evolution and ebbs and flows of a single business and it’s shaped Matt’s view of success.  Learn how sustainable and diversified growth protects this agency’s culture, ability to deliver award-winning work and satisfy their holding company.

What if you didn’t look at your job as leading an agency but rather as creating leaders? And what if your measure of success wasn’t about the client writing a check (although that’s an undeniably important part of running a business) but rather the measure of how many people your work helped.  Listen in and get inspired by Brandon Wilson, CEO of the purpose-focused Wilbron.