Agency Growth Forum - Agenda

Rachel is a serial entrepreneur having started seven multi-award-winning professional services businesses, across the marketing spectrum. Her philosophy of promoting and developing talent has won her industry recognition including Sunday Times Best Leader. She is a cross-sector serial NED and also chairs her family engineering business CIS. She was nominated best leader by the Sunday Times in 2012. Rachel’s management consultancy, Brand Spanking supports businesses in establishing best practice, building out their commercial proposition and realising shareholder value. She is currently “entrepreneur in residence” at London Business School inspiring MBA students in entrepreneurship. She is also President of the Business School's Angel Investment Club – Enterprise 100. Her book Start-Ups, Pivots and Pop-ups (available on Amazon) was shortlisted in the 2020 Best Business Book Awards.

Why did we choose Rachel Bell to speak at the Agency Growth Forum?

Let's just run through Rachel's PR agency CV:

Founder, Shine
Co founder, Mischief
Co founder, The Academy
Co founder, John Doe
Co founder, Adhuro
Non executive chair, Cavendish

Enough said?

Jonny Bentwood heads data and analytics globally at Golin. In his role Jonny enables Golin’s clients to be data-driven. A firm believer that when art is combined with science and decisions purely based on instinct are rejected, then brands will have winning programs. A champion of using data to deliver focus through the customer journey, Jonny has challenged historic approaches to measurement to evolve the approach from descriptive to prescriptive to predictive.

Jonny has worked on global and strategic clients providing counsel for PepsiCo, Walmart, McDonalds, Microsoft, Carlsberg, LEGO, The World Economic Forum, the World Bank and Facebook. He has a successful record in creating award winning analytic and measurement tools including the CEO Impact Index, Relevance Radar, Customer Journey Modelling, Brand Pull, TweetLevel, BlogLevel and the patented Flow140.

Why did we choose Jonny Bentwood to speak at the Agency Growth Forum?

There's an interesting global community of about 8-10 PR firm data geeks who are at the arrowhead PR and technology. Jonny's at the tip of that arrow.

No PR Agency Growth Forum event would be complete without an analysis of PR's GEO opportunity and here Jonny will update us with the latest thinking.

Some accountancy firms have some PR clients. You also see surveys and research from these types of accountancy firms referencing "agency trends." But if you look at the methodology of these surveys PR firms are in the minority of the dataset.

PR firms are different businesses from ad agencies or marketing agencies. There are similarities of course but the business model is different.

That's why we chose Rachael. Her firm Magic Digits has circa 30 PR agency clients and so there's no-one better to give a third party insight into the financial trends and challenges of running a PR firm today.

Rachael Marshall is co-founder and managing director. She has a unique helicopter view of the growing pains of independent PR firms and how they can build a solid financial base that will put them in the best position for future growth.

Why did we choose Rachael Marshall to speak at the Agency Growth Forum?

Some accountancy firms have some PR clients. You see surveys and research from these types of accountancy firms referencing "agency trends." But if you look at the methodology of these surveys PR firms are in the minority of the dataset.

PR firms are different businesses from ad agencies or marketing agencies. There are similarities of course but the business model is different.

That's why we chose Rachael. Her firm Magic Digits has circa 30 PR agency clients and so there's no-one better to give a third party insight into the financial trends and challenges of running a PR firm today.

Clara is a communications leader with 20+ years experience of driving businesses growth by translating complex strategy into campaigns that engage and excite. She leads consumer communications for The National Lottery and its operator, Allwyn. Prior to that, she led Just Eat’s communications strategy to build relevance and attract younger consumers, by placing the food delivery app at the heart of cultural conversations.

Clara serves as a Non-Executive Director for sports marketing agency Pitch, is a Women in PR Committee member, and mentors aspiring female leaders.

Charlotte is a corporate affairs, reputation, and integrated communications leader focused on protecting/promoting the reputation of complex global businesses across diverse markets/audiences. Her experience in communications consultancies and in-house spans global crisis/issues management, international policy, ESG comms strategy, executive and investor communications, and integrated brand communications campaigns for many global technology organisations.

She is currently VP Global Corporate Communications for Lenovo, a multi-billion-dollar global technology powerhouse, listed in Hong Kong and operating in 180 markets worldwide. She is also board director of the Lenovo Foundation, executive sponsor of Lenovo’s ‘Women in Lenovo’ employee resource group in EMEA and serves on both the company’s ESG oversight committee and crisis management team. Outside of Lenovo Charlotte is a member of the IPSOS Mori Reputation Council, a board director of the European Network for Women in Leadership and is on the advisory council of the Steven’s Initiative (part of The Aspen Institute).

Bieneosa is a corporate affairs leader with significant experience in enhancing corporate reputation and navigating complex global socio-political and regulatory environments through strategic communication.

She is currently Head of Communications and Government Affairs for Inclusion at GSK, a global biopharma company. As part of the global corporate affairs function, Bieneosa established, developed, and executed the company’s first internal and external communication and government affairs strategy to highlight the role of inclusion in helping to deliver the company’s purpose and enhance its corporate reputation.

Rachel is a senior communications professional, business advisor, coach and mentor, with over 25 years in both large agencies and in-house. Rachel has expertise and experience leading senior leadership teams with a collaborative approach, focusing on people, client and new business strategy, DE&I, innovation and acquisitions to deliver year on year growth and highly prized Agency of the Year accolades.

Why did we choose Rachel Friend to speak at the Agency Growth Forum?

Rachel’s had success at PR firms who are part of the holding groups and she's also had success at PR firms who are independent.

So she knows how to run PR agency businesses. During her career, she's also had to turn a couple of PR firms around.

And as anyone who's tried to do that can tell you, that's a hard thing to do. You will likely have a limited budget, limited time and that will bring pressure.

Rachel's going to talk to us about how to re-energise your PR businesses and get your momentum back.

Jo Carr is the co-founder and chief client officer at multiple award-winning agency Hope&Glory PR. Jo has worked in the industry , and within agencies for over 30 years, and in that time has advised clients from IKEA, Airbnb, Uber and Pepsi. Jo gets a kick out of making sure clients are happy and ensuring the Hope&Glory team are delivering their very best work. Jo is behind many of Hope&Glory’s progressive people initiatives and is currently President of industry campaigning group, Women in PR.

Why did we choose Jo Carr to speak at the Agency Growth Forum?

For about the last 10 years PR firms have, in the main, worked hard to improve their employer brand and to become better employers.

Jo was at the start of this trend. She understood that in a consultancy business where creativity and customer service are absolutely vital, happy employees are always going to mean happy clients.

So at the PR Agency Growth Forum we’re delighted that Jo is going to be talking about Creating PR magic: Talent, culture and great work.

Paul is the co-MD of The Hoffman Agency’s UK business. This follows the successful sale of Paul’s former agency, CCGroup, to The Hoffman Agency, in March 2025.

Paul has spent two decades helping businesses — from disruptive startups to established global players — tell their stories more powerfully. This has given Paul a deep understanding of what truly drives influence. Whether it’s crafting thought leadership, building deep relationships with the right media and analysts, or leveraging global events, Paul focuses on delivering communications that create impact, shape perception, and drive commercial outcomes.

Alongside advising clients, Paul has additional passions, including guiding organisations on GenAI strategy, challenging outdated PR agency business models, advocating for more integrated marketing approaches, speaking up on the challenges faced by neurodivergent people in PR, and regularly analysing how communications is evolving across the telecoms sector.

Why did we choose Paul Nolan to speak at the Agency Growth Forum?

Everyone's got an opinion about what AI means for PR. Very few people actually know what they're talking about.

As this is the Agency Growth Forum, we didn't just want a PR AI expert, we wanted the PR leader who was furthest along the road integrating AI into their agency.

That's why Paul's speaking.

Jackie is founder and chair of Cathcart Consulting, a corporate communications and marketing services consultancy specialising in reputation management, agency search and business trouble shooting.

She has more than 40 years’ experience in marketing and public relations and has worked in Europe, America and in Asia for global clients including General Motors, Philips and Rolex.

Why did we choose Jackie Elliot to speak at the Agency Growth Forum?

Jackie was executive director and UK CEO at MSL for 10 years, before she was comms director at Rolex.

At PR Masterclass The Agency Growth Forum Jackie is going to chronicle pitch stories and nightmares over the past 40 years, into some very valuable new business lessons

Currently Jackie, though her firm Cathcart Consulting, is a new business strategy consultant for some of the fastest growing PR agencies in the UK.

That's why, at PR Masterclass: The Agency Growth Forum, she's going to tell you "How to stack the new business odds in your favour."

Named Campaign’s Entrepreneur of the Year 2024 and a Fellow of the University of the Arts London, Kamiqua is recognised as an influential marketing and PR professional. In 2020, Kam used the depth and breadth of her experience to establish Coldr, an award-winning PR and marketing consultancy. Coldr partners with brands and organisations that want to grow, drive change, or evolve with authentic, impactful connections.

Kam also established the UK Black Comms Network to drive much-needed change in the industry and empower Black PR and communications professionals to connect, network, and thrive.

Nick Braund is the founder of Words+Pixels, the independent PR agency he launched in 2020 to tell the stories of companies shaping the future. By design sector-agnostic, the agency partners with ambitious brands across technology, consumer, and purpose-driven industries, and now works globally with partners in over 20 countries.

In less than six years, Words+Pixels has been named in the FT1000: Europe’s Fastest Growing Companies, recognised as Boutique Agency of the Year, and ranked among the top five Best UK Consultancies to Work For. The agency’s focus is on sustainable growth, building strong partnerships, and delivering creative excellence. An approach that saw it achieve nearly 50% year-on-year growth in 2024.

Equally important is its commitment to people and culture. Words+Pixels has kept retention at 92%, with no layoffs, no redundancies, and a +9 eNPS. It has also become a founding partner of People Like Us, retained a 0% gender and ethnicity pay gap, and is proudly London Living Wage accredited.

Olugbeminiyi Idowu is the founder and managing director of Talking Drum Communications, a public relations and communications consultancy that empowers innovative organisations to turn their bold ideas into stories that drive success.

From tailored PR campaigns and media relations to thought leadership and crisis management, Bemi and his team work with technology companies and other innovators to connect with their target audiences by telling the most impactful stories about the work they are doing - accelerating growth, increasing profitability and supporting ongoing success.

He has extensive experience working with a wide range of companies - from established global players to Africa-focussed start-ups, including BT, SanDisk (acquired by Western Digital for $19 billion in 2019), Sage, Zipline, Autochek, TradeDepot, Chowdeck, Vendease, Seamfix, Remedial Health, Nomba, Leatherback and more.

Lee is the founder and CEO of The John Doe Group, a culture first comms shop with offices in London, Manchester and Glasgow. Clients include Guinness, Vinted, IRN-BRU, Bumble and Glenmorangie. Over the last few years, she has been named an AdWeek trailblazer of the year and the Marketing Society’s Inspirational Agency Leader of the Year, while John Doe has received an agency of the year accolade at the PR Moment Awards every year for the past four years. She lives in Brighton with her wife and two children.

Why did we choose Lee Beattie to speak at the Agency Growth Forum?

A recurring theme when PRmoment talks to UK PR agencies MDs and CEOS is: How do we manage junior talent that has a shifting relationship with work?

One of the agencies that has done a good job developing a culture where young people thrive is John Doe. At the PR Masterclass: The Agency Growth Forum, Lee is going to talk to delegates about how Joe Doe has had success in developing a culture where young people can thrive.

Lucy is a Partner at creative agency, The Romans, and is responsible for running UK operations. Over the course of her 18-year career, she has created award-winning work across the globe and advised household name brands such as Barclays, Lidl, Amazon and Heineken.

Why did we choose Lucy McGettigan to speak at the Agency Growth Forum?

It was important to have a slot which talks about what happens when you grow as an agency. The Romans' fee income grew by 38% in 2024 and by 50% in 2025 YTD.

Let's keep the math simple and take an example 100 person agency. You have a staff turnover rate of circa 15% and if you're growing at 10%, that means you have to find 25 new employees each year.

That's hard to do - just in terms of finding 25 great people you believe can help your business thrive.

And that's before you think about the implications on culture, office space, HR, internal processes, software licenses, toilet capacity(!), desk plans, new business etc.

Lucy's going to tell you how to do it at The PR Masterclass: The Agency Growth Forum.