Why Josh Krichefski joined an indie challenger

PMG, an independent challenger ad agency, has gone on an investment spree. Over the past few months the agency has hired top talent, and in recent years it has acquired a number of businesses to build out a full-service offering for brands as it looks to challenge holding groups and other indies for business.

One major addition it made last month was Josh Krichefski, the former GroupM EMEA and UK CEO, who is now PMG’s EMEA president.

Krichefski is also notable for working as the president of IPA from 2023 to 2025, a role in which he championed industry talent and the importance of both acquisiton and retention.

He joined The Media Leader recently to discuss his new role, PMG’s growth strategy and what sets it apart from competitor agencies amid a rapidly changing agency landscape.

Krichefski also reflected on his time as IPA president and at WPP, and spoke about his views on the future of the agency model.

Highlights:

4:30: What attracted Krichefski to PMG after more than a decade at WPP

9:43: PMG's go-to-market in EMEA: Transparency, consultancy, data

27:01: Reflecting on Krichefski's time as IPA President and his People First agenda

32:12: Agency consolidation and the future of the agency model

38:26: Why AI is an opportunity, not a threat

Related articles:

Josh Krichefski joins PMG as EMEA President

IPA president Josh Krichefski: ‘Put health and wellbeing at the forefront’

WPP CEO labels group’s performance ‘unacceptable’ as it looks to SMEs

‘We are in a crisis’: Advertising: Who Cares? suggests media business models must change

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Thanks to our production partners Trisonic for editing this episode.

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