#28 – Agency Business Model Transformation: From Labor to Intelligence with Ivan Fernandez

#28 – Agency Business Model Transformation: From Labor to Intelligence with Ivan Fernandez

Join us for a compelling conversation about how AI and technology are forcing a structural reset in the marketing agency industry with Ivan Fernandez, a marketing strategist, transformation consultant, and M&A advisor with more than 20 years of experience across global agencies, consultancies, and growth-focused organizations. Ivan has worked with companies including MediaCom and VML, and today advises agency founders on growth, operating models, AI transformation, and long-term value creation in an industry being rapidly reshaped by technology and investment pressures. In this episode, Ivan breaks down why holding companies are struggling to adapt, how the industry is shifting from labor-based to intelligence-based models, and why trust and data transparency are the real bottlenecks blocking AI transformation in marketing services. Key Takeaways: * From Labor to Systems: The agency industry is undergoing a structural reset — moving from people-based models to AI-driven, system-based models, as demonstrated by Publicis acquiring LiveRamp for $2.2 billion * The Holdco Paradox: Even the best-performing holding companies like Publicis are seeing stock price drops because investors are now comparing them to tech players like Google and Meta, which have significantly higher EBITDA margins * CMO Tenure Crisis: With CMO tenure averaging just 18 months, meaningful transformation is nearly impossible — Ivan argues CMOs need more time, budget, and cross-functional authority alongside CTOs and Chief Data Officers * The Consultancy Gap: Agencies lack the talent and structure to sell technology or have C-suite conversations with CFOs and CTOs — a space where Accenture has a natural advantage due to its consultancy roots * Data Transparency Problem: Most media agencies operate on principal media models with limited data sharing, creating a fundamental trust deficit that blocks the data integration AI transformation requires * The $6 to $1 Opportunity: For every dollar spent on technology, $6 is spent on services — and services are deeply under-transformed, representing a massive opportunity for AI-driven disruption * AI Race Not Over: Ivan estimates we are still 3 to 4 years away from seeing clear winners in the AI agency space, with everyone currently building agentic and data integration capabilities simultaneously * How to Learn Faster: Connect with practitioners, ask quality questions openly, take introductory AI business courses, and follow focused voices across financial, operational, and marketing AI perspectives Perfect for agency founders, marketing consultants, holding company executives, CMOs, and anyone navigating the intersection of AI transformation, agency business models, and marketing services. Ivan also references tools he uses daily including OpenAI, Perplexity, Notion, Grammarly, Canva, and Fiscal AI — a financial intelligence platform he uses to track holding company performance, EBITDA, shareholder trends, and market movements across the industry. "We are in a period of change. Make sure that you have partners that you can trust to take you on that journey. Be ready — it's going to be a bumpy ride, but we're going to get to the end together." — Ivan Fernandez

#27 - AI & Marketing: Transforming Creativity in the Age of GenAI with Teresa Fusaro

Join us for an insightful conversation with Teresa Fusaro, Global Senior Director of GenAI Creativity and seasoned executive with over 15 years of experience at the intersection of marketing, technology, and AI transformation, as she shares the realities of leading creative AI transformation at a global scale across some of the world's most iconic consumer brands. Having supported Nestlé, Adidas, and Reckitt through their digital transformation journeys, Teresa brings a grounded, human-first perspective on what it truly takes to embed AI into a global organization — not just as a technology shift, but as a cultural and governance evolution. In this episode, Teresa unpacks how Reckitt built its Responsible AI Principles framework, why people and resistance to change remain the biggest obstacle in any transformation, and how a groundbreaking digital twins pilot with Google for Lysol is redefining what ethical AI-generated video looks like in advertising. Key Takeaways: * People Over Technology: The biggest barrier to AI transformation is never the tech — it's human resistance and fear of replacement. Leaders must communicate the why before pushing the how * Responsible AI as a Living Framework: Ethical principles must evolve alongside technology. Reckitt's fairness and inclusivity guidelines were revisited and adapted when AI video generation became production-ready * Digital Twins as an Ethical Solution: Rather than going fully synthetic, Reckitt pioneered a model using real, fairly compensated actors as AI-amplified avatars — setting a new industry standard for ethical AI video * Global Governance, Local Flexibility: Enterprise AI programs must have a strong global core while remaining adaptable to local regulations, consumer perceptions, and market realities * Brain Capital is the New Competitive Edge: As AI becomes universally available, what differentiates companies will be human capabilities — creativity, adaptability, complex problem solving, and resilience * Brands Taking Back Creative Control: Just as brands built in-house media teams 20 years ago, a similar revolution is underway in creative production — brands are reclaiming transparency and control over their content * The Evolving Role of Agencies: Agencies still own the big idea and the creative vision — but brands are demanding more visibility into how content is developed and which AI tools are being used Perfect for marketing leaders, creative directors, digital transformation executives, and consumer goods professionals looking to understand how to build responsible, scalable, and human-centered AI programs across global organizations. Teresa also shares her personal tech stack, highlighting tools like Notebook LM and Lovable as game-changers for productivity and presentation building, along with her go-to learning resources for staying ahead in the AI space. "AI is no longer a competitive advantage — all companies will have it in some form. The difference will lie in brain capital: how good companies are at fostering creativity, adaptability, and complex problem solving in their people." — Teresa Fusaro

#26 - AI & Blockchain Convergence: Building Trust in the Age of Intelligent Agents with Victor Madueno

Join us for a forward-thinking conversation with Victor Madueno, Senior Director at FDI Consulting and globally recognized leader in digital assets, AI, and blockchain, as he explores the powerful convergence of two transformational technologies reshaping business and society. With over 20 years of experience advising businesses, governments, and financial institutions across the Middle East and globally, Victor shares how AI and blockchain are not competing forces — they are complementary pillars of the next digital economy. In this episode, Victor breaks down how agentic AI demands a new layer of trust that blockchain uniquely provides, why most companies are adapting instead of truly transforming, and how individuals and organizations can unlock the full potential of AI by changing not just their tools — but their mindset. Key Takeaways: * AI + Blockchain = Trust: As AI agents operate autonomously and transact with digital assets, blockchain's immutable ledger provides the security and traceability layer enterprises need to operate confidently * Adaptation vs. Transformation: Most companies are fitting AI into existing operating models — a critical mistake. True transformation means redesigning workflows from scratch around AI's full capabilities * Prompting with Purpose: Heavy AI users don't treat it like Google. They build long, context-rich prompts, iterate continuously, and know exactly what outcome they're driving toward * Experience is the New Edge: Senior professionals with decades of domain expertise can elevate AI output from 80% to 99% quality — making experience more valuable than ever in an AI-first world * The $1B One-Person Company: Agentic AI is making it possible to build high-value businesses with minimal headcount, fundamentally disrupting traditional enterprise cost structures * Mindset Over Toolset: Competitiveness in the AI era comes down to the hours you invest in exploration and practice — those who put in the time will outpace those who don't * Humanity in AI: The next frontier is bringing human values, emotion, and authentic decision-making into AI systems — not just efficiency Perfect for business leaders, digital transformation executives, blockchain enthusiasts, and marketing and technology professionals looking to understand where AI is truly heading — and how to position themselves ahead of the curve. Victor also references resources including free AI courses, hands-on experimentation with Claude, Cursor, and Lovable, and the importance of building your own agents to accelerate learning. "If we look at AI and the capabilities that it has and a complete new architecture, and we try to redesign our operating models towards that as a benefit — we will start seeing way more benefits." — Victor Madueno

#25 - Dominate AI Before It Dominates You — with Lasse Rouhiainen

Lasse Rouhiainen— keynote speaker, AI advisor to companies and governments, and author of Dominate AI Before It Dominates You — breaks down exactly where most businesses are getting AI wrong and what to do instead. From the four levels of AI adoption (most companies are stuck at level one) to why small companies have a real shot at outpacing giants right now, this conversation is as practical as it gets. We also get into the geopolitics of AI, the growing inequality gap, and why the next two years will be unlike anything we've seen. If you're a leader trying to figure out where to actually start — this one's for you.

#24- How AI Is Reshaping Agencies: Building Products That Actually Work with Fergus Dyer-Smith

Join us for a thought-provoking conversation about AI transformation in the marketing and agency world with Fergus Dyer-Smith, Chief Product Officer at MSQ and CEO of M3 Labs. With a background rooted in product development, Fergus and his team build and deploy AI tools — including Assist, BrandCheck, Preflight, and Wave — for enterprise clients like WPP, Google, and Toyota. Fergus shares hard-won insights on what it actually takes to get AI working at scale inside large organisations. In this episode, Fergus reveals why agencies were the first — not the last — sector to be disrupted by AI, and what that means for the future of the industry. He discusses why 90% of AI pilots fail and how companies can flip the script, the unique advantage mid-size agencies have over holding groups, and how human relationships remain the most defensible moat in an AI-driven world. The Agency Paradox: Agencies are service-based businesses that many assumed AI would hit last — yet they are being disrupted first, creating both risk and enormous opportunity for those who move fast. The 90% Pilot Failure Rate: Most pilots fail because companies ask "how do we get AI deployed?" instead of "what problems can AI solve?" The 10% that work are now driving budget increases across the board. The Mid-Size Advantage: Large holding groups have firepower but lack agility. Mid-size agencies can move fast enough to deploy new tooling while still having the resources to compete. The Human Moat: As AI output becomes commoditised, relationships, trust, and the ability to co-evolve with clients become the true differentiators — things AI cannot replace. The Interface Question: From voice-to-text to agentic systems like OpenClaw, the very concept of how humans interact with technology is being redefined — and it could reshape entire business models. Perfect for CMOs, CTOs, agency leaders, and business executives navigating AI transformation, particularly those managing large teams through cultural and technological change. Fergus also shares his personal AI stack — including Claude, Cursor, Perplexity, Gemini, and Whisper Flow — and why staying on top of AI today means choosing a few trusted channels and committing to the pace. "Humans are fundamentally lazy — they like to pass work off onto other people. But that's actually an opportunity: yes, we want to own our data and our rails, but can you come in and build it and manage it for us?" — Fergus Dyer-Smith