With 6 months under his belt, we took a coffee break with our new Malteser-munching, gym-loving family man and Chief Operating Officer, Daniel Henderson, to find out about his experience of StrategiQ and his plans for the future.
“Well it’s certainly been full-on! I’m really loving being part of a leadership team that has a vision and takes action. They’re good people making good people-led decisions. Because of that, we spend time talking about how to get the balance right between people’s needs and those of the business. We’re trying to take a holistic approach and act with integrity, both things I really value. This is an agency that understands that people and talent will win the game.
I arrived just as the business made its move to centralise four regional offices into a new London one. That of course comes with a lot of disruption and people movement, especially with some colleagues living as far away as Manchester. I had to prioritise people, and building our team, knowing that getting the lead dominos aligned first, is key to a good run.
It’s a big job to come and build a business in motion, and it can be a tricky balancing act. But whilst it’s been tough, it’s also been exciting and rewarding to come in and be part of the agency’s transformation and put my stamp on it in a way.
It feels a bit of a StrategiQ thing to embrace challenge, change and disruption to evolve and achieve growth. In a way, we’re modelling what we want to help brands and industries to achieve themselves. We feel that change is often feared, but more often needed. It’s definitely what brands need to differentiate themselves and stand out in industries that are fast becoming a bit flat and samey.
With the builders dust now settling (physically and metaphorically) on our new home, and new people and processes bedding in, we can really focus on what’s ahead. How we lead clients and how we lead ourselves. The intensity of the transition is starting to feel worth it.
We have a lot of incredibly talented people in the business with complimentary skills, which is enabling us to build for what’s ahead. We’re acting as one team, with one goal, as a client-need led agency with a client optimised mindset. We’re focused on client happiness and strategic impact. Leveraging cross-functional thinking to deliver the right outcomes and really becoming the destination for clients and talent that we set out to be.
StrategiQ is an agency that doesn’t just have ambition, it has proven intent, which to me is ambition in action. That’s what drives business success, for our clients and ourselves. I truly believe that the brands and brand leaders who will win in the new age are those who are doing stuff with intent, not just doing stuff. Businesses need logic based on strategy, they’re not going to get the impact they need from the old execution mindset. Execution with intent will prove success.
We’re known for two things, great work that has an impact, and more importantly, producing people who go far in the industry and are happy. I want to be known for turning potential into talent, and talent into fantastic careers. My ambition and hope is that the talent we embrace and provide growth opportunities to, goes on to use ‘previously of StrategiQ’ as a strapline of success in their careers.”
What colleagues say about Daniel:
“Working with Dan is fantastic, he is firm but fair – puts the business first. He knows how to get the best out of the team and will help to streamline all our processes. Dan listens and is very proactive, a great COO.”
“The amount of plate spinning Daniel is doing to get up to speed with everything operationally is mind blowing. So much of what Daniel does is behind the scenes so I wanted to make sure it gets recognised, with his work on the CJM, helping the HOD’s with their department plans, focus and commitment on the org chart, stepping in and managing teams without a HOD, the list goes on….. we are a better agency with Daniel on the team for sure!”
“Daniel is an absolutely relentless machine in just getting shit done! He is over every single thing in the business. How he is managing the entire marketing department and managing all the ops processes in the meantime is mind blowing. I’m seeing the real value he is bringing to the table with his expertise and challenging every thought, move and opportunity to get us to think differently – to think bigger, especially in the HOD and Production meetings. I love that tenacity and drive he has and it’s infectious to see the speed in which he’s positively impacting the business. I don’t think this guy has stopped since he joined! Thanks Daniel”
“I think we are truly reaping the benefits of Daniel’s expertise. He has brought fresh ideas to the teams, challenged our thinking and pushed us to build great plans for our departments and the wider business. All this whilst balancing interviews, supporting projects and of course getting up to speed. Massive impact so far Daniel, excited to see where the future takes us!”
“Daniel is literally an Operations Octopus, juggling multiple departments, HODs and ops actions, but always doing it with a smile and always making time to support, challenge and encourage. He’s also incredibly organised and has an ability to distill really clear and measurable actions, from a lot of conversation. He helps make intentions manifest and is able to help channel people’s hard work into effective outcomes – it is a journey though, and I’m excited to be on it. Since Daniel has come on board, he’s helped me to really understand my own potential, define the vision for the department and understand how I can improve my own processes. So, huge thank you, Danie.”
“Everyone is working hard, it’s StrategiQ – so the question is IMPACT. The delivery of our vision will come down to doing the simple stuff and boring stuff well and consistently. Off the back of the customer journey work Dan is lining everyone and everything up to be boring and brilliant. The HoD plans are going to be solid and knowing the thinking that’s going into the June HOD standards meeting I’m confident we will drive down wastage and improve communication and performance. Stoic considered but absolutely relentless in the pursuit of boring well done mate.”
“He’s consistently gone above and beyond reviewing work, offering fresh perspectives, and helping shape both short and long term goals for my department. His input into the business plan was invaluable, and his proactive approach has made a real impact. Dan the weather man is constantly making it rain with new ideas and new ways of thinking!”
“Positive attitude, team mentality and wanting the best outcomes for clients/staff.”
“Since Dan joined, he has actively engaged with every project/retainer and team member. Instead of rushing to provide solutions, he takes the time to ask the right questions, truly understand the problem, and then collaborates to find the best solution. Whether it’s helping close new business, reviewing scopes, or supporting ongoing work across the business, Dan’s approach has been invaluable. It would have been easy for him to come in and overhaul everything, but instead, he has been calm, diligent, and responsive, ensuring he understands the details before offering assistance. This thoughtful approach gives me confidence in the positive impact Dan will have on the business this year.”
“Daniel has made such a brilliant impact since he joined the team and brought so much valuable perspective to StrategiQ. I’m excited to see what happens with the team under his leadership. Since he’s joined he’s built great relationships with HoDs, listened to people, challenged, been supportive, had difficult conversations. He brings insight and ideas into every conversation, is great at seeing a path forward and focuses on action and getting things done. I know he’s been incredibly busy, and not had all of the thinking space that he’d have hoped for so I can’t wait to see what he’s able to do over the coming months and he’s able to widen his impact on the company operationally.”
“In the short time he’s been here he’s hit the ground running and really started to shake things up, known to me as the ‘question master’, give him a question and a couple of seconds and you’ll get 10 questions back forcing to you to consider things you had never even thought of and encourages you to bring critical thinking to any situation, no matter how small. Keep up the great work Daniel.”
“Dan, The Man with a Plan. Dan started supporting the CX Team at quite a key time with the onboarding of two new members, however, I have been blown away by the level of care and support he has provided in such a short space of time. He very quickly made me feel listened to, plus he has shared some fresh perspective on how we could develop some of the work we do around customer journeys and how we think about CX, which I’m super excited to start exploring more. Thanks for all your support Dan, it’s hugely appreciated :)”
“Big thank you to Dan, Louise and JR for supporting me on the Senior Social Media Manager panel and culture interviews this week! I really appreciate the commitment of time and engagement with finding the absolute best person to join the team. I’m excited for next steps :)”
