2024 was another incredibly busy, inspiring and successful year for Agent.

We grew exponentially across our four dedicated pillars - Strategy, Communications, Creative and Digital - including the scope and variety of our work, and more importantly, alongside organisations sharing our belief that good, profitable growth should not be at the detriment of people or planet - quite the opposite.

In 2024, we also celebrated two enormous landmarks. Agent turned 18 - an adult! - and Agent Academy, our sister not-for-profit social enterprise, celebrated its 10^th birthday. Both occasions were incredibly proud moments for us all.

In our rapidly evolving industry, Agent and Agent Academy demonstrate consistency and a real focus on producing powerfully good work. Both teams allow talent to shine, working with clients who share our commitments to ambition, positivity, sustainability, and, ultimately, kindness. It was wonderful to celebrate both special birthdays with the hugely talented team members of Agent and Agent Academy.

Agent hosted several landmark events in 2024, individually and in collaboration with our clients. We launched the Net Zero North West (NZNW) manifesto with Steve Rotherham and Andy Burnham here in the North West, before hosting a further NZNW manifesto launch event at The House of Lords in London with the new Labour government following their election victory in the autumn, this time including Sarah Jones MP, Minister of State at the Department for Net Zero. 

We were also proud to host our largest ever International Women’s Day event at Manchester Hall, welcoming over 200 powerful female business leaders, as well as offering networking opportunities to those entering the industry and looking for guidance and inspiration.

Our Labour Party Conference Fringe event, held in partnership with VOCL at our Liverpool studio, was a fantastic success. Agent welcomed Lucy Powell, Leader of the House of Commons, who delivered an inspiring speech to hundreds of representatives of new and established voices in Net Zero, decarbonisation and sustainable business spaces. On a personal note, I was honoured to be named in the Top 200 Northern Leaders alongside peers I have respected and admired for so many years.

At client level, Agent continues to work with organisations we care deeply about, while welcoming new business who share our values and reflect our ambition to drive powerfully good work across the advanced manufacturing, sustainability, transport and connectivity spaces.

The most important part of Agent is our people. This year, we have once again grown our Liverpool and Manchester studios, not only in numbers, but in the skills, abilities, achievements and confidence across the team, from senior leaders to new hires. This is exemplified in the work of Agent Academy, which continues to fill me with joy as we support the next generation of creative talent across the country. We welcomed several Academy graduates to roles at Agent in 2024, and I am so proud that we are continuing to lead with care, both in the work we create and for those creating it.

It was also the biggest year yet for our annual All You Read is Love campaign. Over the last five years, Agent and our clients have raised over £65,000 to purchase new books for underprivileged children and communities across the North West. All You Read is Love has become a beloved Agent tradition for our team and our clients, and I would like to take this opportunity to send a massive thank you to everyone who donated in 2024, including the wonderful Publiship.

Publiship is a leading global book distributor, with offices in the Liver Building, and their donations over the last two years have totalled over £35,000. Because of each donation - and the Agent team members hand-delivering the books across our cherished communities - thousands of children once more discovered the joy of reading at Christmas.

As I look ahead to 2025, I am more determined than ever for Agent to continue leading with both its head and heart. We are building more partnerships and networks than ever before, and this is incredibly important to our ambitions. Agent has always known the value of collaboration – it is at the very core of our business. We will always put ourselves forward as a convenor to deliver as much value as possible to our clients.

Here at Agent, we pride ourselves on always doing more, going that extra mile to use our platforms for good, through our own work, Agent Academy and as individuals. We also have several of our biggest ever events lined up - watch this space!

I look forward to seeing you in 2025 to create more powerfully good work together.

Paul Corcoran, Agent CEO