Kirsty Muddle and Chris Howatson to chair 2024 IPA Business & Agency Leadership course held at QT Melbourne, October 27 – 29

Dentsu Creative CEO Kirsty Muddle and Howatson+Company founder and CEO Chris Howatson have been announced as chairs of this year’s IPA Business & Agency Leadership course, to be held at QT Melbourne from 27-29 October.

The three-day residential, hosted by Advertising Council Australia, offers senior agency directors a unique opportunity to enhance their skills in growing and leading a resilient, progressive business.

Muddle and Howatson, two of the country’s most experienced agency leaders, will be joined by a respected lineup of guest speakers who will share insights into the expanding scope of leadership and how to navigate complex social, legal, and interpersonal challenges that many top ad executives now face.

Says Muddle: “The industry is reforming around technology, people, and economics. That’s a perennial pressure and it can be a double-edged sword. Mostly, agencies thrive on that change. We need resilient, innovative, decisive leaders to help shape and design what the industry is to become in the future. That’s what we want this program to support.”

Says Howatson: “The ‘people, product, profit’ framework of agency leadership is as relevant as ever, but the depth required of agency leaders within each of these value pillars is increasingly complex.

“We have shaped a comprehensive IPA Business & Agency Leadership program based on our experience that will provide participants with a diversity of perspectives on how to successfully navigate these important issues.”

The duos’ agency leadership experience is vast. Muddle has worked in media, co-founded an independent agency, and now leads Dentsu’s creative, media, CX, gaming and production practices and brands across Australia and New Zealand.

Howatson is recognised for his ability to design, lead, and embed brand, customer, and technology transformations in bluechip companies, re-establishing advertising as a multidisciplinary profession.

IPA residential courses are informative, with interactive sessions featuring industry leaders and project briefs that require delegates to work collaboratively. IPA Business & Agency Leadership is highly recommended for group account directors or equivalent who are looking to take the next crucial step into leadership.

This year’s course content and line-up of speakers will be announced in coming weeks.

Full course details and registration information can be found here. Places are limited.