Intermarketing co-founder Steve Sowden
Steve Sowden was part of an MBO that took over a slow-growth Leeds agency and helped to grow its revenue four-fold inside eight years.
Intermarketing has been on a high-growth trajectory for several years; in the four years up to December 2017, turnover grew from £8.5 million to £20 million, and in its first year post-acquisition, turnover rose to £29 million.
Sowden will talk about why he and his colleagues opted to sell Intermarketing in 2017, and how the agency has expanded since the acquisition with new offices in Manchester and overseas.
Nicky Unsworth, CEO of BJL
Unsworth had experience working both in-house and at agencies before she joined BJL in Manchester and subsequently was part of the team that led its MBO. Since the MBO, she and her team built BJL into one of the UK’s leading independent agencies with offices in Manchester and London, drawing the attention of many keen to acquire the agency.
Turnover grew steadily from £5.5 million in 2012 to £11.5 million in 2018, before the agency announced in February 2019 that it had decided to sell to Dentsu Aegis.
Unsworth retains a hands-on role at BJL and she will be sharing her experiences of growing the agency and why they decided to sell and what the future holds.
Former DFS Marketing Director Mark Mallinder
Our third speaker, Mark Mallinder, spent seven years at DFS where as Head of Marketing – overseeing an £85 million marketing budget – he led its sponsorship of Team GB for the 2016 Olympics in Rio. He then joined Hangar Seven in Macclesfield in 2016 as Managing Director, helping increase revenue of over £15 million and employing 165 people across four offices.
In 2017, he oversaw the sale of Hangar Seven to The Hut Group for an eight-figure sum. He remained with the THG for a year and now works with owner-directors of established independent marketing and production agencies across the UK, including two agencies in Sheffield and Manchester where he is a NED.
Mallinder will be sharing his experiences as a client dealing with agencies and also of helping restructure and drive growth at privately-owned agencies.
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After the dinner and addresses from our three speakers, there will be a Q&A session and a chance for attendees to quiz our special guests directly.
The Independent Agencies Dinner will include a drink on arrival, three-course meal, half-bottle of wine with dinner, and the opportunity to network with senior business executives and key industry stakeholders. Tickets are limited, so book soon to avoid disappointment.
Independent Agencies Dinner sponsor:
