The Fawnbrake Story

Amelia Torode

I’ve always considered myself hugely lucky to be working at such a fascinating time, at such a fascinating intersection of the communications industry. Fawnbrake operates where culture meets commerce, brands meets business and Corporate Communications meets Consumer Communications.

I’ve been named by Campaign magazine as Planner of the Year
>> Timewise Power 50 list
>> UK’s most influential marketers on Twitter
>> Media commentator on BBC Radio London
>> Adjunct Professor in Advertising and Marketing at the American University in London
>> co-chair the IPA’s Excellence Diploma, “the MBA of Brands.”

My background has spanned Advertising, PR, Digital, Direct and Media. I started my career in 1997 as a WPP Fellow, specialised in Digital in the US and then had a number of strategic transformation roles at London-based agencies including VCCP, The Good Relations Group and my last agency role was Chief Strategy Officer of the advertising agency TBWA\London. I have been lucky enough to work with incredible client organisations, including:
>> o2
>> Airbnb
>> London 2012
>> Unilever
>> Comparethemarket.com

Outside of Fawnbrake, I write, speak and teach. I’ve been published in the FT, Mail on Sunday, The Spectator, the Independent and Metro newspapers. I’ve delivered talks and key notes at the IAB, TEDx, Guardian Changing Media Summit and O2 Campus Party.

I live in South London with a football-mad family. I am happiest on a winter’s day in Brockwell Lido and I think that really good scrambled eggs are the truest expression of love.

Find out about Fawnbrake beliefs

Fawnbrake believes:

The world’s strongest organisations are built on brands.

Strategy Is A Team Sport. We solve collaboratively and iteratively. The big reveal is dead. We go further, faster, together.

Excellence is Everywhere. It’s how we were founded and the pandemic years has only gone on to deepen that belief. We provide access to extraordinary excellence.

Karma Not Kickbacks. Work hard. Don’t be a dick. Karma works both ways.

Find out more

Origins

Back in 2017 (and earlier) it was very clear to me that the traditional agency model was broken. I gave a talk at Google Townhall and I was beyond frustrated, I think I was angry at the waste of talent and money The global corporate structure of agencies were failing both talent in the agency and clients of the agency who were paying through the nose for the privilege.

I took some time out of the industry to care for my amazing mum who had terminal cancer. It was one night in hospital that I wrote a blueprint for how a modern brand and communications consultancy needed to be structured to be better suited to the engagement age.

I wanted to take away everything that we saw was getting in the way of producing great work for clients. No office politics, hierarchies and bureaucracy. No expensive HQs, no internal email, just lean teams of the world’s brightest freelance talent on client challenges held together by belief not business cards. The Fawnbrake Collective was launched in September of that year.

In January 2022 we re-positioned as Fawnbrake: The StratHack Company.

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