iProspect and dentsu QLD take out spots on AFR Best Places to Work top 10; The Media Store wins special ‘Belonging’ award

iProspect Australia and dentsu QLD have been recognised as two of Australia and New Zealand’s best businesses in workplace policy and practice, placing eighth and ninth respectively on the 2025 AFR BOSS Best Places to Work List in the Media and Marketing category.

It is the second consecutive year for iProspect to be featured on the annual list, recognised for creating a motivating and productive workplace that consciously creates cultures, policies, structures and environments to enable iProspect to push boundaries by fusing brand-building with a performance mindset.

The success of iProspect’s focus is demonstrated via its media-I results marking it as one of the happiest agencies in Australia and growing NPS and TRR scores.

iProspect National Managing Director Marcelle Hoyek said: “It is a testament to the ongoing work by the iProspect team that we have been recognised as a Best Place to Work for the second consecutive year. Culture is incredibly important to the overall success of iProspect, we are an engaged team who love coming to work and pushing to do better work than the day before. Our vision for iProspect is underpinned by our culture, it is the fuel that has accelerated our growth and that of our clients.”

dentsu QLD’s debut on the list comes after a year of double-digit revenue growth powered by their mission to inspire remarkable behaviours and an innovative approach to unlocking growth for its people that has driven internal engagement and NPS to record highs.

dentsu QLD Managing Director Chris Ernst said: “I am incredibly proud of the momentum we are experiencing as a team and am even more proud to say that every person in our agency has played a part in it. Our commitment to our purpose, values, and mission is unwavering and has helped to create an environment where our people give to each other, which has resulted in growth for our people, our partners, our business, and our community.”

The list, published annually by The Australian Financial Review, is based on an assessment process, including an anonymous staff survey and written submission, managed by behavioural science consultancy Inventium.

The recognition comes after a strong year for both iProspect and dentsu QLD, with iProspect winning gold at the Campaign Agency Awards for Workplace Culture and picking up new clients including eBAY and MYOB.

In the past 12 months, dentsu QLD’s General Manager Emily Cook won Mediaweek’s ‘Next of the Best’ Culture Award while the agency picked up new business including Good Drinks Australia.

Meanwhile independent media agency The Media Store was recognised in the awards as both a finalist for the ‘Media and Marketing’ category as well as receiving the ‘Belonging’ award, one of five special awards, on the night which make up the BEING acronym to what makes a best place to work – Belonging, Energising, Integrating, Nurturing and Generating.

The Media Store was recognised as the standout organisation, across all industries, for facilitating a sense of Belonging within its culture, for its success in creating a workplace where employees feel accepted, included and valued. Furthermore, its new TMS Prosper program was also highlighted in the Media and Marketing category. This revenue-sharing program is available to ALL staff, rewarding employees for new business leads that convert to revenue. Rather than gifting cash bonuses, which are diluted by tax, the agency partnered with an online booking service to offer holidays. Staff are also provided three additional paid leave days to be taken when redeeming their holiday gift.

“The Media Store has all the ingredients for a best place to work, from meaningful staff benefits, individual flexibility, extensive learning and development and true collaboration. But what sets us apart is that we are values-led. We value our intergenerational team, and we go beyond inclusion to a true sense of belonging where everyone is seen and heard,” The Media Store Chief Operating Officer, Jacquie Alley (pictured above with CEO Stephen Leeds).

“We are honoured to be named in the special awards category, ‘Belonging’. As famous diversity speaker Verna Meyers once said, diversity is being invited to the party, inclusion is being asked to dance. However, belonging is when they play your favourite song on the dancefloor.

“We truly want all of our people to shine and be known as themselves, to be asked to dance and have their song played, to feel they are part of something bigger than themselves. That there is a welcoming and important place for them at work at The Media Store. It’s been a big week for the agency, with a new client on the horizon and now acknowledgement that our team really do feel that they belong. We are so excited for what’s to come.”

Furthermore, The Media Store was also the only media agency to be named in the prestigious Australian Great Place to Work Best Workplaces list at the end of last year and Jacquie Alley was the only Australian to be recognised at the prestigious global Indie Awards, receiving a Bronze medal in the “Indie Legend” category, which recognises individuals who are proud ambassadors for the independent agency sector.

See the full AFR BOSS Best Places to Work list here.