• by Steve McClellan  @mp_mcclellan, March 21, 2017

Sarah Ivey, former global chief strategy officer at Interpublic’s Initiative, has formed a consultancy to advise ad agencies, marketers, startups and NGOs. Ivey, now based in Toronto, has recruited several former Initiative colleagues to manage offices in New York and London. 

Co-leading the New York office are Erin Flaxman and Melvin Wilson. Flaxman was global director of business development and marketing at Initiative, while Wilson ran strategy and research at the IPG Media Lab. 

Tony Regan, former chief strategy officer for Initiative London, will lead the London office of the consultancy, which is called Agents of Necessity. 

“Ideas, innovation, even service models, travel at speed across markets and categories,” stated Ivey. “Marketers must stay on top of technology, take a start-up mindset and be open to transforming their business models. That’s a complex, tall order -- and one that requires a more global perspective -- which is why Agents of Necessity was founded.”   

The firm offers a series of workshops and strategy sessions tailored to the four sectors it advises, but also can customize service to meet specific client needs. 

For agencies, for example, the firm offers sessions on pitching business and “client road mapping.” 

Marketer workshops include one session that takes a deep dive into how consumers are navigating a company’s brand experience, isolating both strong and weak connections. More on the firm’s offering can be found here.