The agency has bolstered its team, relaunched the company’s values, and enhanced its sustainability vision with the support of external specialists
Sledge, the proudly employee owned, UK-based agency with a global footprint and expertise in live experience and film, continues to grow its team and evolve its internal operations to the benefit of its people, clients and the planet, following its transition to an Employee Ownership Trust (EOT) in November 2022.
Rebecca Shanks, who has worked within the agency for over seven years, has been promoted to the role of Creative Services Director. Leaning on her more than 12 years of industry experience, Shanks continues to play an instrumental role in developing unique, meaningful and purpose-driven creative concepts for clients, and is now also responsible for leading Sledge’s project team to success.
Furthermore, as one of the agency’s longest standing employees and a trustee to the EOT, Shanks collaborates with the board and her colleagues to enhance Sledge’s internal culture to the benefit of its people on an ongoing basis.
The project team has been further strengthened with the appointment of Megan Hughes to the role of Project Manager, who brings several years’ experience to the agency, and in what epitomises Sledge’s commitment to nurturing the next generation of talent, Seán Higgins joins as a new grad, taking on the role of Project Executive.
All employees have played a pivotal role in integrating the core tenets of the EOT throughout the company’s day-to-day. Key steps have included re-evaluating its values as a collective to ensure they reflect Sledge’s core DNA of people, planet and entrusted growth, and launching Squads, whereby team members meet on a monthly basis to share ideas and feedback for communicating with leadership.
Additionally, Sledge has enlisted the support of a specialist sustainability consultant, who is collaborating with the team over a ten month period to enhance the agency’s existing sustainability vision, goals and commitment. Actions include developing a Sustainability Management System (SMS), which incorporates International Best Practice, the UN SDG’s, GRI Standards, and B Corp – which recognises companies that are employee owned as structured around an Impact Business Model, and a Responsible Client Decision Tree. Here the focus is on ensuring Sledge has a robust process in place, which can be applied when team members are assessing the risks and opportunities associated with a project.
Sarah Yeats, Managing Director, Sledge says: “Becoming employee owned is about much more than a badge of honour. For us, it means ensuring our people are actively involved in shaping the future of the business to their benefit, those of our clients, and the planet, and these recent actions are just the beginning of what will be a continuous development and enhancement process.
“Our recent team promotions and appointments are inextricably linked to the EOT, whereby Becca plays a vital role in its application, meanwhile both Megan and Seán, who were thrilled to have join us, embody our values and core DNA.”
