Waypointers
Waypointers is the go-to podcast for agency leaders. In this series, produced by Waypoint Partners, we bring together the brightest minds in the industry and our own in-house growth advisory specialists to share illuminating conversations to grow your agency.
Bringing you insights, analysis and knowledge from the leading lights of the UK agency landscape, Waypointers is a must-listen for aspirational agency leaders.
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Waypoint Partners is an expert global growth and M&A advisory firm providing support to businesses in the marketing services and technology sectors.
Waypointers
31. Simon Martin, founder and chief executive of Oliver, on 20 years as an industry disruptor
Disruption is a recurrent theme in our Waypointers podcast and it often happens at the hands of outsiders – as our previous episode with a former US Marine, Justin Lewis shows. The guest in our latest episode is Simon Martin, the founder and chief executive of Oliver. Over the last 20 years Simon has brought significant disruption to the ad industry. His unique perspective comes from having started his career in the insurance sector where he saw the way in which deeply embedded relationships with clients drove significant efficiencies, business opportunities and growth.
How it all started
When he left his CMO role in insurance and set up Oliver, he brought a new mindset and practice to the ad agency sector. Very soon, the in-housing model that Oliver pioneered was being adopted by some of the most highly prized clients.
Now part of the Brandtech Group, Oliver is 5,000 people in 60 countries, servicing 300 clients and is five times bigger today than it was at the start of Covid.
Oliver’s route to success
Simon explains to Waypoint partner Jim Houghton Oliver’s model of “people, process and technology” which allows it to work in genuine collaboration and partnership with client organisations. It also makes it unbeatable when it comes to efficiency and productivity.