John Dunleavy

After nearly four decades at the top of the agency world, John shares what actually transfers when you move from running a global holding company network to building an independent agency — and why relationships, talent, trust, and creativity still matter more than org charts and processes ever did.

John shares why he made the move from leading global agency networks to the independent agency world — and what he's building at The Charles Group to become what he calls "a CMO's secret weapon": a strategy-first, full-service partner that solves problems instead of just taking assignments.

Recorded during his tenure as Global Chief Client Officer at Ogilvy, John breaks down what leadership, transparency, and resilience actually look like in practice — and makes the case for why agency models must evolve by building bespoke, data-driven teams that keep pace with a category that shifts daily.