In Episode 9 of Off Script, Pete Meikle sits down with Abi Krone to get behind the spreadsheets and explore the person behind the CFO title.

Abi talks about her unconventional route from studying environmental science, through Deloitte and audit, to accidentally finding herself at FleishmanHillard and eventually becoming CFO. It's a career she describes as not particularly planned, but very intentional about its direction.

They also get into the human side of leadership. Abi reflects on becoming a parent while taking on a senior role, why it taught her to set much clearer boundaries, and why flexibility at work should be about recognising that everyone has a life outside the office, whether that's children, caring responsibilities or simply something that's important to them.

And, of course, they talk money. Abi explains why brilliantly run accounts start with happy teams, happy clients and great work, rather than a spreadsheet. And she shares a brilliantly simple lesson about knowing the value of what we do: if someone orders a steak, you wouldn't expect them to pay for a salad.

From hybrid working and difficult commercial decisions to billability, boundaries and the dream of swapping spreadsheets for a beachfront coffee shop, it's a refreshingly human conversation about what it really takes to run a healthy business.

In Episode 8 of Off Script, Henry Scanlan sits down with Jemima Jones, our UK New Business and Marketing Lead, to talk about competition, resilience and what she's learned from a career where winning and losing comes with the territory.

Jemima talks about how competitive sport shaped her approach to work, why even a brilliant pitch can still lose, and how working in new business has taught her to focus on the things she can control rather than dwelling on the result.

They also explore what it's like to find yourself as one of the youngest people around the Management Board table, the importance of mentorship and sponsorship, and how Jemima has learned to navigate senior personalities without letting hierarchy get in the way of doing what's right for the team.

Jemima also shares one of the biggest setbacks of her early career: being made redundant during the pandemic. It's an experience that changed her perspective on work and taught her that a loss can also create space for something new.

From pitches and pressure to mergers, mistakes and bouncing back, it's a candid conversation about ambition and learning how to lose without losing your momentum.

Should we be stockpiling cans of beans for the AI apocalypse, or getting excited about what comes next?

In Episode 7 of Off Script, Luke Bennett sits down with Joyce Higgins, our resident “Queen of AI”, to talk about technology, curiosity and the experiences that led her to where she is today.

Joyce takes us from growing up in Queens, New York, with an unlikely love of both art and maths, to nearly choosing art school and eventually finding a career that combines creativity, technology and communications.

She shares the story of being given just two weeks to turn things around in her first agency job, only to discover that the problem wasn't necessarily the work she was doing, but that nobody knew she was doing it. It taught her a lesson she's carried ever since: closed mouths don't get fed.

And, of course, they talk AI. Joyce explores why we shouldn't let the hype terrify us, how AI could eventually become almost invisible in our everyday lives, and why the people who thrive won't necessarily be those who have all the answers, but those willing to experiment.

Her advice? Stay curious, experiment and don't wait for perfectly packaged solutions.

The episode starts with Lou's unusual childhood growing up in Brunei, surrounded by jungle, before being sent to school in the UK from the age of nine. She talks about how moving around and dealing with uncertainty from such a young age gave her an adaptability that she still draws on as a leader today.

But the heart of the episode is really failure.

Lou talks remarkably candidly about being fired three times, including from her first job after university, and why she now sees those experiences as some of the most valuable moments in her career. Her argument is that careers aren't really a journey towards finding the mythical "dream job", but a series of experiments where failures give you useful information about what to do next.

There are some great leadership reflections too. Lou talks about having to unlearn the idea that being a good leader means having all the answers, and instead learning to create space for other people to find their own solutions.

She also gets very candid about work-life balance, including an early-career moment when a client forwarded one of her late-night emails to her agency CEO as evidence of unhealthy working practices. Lou initially thought she'd be praised for working so hard. Instead, she was told that working until midnight wasn't a badge of honour.

The episode finishes with advice for anyone who's been fired, made redundant, missed a promotion or simply feels their career isn't going to plan: don't pretend the setback didn't happen. Look for what it's teaching you, take the learning and move on to the next experiment.

In Episode 5 of Off Script, Laurel Ussher sits down with Rowan Adams, our Group Creative Director, for a conversation about creativity, curiosity and why the best ideas are often the simplest.

Rowan shares his philosophy of knowing "5% of everything", why having a point of view on the world matters more than being an expert in everything, and why his best pitches can usually be explained in just three words. He also tells the story of turning a simple observation about millennials killing their houseplants into Hotel for Plants, a £500 idea that generated coverage around the world.
They also explore the less glamorous side of creativity: commercials. Rowan makes the case that creatives need to understand the numbers, arguing that even the best idea in the world isn't much use if you can't work out how to deliver it profitably.

And as brands compete for attention in an increasingly fragmented world, Rowan challenges our obsession with jumping on cultural moments, asking whether brands should simply join the conversation or create one of their own.

In this episode of Off Script, Claudia reflects on a career that has rarely followed a straight line - from originally planning to become a large-animal vet, to moving to Singapore, navigating the collapse of Bell Pottinger and ultimately finding her way to FleishmanHillard.

She talks candidly about what that experience taught her about trusting your instincts and staying close to your values, as well as the realities of combining leadership with being a working parent.

James and Claudia also look forward, exploring how audiences and channels are changing, why communications has more influence at board level than ever, and why curiosity and critical thinking remain essential skills as AI becomes part of how we work.

What separates good leaders from great ones when the pressure is on?

In this episode of Off Script, Louise Fathers sits down with Jud Moore, Managing Director of Corporate Affairs and EMEA Crisis Lead, to explore what decades of advising organisations through their toughest moments has taught her about leadership, resilience and trust.

From cyber attacks and major public inquiries to high-profile corporate crises, Jud shares why the best leaders aren't those with all the answers, but those who know how to listen, make decisions and bring people with them.

The conversation also explores the importance of empathy under pressure, building trusted client relationships, learning from failure, and why great teams make even the hardest days manageable.

How do you prepare for a career when the rules are changing?

Drawing on a career that spans professional sport, global brands and two decades at FleishmanHillard, JJ reflects on how every major technological shift has changed communications—and why AI feels different.

Together they discuss whether agencies are removing the first rung of the career ladder, the skills that will matter most over the next decade, and what today's graduates should focus on if they want to build a successful career.

Along the way, JJ shares lessons from working with some of the world's biggest sporting names, why curiosity has become one of the most valuable skills in business, and what genuinely keeps him awake at night as he thinks about his own children entering the workforce.

Whether you're just starting your career or leading a team, this conversation offers a thoughtful perspective on where our profession is heading—and how we can prepare for what's next.