Alliance of Independent Founders
Indie Founders, powered by Alliance of Independent Agencies, is the home for independent agency founders and owners who want to connect, learn and grow. It’s your personalised membership and gateway to a powerful peer network, expert support and exclusive access to the best of the Alliance, all designed to help your agency thrive.
“I’m absolutely delighted to take up the position of Chair of the newly-launched Indie Founders.
Independent agencies represent courage, creativity, and community. For me, being part of the Indie Founders is about amplifying the voices of those who dare to do things differently and demonstrating that purpose-driven work can thrive without compromise.
Very excited to join a committed team in the Alliance of Independent Agencies and to work alongside them to shape something that’s of real value to existing and aspiring indie agency founders. “
Why Join?
Joining us gives indie founders a genuine edge. Connecting you with a community that understands the realities of building independently, while equipping you with the insights, support and visibility to grow on your own terms. You’ll benefit from meaningful peer connections, practical resources you can actually use, opportunities to raise your profile and win work, but best of all access to our trusted experts offering preferential rates and free support.
Access a powerful peer network
Connect via our WhatsApp Community with like-minded founders and owners who share openly, challenge thinking and help you avoid costly mistakes through an active, trusted community.
Learn what’s actually working
Monthly founder-focused sessions tackling the real challenges of agency life. From new business and leadership to culture, clients and growth. Hear directly from peers and guest speakers.
Strengthen your agency
Enjoy exclusive discounts on awards and free expert-led training, designed to strengthen your agency and support long-term growth.
Get support from industry experts
Direct access to trusted experts across growth, legal, new business and team development. All brought together through the Alliance of Independent Agencies network.
Scan to join the WhatsApp Community.
Exclusive Discounts
As an Indie Founder member, you will receive exclusive member rates for ‘The Independent Agency Awards’. Visit the website for everything you need to know and how to register.
Expert-Led Training
Members can also book a FREE Learning Lab.
Check in with Head of People, Suzanne Barnes to discuss all your L & D needs.
Industry Experts
As part of your membership, you gain access to our trusted advisors, offering practical advice from industry experts across HR, legal and finance to give you support exactly when you need it.
Your Expert Network
As an Indie Founder you gain exclusive access to a curated panel of trusted experts in growth, legal, HR and finance. All brought together through the Alliance of Independent Agencies network.
Our experts understand the challenges of building and scaling an independent agency, and are here to offer practical, experience-led support.
Elena is supported by our Indie Founders Advisory Board, experienced founders who champion our community and help shape the direction and
priorities.
Bio:
Dr Elena Mills is the Co-founder and Managing Director of The Salve Health Ltd, a Medical Affairs consultancy and Certified B Corp supporting global pharmaceutical and life sciences organisations. With nearly 20 years’ experience in Medical Affairs and healthcare communications, she has led global teams and delivered multichannel strategies for major life sciences brands. An entrepreneurial thinker and advocate for health equity, climate and health, and disease prevention, Elena is passionate about driving meaningful impact across the Med Comms industry. Winner of the MAD//Fest Female Leaders Club Award and the Alliance of Independent Agency Award 2025, she now brings her leadership to her new role as Chair of the Alliance of Independent Agencies’ Indie Agency Club, championing independents and positive change across the sector.
Bio:
Rob Henderson is Co-Founder and Partner at J&L Communications, a strategic B2B marketing agency that bridges the gap between expertise and authority for expert-led organizations. He works with professional, financial, and legal services firms to translate complex thinking into clear, credible content, creative, and campaign activation that drives meaningful commercial outcomes.
Drawing on experience from both agency and in-house roles, including EY, Rob understands the realities of working in regulated, reputation-led environments. He partners with marketing teams, partners, and senior leaders to connect strategy to everyday decisions, helping organizations move from intent to action with clarity and focus.
Quote:
“I joined the Advisory Board because independent agencies play a vital role in bringing clarity, creativity, and accountability to complex client challenges. This community creates an opportunity to share practical experience, support sustainable growth, and help smaller agencies strengthen their authority, relevance, and impact in an increasingly demanding market.”
Bio:
As the CEO of Oxygen, I bring over 20 years of marketing expertise, combining a passion for purpose with a proven track record of creating impactful brand stories. Having worked across both in-house and agency environments, I’ve developed and executed transformative campaigns for global brands like P&G, Delta Airlines, Barclays, and Nissan. Since 2019, I’ve shifted my focus to the mission-driven sector, where I partner with organisations to understand their core values and craft communications strategies that accelerate the achievement of their objectives. I am driven by the opportunity to inspire, connect, and innovate, constantly seeking new ways to create meaningful impact for both clients and communities that is positive for both people and planet
Quote:
“The creativity, community and collaboration that can be found within independant agencies is so important to me. Having become independent with Oxygen in 2024, I am proud to stand alongside founders who choose integrity & impact with their agencies and to be a part of creating space where independent minds can come together, with shared values, a sense of fun and striving for collective achievement”
Bio:
Richard Jaggs is the co-founder of Resolution Design, a creative digital agency based in Wiltshire. Established in 2007, Resolution is a leading regional agency that specialises in helping SMEs to grow and actively contributes to initiatives that support the local community and economy.
Quote:
Navigating business challenges and the ever-evolving digital landscape of the past 20 years has been, and continues to be, an exhilarating journey. As we look toward the next 20 years, I am delighted to join the advisory board to contribute to the mission of the Alliance of Independent Founders, helping to shape the support and community every founder deserves.
Bio:
After a long stint in the corporate world, I made the decision to step out and set up DOOH-IT.
It’s been an incredibly rewarding journey. Building the business has allowed both me and the team to move beyond the usual corporate inertia and focus on what truly matters – getting the right things done, quickly and effectively.
We’ve created a very flexible culture at DOOH-IT. Each team member is empowered to deliver great work in a way that suits them best. That trust and autonomy have been central to our progress and momentum.
Quote:
“Exciting to be part of the Advisory Board and learn from the great experience in the group.”
Indie Founders is a space for independent agency leaders to connect, learn, and stay ahead in a fast-moving landscape. We aim to meet on the third Thursday of each month either online or in-person. Our events are built around honest conversations, practical insight and people who’ve actually been there and done it. No fluff, just useful thinking you can take back into your business. And if you can’t make it live, our replays mean you can catch up on the ideas shaping the industry whenever it works for you.
March 2026
King’s Cross, London
Your Personal Membership
Indie Founders gives you the community, confidence and tools to grow your agency alongside others who share your ambition. Become part of a pioneering network of independent agencies shaping the future of our industry.
Spencer Gallagher
Spencer is a Growth Strategist, M&A adviser and agency industry veteran with 27 years of hands-on experience building, scaling, and exiting agencies. Having completed six successful exits of his own and helped more than 1,000 agencies over the past 15 years, Spencer brings a rare combination of founder credibility and strategic depth to every engagement. He is the founder of Bluhalo, a boutique advisory firm that helps agency owners build valuable, sellable businesses - covering board advisory, M&A, and earnout mandates. Spencer is also the author of three books: Agencynomics, Bouncebackability, and the forthcoming Agency 3.0 (2026), which collectively chart his thinking on agency growth, resilience, and the future of the industry. Spencer has a comprehensive understanding of how AI will and won't impact the now, next, and future of agencies. He lives with his family on the banks of Loch Fyne in Argyll, Scotland.
“As an advocate for the now, next and future of the independent agency sector, I am proud to serve as a trusted adviser to the Alliance of Independent Founders.”
Member Benefit:
Indie Founders receive a complimentary 30-minute advisory consultation with Spencer, offering practical, experience-led guidance shaped by working with thousands of agencies around the world.
Alfie Wenegieme
Alfie is the founder of Profit Sprout Consultancy and chartered accountant with over 18 years’ experience helping agencies unlock profitability and commercial success. I help agencies of all sizes from small to medium size independent firms to global players to strengthen financial management, build robust commercial operations, and elevate commercial capability across teams through training. My career has spanned strategic commercial finance roles with global communications leaders including Edelman and Weber Shandwick, where I delivered financial strategy, operational framework design, and business modelling that drives sustainable growth. I’ve worked alongside senior leadership to implement financial systems, roll out commercial models across global offices, and embed a culture of commerciality through tailored education and training. At Profit Sprout Consultancy, I draw on deep sector experience to help small and medium‑sized agencies navigate financial challenges, improve profitability, and achieve their strategic goals. I take pride in long‑term client partnerships built on clear commercial insight, practical solutions, and a genuine commitment to strengthening the financial health and profitability of your business.
"Independent agencies are full of talented people building brilliant businesses but from experience, commercial clarity is still one of the most underleveraged advantages available to them. I joined the Alliance because it brings together exactly the kind of agency owners who are serious about profitable growth, and I want to be a resource they can actually use to achieve this."
Member Benefit:
Indie Founders receive a complimentary 30-minute finance consultation with Alfie, offering personalised guidance on budgeting, cash flow management, pricing strategy, tax considerations, and financial planning to help founders build a stronger, more sustainable business foundation.
Ryan Lisk
Ryan is the founder of Hybrid Legal, a modern law firm helping ambitious businesses access practical, commercially-focused legal support without the traditional law firm challenges. Working closely with founders and leadership teams across the creative and digital sectors, Ryan and the Hybrid Legal team are known for becoming an extension of their clients’ businesses - combining responsive legal advice with a personal, down-to-earth approach that clients trust. Hybrid Legal specialises in supporting businesses through growth, contracts, IP & data governance, commercial partnerships, risk management and business sales, with a particular strength in working alongside creative agencies and entrepreneurial SMEs. The firm’s subscription based Legal Plus service gives clients direct access to experienced legal support with predictable monthly costs, helping businesses get expert advice quickly without worrying about unexpected legal bills. Ryan has helped build Hybrid Legal around the belief that great legal support should feel collaborative, commercially aware and easy to engage with. Clients and professional advisers regularly describe the team as approachable, responsive and highly invested in understanding the wider context behind each business and transaction - not just the legal paperwork. Through Hybrid Legal’s growing network and relationship with The Alliance, the firm is passionate about supporting Indie Founders and helping them scale sustainably.
“Building a business can bring the highest highs and the lowest lows, and one of the most valuable things a founder can have is a trusted network around them. The Alliance of Indie Founders creates exactly that - a community where business owners can share challenges, lean on each other and access genuine support from people who understand the journey. I’m delighted to be part of that network, particularly having benefited personally from invaluable support and guidance over the years myself. If I can help pass some of that support on to other founders, then that’s something I’m incredibly proud to do.”
Member Benefit:
Alliance of Independent Founders members can access a free 30 minute consultation with the Hybrid Legal team to discuss any immediate legal questions, commercial challenges or areas of concern within their business.
Members can access Hybrid Legal’s outsourced “in-house” legal support from just £490* + VAT per month through our Legal Plus subscription service - providing responsive, commercially-focused legal advice (including a sense check of what you've produced with AI).
Our Legal Plus subscription gives members direct access to an experienced legal team that understands the realities of running and growing an agency, with predictable monthly costs and ongoing support as your business evolves.
*Based on an average of 2 hours of support per month.
Lydia Billinghurst
Lydia Billinghurst is Head of HR at JourneyHR, specialising in the creative industry and working alongside founders and senior leaders to navigate growth and build high-performing, people-first businesses. She focuses on complex employee relations, organisational change and leadership, helping businesses make confident, commercially sound decisions when it matters most. Lydia works as a trusted partner to founders, balancing business needs with a genuinely human approach.
Member Benefit:
Join "Trusted Experts" Members Only
Unlock your complimentary member consultations and connect directly with our trusted specialists in growth, finance, legal and HR. Scan the QR code below to join the members-only WhatsApp group.
