MRS Leaders Forum 2025:
A year of senior networking

The VIP network for agency leaders

6 Feb / 20 May / 11 September - all in 2025

The MRS Leaders Forum is a unique network for insight agency business leaders (CEOs and MDs) to discuss the critical strategic, operational and financial challenges and opportunities in running and growing an insight agency.

This intimate and exclusive network provides a focussed space for senior leaders to extend their understanding and skills whilst being frank about their current challenges. It’s the perfect forum to explore new sector-specific ideas, and connect with like-minded entrepreneurs and leaders.

Why join?

• Accelerate your personal leadership development
• Gain access to B2B experts who can help solve specific growth, strategic, and operational challenges
• Absorb inspiring ideas from agency leaders who have cracked some of the tough problems
• Exchange views and problem-solve key business challenges with insight leaders tackling similar issues
• Connect with a peer-to-peer mentoring network which will last beyond the year long programme

What makes the MRS Leaders Forum different to other leadership programmes?

Not only will you connect and collaborate with other leaders, you’ll also be able to discuss the very specific challenges and business dynamics of the insight sector. We know that it’s harder than ever to retain client value; we know that disrupters in the broader insight ecosystem are making winning new business challenging; we know that recruitment and retention has never been tougher; we know that business leaders are facing a hurricane of new strategic decisions. That’s why we’ve designed a programme of events that will support leaders to power through these challenges and continue to grow through changing times.

The year-long programme of in-person events comprises:

21 November 2024
Agency Owners & Leaders conference
One-day conference - see the agenda

6 Feb 2025
Growth & Innovation Forum 

AGENDA: Growth and Innovation Forum - 6 February

08.30 09.00	Registration & coffee
09.00-09.10	Introduction from the Chair Alison Bainbridge, Founder, Kokoro Global
9.10-9.40	Setting your agency growth & financial strategy ·       Translating your commercial strategy into plans, scenarios, budgets and targets ·       How to balance growth, cashflow and risk ·       Knowing when to grow organically versus when to consider investment Ben Leet, Founder & Lead Consultant, Stratify Consulting
9.40-10.10	Surviving and thriving in tough times ·       How to preserve the bottom line during rapid transitions ·       Streamlining your operations while still managing growth ·       Developing new approaches to product and clients ·       Maintaining focus and morale through setbacks Jan Shury, Joint Owner & Managing Director, IFF Research
10.10-10.40	Round table: Innovation mindsets to unlock growth opportunities ·       Developing innovation processes across your agency ·       Evaluating gaps and generating new ideas ·       Considering and prioritising new routes to market and new products ·       Fostering a culture of curiosity and innovation Steve Phillips, Founder & Chief Innovation Officer, Zappi
10.40-11.10	break
11.10-12.10	Peer advisory round table discussion Come to the forum with a growth or innovation challenge you’d like help solving. Working in small groups, delegates will select two challenges to tackle. Share ideas, hear alternative approaches and find out what’s worked for others.
12.10-12.20	wrap-up
12.30	Lunch

11 March 2025
Private Forum lunch meeting
@ Annual Conference

20 May 2025
Customer Development Forum

AGENDA: Customer Development Forum - 20 May

08.30 09.00	Registration & coffee
09.00-09.10	Introduction from the Chair  James Endesby, CEO, Opinium
9.10-9.40	Expanding opportunities with existing clients Cultivating long term strategic partnerships with existing client Identifying the most effective client engagement activities from key accounts Empowering researchers to become more impactful client development managers Paul Griffiths, Founder, Client Advocates
9.40-10.10	Building and communicating your agency brand Translating your vision and values into a brand message Building your personal brand: how can CEO activism shape brand messaging and culture Building your brand within client organisations How to do B2B social media better Lucy Davison, Founder & CEO, Keen As Mustard
10.10-10.40	Tackling core customer challenges within the Insight sector in an era dominated by AI disruption Holding and boosting the perceived value of MR with clients & bucking client pressures to offer more for less Re-assessing the agency / client dynamic Exploring new and different ways of working Led by: John Robson, Consultant & Advisor (former Co-owner, Sparkler) Gemma Proctor, Associate Partner, Human Insight, PA Consulting Dr Sarah Jenkins, Founder & Managing Director, Magenta Richard Owen, Co-founder, QualifyAI
10.40-11.10	Break
11.10-12.10 session 3	Peer advisory round table discussion Come to the forum with a customer development challenge you’d like help solving. Working in small groups, delegates will select two challenges to tackle. Share ideas, hear alternative approaches and find out what’s worked for others.
12.10-12.20	Wrap-up
12.30	Lunch

11 September 2025
Recruitment, Team & Culture Forum 

AGENDA: Recruitment, Team & Culture - 11 September

 

08.30 09.00	Registration & coffee
09.00-09.10	Introduction from the Chair
09.10-09.40	Panel: Doing recruitment differently Recruitment in the post covid era: balancing needs of employer with needs of employees What are agencies getting right and wrong when attracting gen Z talent Changing leaders’ mindsets and discovering unexplored avenues for talent AI and the need for new recruitment models
09.40-10.10	Young researcher panel: Retaining your best new talent What’s it like to be a new research practitioner in 2025 and how it could be improved? Identifying the factors that encourage young researchers to stay in their first role
10.10-10.40	Round table: being a great culture leader Learn how to inspire, motivate and reward in a way that resonates with your team Feeling comfortable with culture even if you are more of a numbers person How to lead cultural transformation Managing the flashpoints for culture wars
10.40-11.10	break
11.10-12.10	Peer advisory round table discussion Come to the forum with a recruitment, team or culture challenge you’d like help solving. Working in small groups, delegates will select two challenges to tackle. Share ideas, hear alternative approaches and find out what’s worked for others.
12.10-12.20	Wrap-up
12.30	Lunch

 

  

All events are separately bookable, however individuals booking for the year-long programme will be given preference. We strongly encourage you to book the whole programme of events to fully benefit from networking with your peers over the course of the year.

 Book your place and you’ll never be lonely at the top again!

Who should attend?

Agency owners, CEOs, Managing Directors, Managing Partners and other C level executives responsible for agency growth and strategy should join these intimate meetings that follow the Chatham House rule. Delegates will be gathered in small groups of 8-10 leaders with similar sized or focussed businesses to ensure peer-to-peer discussions are relevant to your interests.

The forums will combine expert presentations, panel sessions and round table discussions. Every forum will include a peer advisory discussion session.

Peer advisory discussion

An important element of the Leaders Forum is the open format we reserve for the final roundtable session of each event. Come to each forum armed with a specific business challenge you’d like help with solving. After briefly sharing the business challenge with your peers the table will vote on which two problems they will collectively aim to solve. Share ideas, hear alternative approaches, find out what’s worked for others. This collective brainstorming session is guaranteed to stretch leaders’ mindsets and open you up to new ideas.

The MRS Leaders Forum promotes a shared learning journey which will accelerate your personal leadership development.

There are only limited places on all our leaders’ events.

All network members will be entitled to promote their involvement in this exclusive leaders forum for the duration of the year using MRS branding.

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