Industry leaders shake up market with launch of new independent creative comms agency Allegory

Five senior industry leaders have launched a new independent communications consultancy focused on transforming complex concepts and challenges into truly human stories.

Allegory offers clients a unique combination of corporate smarts and consumer engagement, powered by its mission to take the complexity of the modern world and make it innately human.

The agency is founded by Miriam Wells, David Radestock, Emma Bridgeman, Georgia Lawson, and Gabrielle Gray.

The group brings together decades of experience at major agencies and global brands working across diverse sectors including technology, government, NFP, retail, FMCG, finance and education, and every discipline of communications – earned, creative, public affairs, change, employee experience,  social, and content.

Allegory was founded to address the identity crisis of the communications sector, where creative and strategic work has been reduced to a commodity and razor-thin margins have often normalised mediocre output.

The backgrounds of the founding members means clients get the sure hand of big brand and big agency nous with the hunger, freedom, and audacity of an independent. Having worked extensively with multinationals, scaleups, startups, and the public sector, Allegory offers senior-level counsel, strategy, creative, and delivery from start to finish.

Says David Radestock, Co-founder, Allegory: “We’ve all been around long enough to know our industry is at a crossroads. Caught between the complexity of the modern world and the hyperactive nature of communicating in it, we’ve been forced to settle for normalised mediocrity, watching our potential to shape culture, policy, and lives fade in the race to keep up. Allegory exists to change that.

“We’ve spent decades developing a deep understanding of some of the most complex organisations, issues, and markets in the world, and figuring out how to make sense of that for every audience imaginable. We know how to make it meaningful, to make people laugh, cry, act, think, and advocate.”

Says Miriam Wells, Co-founder: “Allegory is sector and channel-agnostic. Between us we’ve worked across almost every industry and campaign type there is, so we know there are incredible opportunities to be found in every one. Our priority is interesting work that allows us to put human emotions and needs at the heart of every story we shape.

“We have big ambitions for ourselves and our clients. There’s immense potential in our mix of earnest and audacious, highbrow and lowbrow to deliver impactful, meaningful work, all while having a lot of fun.

“We’re building Allegory to be a creative powerhouse, a centre of excellence for talent, and to challenge the typical agency model in search of something better. We’re unbelievably excited to get started.”

Allegory’s founders have all held senior leadership positions at agencies and brands including Ogilvy PR, Icon, Herd, Apple, and more. Wells was most recently Chief Creative Officer at Ogilvy PR, David Radestock was Executive Director of Communications at Icon, Emma Bridgeman, Director of Technology and B2B at Icon, Georgia Lawson a Senior Program Director at Icon and Business Director at Ogilvy PR, and Gabrielle Gray, General Manager at Icon.

Pictured L-R: David Radestock, Georgia Lawson, Emma Bridgeman, Gabrielle Gray and Miriam Wells