Dept's CEO: Scaling culture at pace – Dimi Albers

Today’s guests are Strawberry Frog’s Founder and Chairman Scott Goodson and new CEO Steve Scutellaro. They discuss leadership succession, agency differentiation and staying relevant after nearly three decades in business. Scott reflects on finding a successor who can build on the agency’s legacy without being constrained by it, while Steve shares how he’s aligning people, culture and capabilities for the next chapter. Together they explore Strawberry Frog’s distinctive approach to building ‘movements’, turning communities into active participants, and their views on connecting creativity to measurable business outcomes. Covering leadership, talent models, AI and pricing models, this is a candid snapshot of an established agency upgrading itself amidst huge disruption. HIGHLIGHTS: [04:18] Reputation behind the legacy [09:14] The pilot and controller [11:42] Frogs vs dinosaurs [17:02] Movement as a differentiator [23:10] Results over creative [26:59] Understanding communities [34:25] You don't need an army [36:33] Outcomes-based pricing [38:26] Building AI practitioners

Today’s guest is Taryn Crouthers, one year in as CEO of Big Spaceship, bringing a distinctly commercial and entrepreneurial perspective to her first agency role. Taryn reflects on the challenge of evolving a 25-year-old agency without losing the heritage that made it distinctive – not least how Big Spaceship’s culture of “explorers, not settlers” shapes everything from operating structures to client partnerships. The conversation explores her approach to change as a first-time CEO, including the “100 things that suck” and using AI to rethink traditional roles and processes. Taryn also shares the thinking behind restoring the Big Spaceship name, creating the brutally honest press release that accompanied it, and developing BSS, their framework for being brave, smart and specific. With a sharp perspective on creativity, AI and talent, this is a thoughtful look at how agency leaders can create the conditions for ambitious people to do their best work. HIGHLIGHTS: [02:15] Building new things [06:47] Natural agency evolution [09:40] The flight plan [12:11] Explorers not settlers [13:40] 100 tasks that suck [19:46] Big Spaceship returns [26:32] BSS: Brave, smart, specific [32:13] Exploration over chaos [37:00] Diverse thinking in creativity [40:22] Evolution of innovation

Today’s guest is Jolene Delisle, Founder of The Working Assembly, the New York-based design-led creative agency she built around a simple idea – assemble the right people around the problem, rather than force every client through the same agency model. Jolene reflects on the unconventional origins of the business, which began as a side hustle while she was working at Meta and pregnant with her daughter. She explains how her Korean origins, adoption and early experience of using art as a form of communication shaped her instinct for storytelling and creative problem-solving. The conversation explores how The Working Assembly evolved as client needs changed, why traditional agency structures became increasingly difficult to justify, and what the current reckoning means for agencies facing smaller budgets and rising expectations. Jolene also shares what she learned from selling the business, why she chose Catalyst, and why she sees smaller, specialised teams working together as a model for the future. HIGHLIGHTS: [02:56] Design as a differentiator [05:17] Side hustle at Meta [07:09] Art before words [12:13] Assembling creative needs [17:05] The agency reckoning [20:12] Specialisation over scale [22:17] Founder-led adaptability [25:19] Finding the right buyer [30:56] Appeal of working closely

Today’s guest is Jon Wilkins, best known for co-founding Naked Communications and now a founding partner at The Intangibles. First Jon reflects on what made Naked distinctive – not least how they attracted “brilliant misfits”, protected their culture as they expanded internationally, and built trust by putting client interests first. We also explore his transition via Karmarama into Accenture, helping lead the multi-billion dollar acquisition spree that ultimately built Accenture Song, and arguably redefined the agency landscape. Finally Jon unpacks his latest venture – the new model consultancy, The Intangibles, which addresses opportunities that many client-side CEOs can't yet see. Few people have so consistently explored uncharted territory and Jon openly shares his thinking, his methods, and the lessons learned along the way. HIGHLIGHTS: [03:51] Finding uncharted territory [08:17] Trust through neutrality [11:00] Hiring brilliant misfits [15:11] Codify the culture [21:01] Knowing when to move on [23:46] Accenture’s CMO opportunity [27:55] Building The Intangibles [33:45] Where value comes from [40:20] The value of trust [43:10] Fuelling human superpowers [47:39] Championing new spaces

Today’s guest is Jamie Williams, Managing Partner at Isobel, the independent agency that’s recently repositioned itself as ‘the brand reset company’. Jamie explains what prompted the change and how it’s designed to capitalise on what the agency does best, as well as reflect where they believe the market is heading. He also shares how productisation helped turn their refined proposition into a clear, three-stage offer, while also making change easier for the team to embrace. This candid conversation combines differentiation, value-based pricing and how to create a better experience for clients. At a time of huge disruption, Jamie offers an insider’s perspective at how an established agency can embrace change without losing what made it distinctive. HIGHLIGHTS: [02:13] Twenty years of independence [05:04] Future proofing the agency [08:16] Breaking creative commoditisation [14:46] Finding the hybrid opportunity [20:59] Knowing when to reset [29:11] Think, create, and do [32:21] Value-based pricing [34:34] Translating differentiation into demand [40:22] The power of brands