RECLAIMING

AGENCY
THE PURPOSE-DRIVEN
LEADERSHIP PROGRAMME

WE NEED A NEW BREED OF LEADERS

I have sat down with all the

agencies we work with and
spoken to them about their actual
commitment to sustainability
Weve taken it across our supplier
base because our belief is we
can only have a truly sustainable
business if we work with
people who are committed to
sustainability as well.

Its my strong belief that

advertising can be a noble
profession, and what we do is
fundamentally of great value and
good. Its no longer good enough
to say we merely reflect society
we should set ourselves a
higher goal and realise a more
progressive ambition.

I see the future of advertising

as one that improves a clients
brand health by being more
considerate of our wider
impact. Only this will help make
a meaningful shift towards
the right kind of creative
sustainability. The Reclaiming
Agency training programme
has the potential to enable
agencies to make this shift.

Keith Weed,
Chief Marketing Officer, Unilever

Tom Knox,
President of the IPA

Jonathan Trimble,
CEO, 18 Feet and Rising

RECLAIMING AGENCY IS A PURPOSEDRIVEN LEADERSHIP PROGRAMME.

This six-month part-time leadership course brings together best in class thinking
from sustainability professionals, change agents, intrapreneurs and human
centred design experts. It is designed to provide a new generation of agency
leaders with frameworks, skills and tools for a changing world.
The programme is designed for mid-level, rising stars in any role working in
advertising and marketing services companies, who love what they do and want
to make more of a positive impact through their work.
Our experienced team will support participants in implementing purpose-driven
ideas in their agencies and on live briefs. This will enable them to drive growth
while addressing pressing problems in society and the world around us.

HELLO. WE ARE THE COMMS LAB. WE EXIST

TO MAXIMISE THE POSITIVE CONTRIBUTION
OF THE ADVERTISING INDUSTRY TO SOCIETY.
In June 2015 we published a report, Reclaiming Agency, based on interviews with industry leaders such as
Rory Sutherland (Vice Chariman, Ogilvy Group UK), Jon Steel (Group Planning Director, WPP) and Laurence
Green (Founding Partner, 101). The report presented a strategic opportunity for agencies to take the
purpose-turn and to define and embody the positive impact they want to have in the world.
http://thecommslab.com/reclaiming-agency/

One year later, following interest from the industry and funding from The Joseph Rowntree
Charitable Trust we are launching Reclaiming Agency: A Purpose-Driven Leadership
Programme to help agencies define how they can put theory into action for business success.

The Comms Lab has worked with:

WHY IS THIS AN IMPORTANT OPPORTUNITY?

AS CONTAINED IN OUR REPORT, ITS CLEAR THAT...
CONSUMERS WANT THIS
68% of people think that businesses, governments and non-profits all need to
deliver more social and environmental change.
Global Tolerance

CLIENTS WANT THIS

Our sustainable living brands are growing 30% faster than the rest of our business
and delivered nearly half our total growth in 2015.
Unilever Sustainable Living Plan

TALENT WANTS THIS

Your agency reputation needs to be in good working order to attract the best talent.
If youre not living by what you promise, and demonstrating the sorts of qualities and
values that resonate with people, theyre unlikely to give you a second look.
Gary Stolkin, Talent Matters

RIDE THE NEXT WAVE

OF DISRUPTION

We believe that just as digital was a

disruptive force across the industry,
purpose represents the next wave of
disruption.
10 years ago, agencies had to learn
different skills in different ways to take
advantage of new, emerging digital tools
and platforms. We believe that today,
agencies have to learn a different set of
skills in a different way to harness the
benefits of becoming more purpose-led.
Reclaiming Agency: The Purpose-Driven
Leadership Programme meets that need.

Our mission is to support

participants to harness the
next wave of disruption.
We will enable them to drive
progressive innovation for
their agencies and clients - in
essence - to be the change
they want to see in the
industry.

HOW YOUR AGENCY WILL BENEFIT

INDUSTRY LEADERSHIP
Demonstrate your agency is among pioneers in this emerging area of disruption
within the industry
Create more opportunities to win awards. The D&AD Impact Awards and
IPA Effectiveness Presidents Prize both highlight commercial campaigns that
demonstrate societal benefit
Acquire the ability to turn purpose theory into practice, in a low-risk way

CLIENT RELATIONSHIPS
Deliver better work for a growing number of clients seeking ideas that are
good for business and good for the world
Attract new business from purpose-led clients

UP-SKILLING AND ATTRACTING TALENT

Gain new skills, tools and access a network of future leaders
Retain and build loyalty of staff who join the course (course costs are
significantly cheaper than recruitment costs to replace employees)
Attract high quality talent interested in this area

PROGRAMME
FACILITATORS

Jonathan Wise

Emma Ashru Jones

Jonathan has 15 years experience as a strategic

planner working on Shell, Nestl, Kraft, Diageo
and the BBC. Awards include Gold at the IPA
Effectiveness Awards for the launch of TV channel,
Dave. In 2010 he started a Masters in Sustainability at
Ashridge Business School.

Emma began her career on WPPs Fellowship

programme, working at agencies including JWT, The
Futures Company and Brand Union in London, New
York and Shanghai

After living in a wood and a Maori community he

returned with a question: How can the advertising
industry use its creative firepower to help address
some of the worlds greatest problems? He cofounded The Comms Lab and co-authored the report
Reclaiming Agency.
At the heart of Jonathans work is a desire to work
with people in advertising who want to have a greater
positive impact.

Most recently, Emma worked as the Engagement

Lead for sustainability start-up Collectively, where she
developed a new series of tools and workshops which
were rolled out globally across Unilever, BT, Facebook
and other clients, to help employees spark purposeled ideas within their companies.
Emma is a passionate facilitator, a trained coach
and sits on the advisory board of the Creative
Conscience Awards. She believes deeply in the power
of communications to move people towards positive
change.

PROGRAMME
CONTRIBUTORS
We are collaborating with experts from a variety of
disciplines beyond the advertising industry, including systems
change, sustainability, entrepreneurship, human centred
design and the creative arts. Contributors will include:

Lauren Currie

Jon Alexander

Bethan Harris

Ella Saltmarshe

Head of Design,
Good Lab

Strategy and Co-Innovation,

Forum for the Future

Founder,
New Citizenship Project

Co-Founder,
The Comms Lab

PROGRAMME DETAILS
A learning community of 12 participants will:
Receive direct training sessions including a 3 day, 2 night residential
workshop experience and 5 x full day workshops across a 6 month
period
Engage in 6 x individual sessions with a trained leadership coach
during the course of the programme
Be part of a small learning group for continuous peer support
Receive continuing mentorship by the course leaders throughout the
programme
Have access to cutting-edge leadership and innovation tools
Be introduced to our network of innovators, disruptors and experts
in sustainable marketing, systems change and intrapreneurship
Participate in the community forum where they can share learnings
and inspiration throughout the programme
All accommodation, food, drink and travel expenses are covered
3,300 per participant

MONTH/
DATE

DURATION/
LOCATION

CONTENT

Jan 2017

3 day, 2 night /
90 mins from London

Introduction to Purpose
Key themes:
Why business is changing. Environmental and societal overview. Systems thinking. Personal and
group reflection. Creation of learning groups. Starting experiments at work.

Feb 2017

1 day /
London

Power and change

Key themes:
How change happens in agencies.
Personal agency and how to create change.

Mar 2017

1 day /
London

Creating Change
Key themes:
Prototyping 101.
Emotional resilience.

Apr 2017

1 day /
London

Project Support
Key themes:
Principles of intrapreneurship.
Sharing projects and gaining advice.

May 2017

1 day /
London

Scaling Projects
Key themes:
Different forms of leadership.
Troubleshooting advice.

Jun 2017

1 day /
London

Celebrating the Future

Key themes:
Sharing successes and learning from failure.
Application into the future.

To find out more, please visit www.reclaimingagency.com or contact Jonathan on jonathan@thecommslab.com