By Mark Kelly There’s lots of discussion in agencies about when’s the right time – and in what format – for businesses to fully return to the office. I’ve been part of some of those discussions myself with agency clients. Whilst there are some examples of long-term remote working agencies, I believe that there’s no substitute for face to face meetings and the culture that builds from having a permanent physical space as a company hub (even if everyone isn’t in there all day every day). A hybrid approach may be the way forward for many, certainly in the near [...]

A lot has happened in the lives of the two founders of The Candidate since they met as friends back in 1982. After being sat together on their first day of primary school, the 40 years that have passed have so far accumulated in the launch, growth and ongoing success of The Candidate recruitment agency. Brian Matthews and Colin Telford have swapped playing football, skateboarding and climbing trees with building valuable client and candidate relationships, guiding the business alongside digital sector growth and servicing some of the most successful and ambitious businesses in the North West, providing them with top [...]

By Kate Harris, regional director, NABS The past year has been a hugely challenging one for our industry. Individuals have faced - to use that word again - unprecedented difficulties both on a business and a personal level. I don’t know about you, but I’m shattered. I’ve not been able to see my elderly mother properly for nearly a year now. I miss her terribly and I worry about her constantly. And that’s on top of the work challenges that we’re all facing - having to deal with working from home, needing to change tack on projects time and time [...]

By Matt Kerr, Account Director, Seventy7 It would be an understatement to say that the COVID pandemic has been tough for people and businesses across the globe. And although the last 10 months have been unbelievably tough, there have been some small victories that we can learn from in terms of how we treat the world around us. While we know that individuals can make an impact (no matter how small), it’s businesses and organisations that can make the biggest strides in affecting the world around them. Among all the ‘nature is healing’ jokes that were being talked about during [...]

by Viv Woodward, President of Bloom North and Client Director at the Guardian One of the most uplifting moments for me over the last 12 months (well actually, over most of my lifespan tbh), was on 20th January 2021 - The US inauguration day. First of all, it felt like we were all about to step back into the light. One where the dark, chilling, and to be brutally honest, quite terrifying film set we had been sitting through and experiencing for over 4 years with Trump at the helm, had metamorphosed into something more uplifting, where the supervillain had [...]

What is the future of the high street and what does it mean for agencies? By Sue Benson, MD, The Behaviours Agency I feel like I’ve been writing about this topic and its ugly sister, the death of the high street, for most of my 20 years in retail marketing. And every year it gets slightly more depressing, chipping away at little moments of optimism I experience. Clearly, in the middle of lockdown high streets are barren places. But I’m hopeful that at some point soon they’ll be open again. And it’s this post-COVID world that I’ll be exploring here. [...]

By Caroline Moran, MD, Clear New month, new mindset… and as we are nearly at the 12-month mark since the events industry fell off a cliff, an ideal time for reflection. I don’t mind sharing that Lockdown Part 3 has been the hardest one for me. A combination of cold weather and 4pm sunsets has been a slog. Home schooling has ramped up which is brilliant but comes with pressure, guilt, swearing at technology and wishing I wasn’t Mum, teacher and the IT department all rolled into one. (Not forgetting school cook, cleaner and occasional truancy officer). We are all [...]

By Nicky Unsworth, CEO, The BJL Group Our senior leadership team at BJL has reflected endlessly on 2020 – and I'm sure we'll carry on analysing and debating what worked / what didn’t work for a long time to come. As we look ahead to the challenges and opportunities of 2021, it’s important to consider the learnings that we can take away from last year, and how these apply to a world where so much is still uncertain. The latest lockdown has felt like Groundhog Day, bringing with it more disruption and pain for everyone. For businesses it can feel [...]

By Jon Minchin, Director at Form With the pandemic still with us, continuing economic uncertainty, and climate change at a critical point, the world is undoubtedly changing. It can feel like around every corner there’s a fresh test, every day well-laid plans are disrupted, and the way society operates ever-shifts. As a leader, this environment of uncertainty can be daunting. But there is hope on the horizon, and with change comes new opportunities. Our leadership journey is never complete and new perspectives and approaches can help us navigate uncertainty. So what skills can we work on to help us get [...]