Twenty-five IPA member agencies have been awarded Gold for their exceptional professional development programmes which have made a marked improvement to the lives of their agency staff and to the development of their businesses. They were presented with their certificates at the IPA Members’ Lunch today (21st April).
The agencies are:
Addiction,
AW Media,
BBH,
Dare,
DDB, Hunterlodge, i-level, JWT, Kitcatt Nohr Alexander Shaw,
Leo Burnett Group,
McCann Erickson Advertising, McCann Manchester, Mediaedge:cia, MediaCom Scotland, Nexus/H,
OMD UK,
Posterscope,
Profero,
Rapier,
RKCR/Y&R, Starcom MediaVest,
td Search, Total Media, Unique Digital, Zenith Optimedia.
Eight agencies were also highly commended. They are:
Aevolve, Carat, Diffiniti, MediaVest (Leeds), Mindshare,
Trinity Communications,
Vizeum,
Woolley Pau.To achieve Gold CPD Accreditation agencies will not only have met the full criteria for CPD Accreditation (inductions, appraisals, training objectives and CPD logs etc) but will have exceeded regular practice.
In a gold accredited agency there will be a holistic approach to people development and a thorough commitment to learning which, in the opinion of the judging panel, has been thoroughly demonstrated in the company’s submission. Regardless of the size of available budget, these companies will show creativity in building a vibrant learning culture, in support of real business objectives. Importantly, submissions should also contain clear evidence that CPD practice is not merely an add-on to operations but lies at the heart of business, to fuel commercial success.
To be nominated for gold accreditation, agencies are required to write a paper which demonstrates the business success of their CPD programme. Full details can be
found here.
Says Roisin Donnelly, Corporate Marketing Director and Head of Marketing, Procter & Gamble UK and Ireland and President of Marketing Society, Chairman of Judges: “As a client, I highly value the outstanding work the IPA’s agencies are doing in CPD. Training, developing and coaching all our people from new starts to senior management is essential to fuel profitable agency growth and to retain clients and build stronger partnerships with brands. This year we have seen creative and cost effective approaches to bring the right training to the right people at the right time.”
Says Patrick Mills, Director of Professional Development, IPA: “In its tenth anniversary year CPD is now firmly established amongst IPA members and the commitment to it shows just how businesses can benefit from continual investment in learning and development, both in terms of agency profitability but also in the development and retention of talent.”
View the individual citations for the Gold CPD accredited agencies:
AddictionAddiction only joined the IPA last June so it is impressive to see how far they have come against the standard. Addiction’s management has stuck with using CPD to improve their business, and the lives of their staff, in tough times.
AW MediaDuring a tough year, with consequent reduction of client and training budgets, AW Media has adopted and adapted, but in no way diminished, its commitment to people development. It is a great example for larger agencies of what can be achieved with focus, dedication and innovation.
BBHDespite a very difficult year BBH kept its extensive and impressive training programme on track, for example using senior management to teach their staff. Moreover, no department was left behind!
Dare
Dare covers the CPD fundamentals convincingly and then does so much more - using their management to deliver a high class programme and meeting their business goals. No wonder they have seen improvements in their staff satisfaction survey and retained all of their clients.
DDB
DDB has reacted creatively and astutely to the tough economic times by greater and clever use of internal training resources. DDB obviously fully embraces CPD and is very professional, thoughtful and inspirational in its people practices.
HunterlodgeThe IPA CPD standard has only been operational for two years at this 22-year old agency but its management have given a powerful demonstration of how CPD can be used to underpin a new and motivating company vision.
i-levelParticularly pleasing is the belief and demonstration from i-level that good CPD/people practices are essential for business success. Amongst other measurables, the use of scores from the Best Companies survey helped evidence another good training and development year within the company.
JWTThere is obviously top management support for CPD at JWT, and a learning and development culture shines throughout the company. Despite the tough economic climate, it is clearly a firm believer that people development is paramount in delivering business success.
Kitcatt Nohr Alexander Shaw
This agency is very clear about what is needed to be a successful marketing communications company, and equally clear about how training can help. Senior management share their knowledge widely. Staff are encouraged to be responsible for their own development with funding per person. It is a very grown up plan for a young, vibrant agency.
Leo Burnett Group
This was an excellent submission demonstrating the power of CPD practices to support cultural and business transformation, and evidenced by strong metrics.
McCann Erickson Advertising
This submission demonstrates that the agency is going way beyond the minimum compliance levels of IPA CPD accreditation and is using CPD to help it achieve best in class status as an industry employer which is to be applauded.
McCann Manchester
McCann Manchester has demonstrated real commitment to the principles that underpin IPA CPD accreditation and has made a real effort to understand the contribution they make to business and people performance. The number of training innovations undertaken, such as the Post Graduate Certificate, developed in conjunction with Manchester Metropolitan University, is truly impressive.
Mediaedge:cia
Mediaedge:cia has clearly demonstrated the correlation between agency objectives, learning and skills needs and training implementation. It is another impressive submission from Mediaedge:cia and it is particularly pleasing that the agency has not just rested on its laurels, but has introduced several innovations during the year.
MediaCom Scotland
A CPD culture is clearly in place, of which MediaCom Scotland is overtly proud. Whilst obviously benefitting from the main agency people systems and processes, MediaCom Scotland strives for its own identity and has produced its own initiatives. It is another excellent submission.
Nexus/H
This submission shows that excellence does not just reside in London. The basic standard has been exceeded in spades: hours in logs, good use of IPA qualifications, impressive appraisals, great internal training and clear inductions.
OMD UK
OMD UK clearly exceeds regular practice and has continued to demonstrate a strong commitment to learning and development, with tangible, demonstrable results that have impacted positively on the agency’s business performance.
Posterscope
Posterscope has demonstrated that continuous review of CPD practices, designed to enhance people performance and career development within the agency, can be used strategically to contribute to business performance.
Profero
Profero has long been committed to employing CPD practices to achieve business success and this submission was able to demonstrate a clear link between execution and achievement — not an easy task!
Rapier
Rapier is Campaign’s ‘DM Agency of the Decade’ and there is a real sense that their investment in learning and development have helped. So many initiatives are open to all staff, including the very smart ‘make yourself interesting’ funding.
RKCR/Y&R
RKCR/Y&R has made excellent use of its internal senior resource to create a CPD programme which is both innovative and effective in its contribution to real business success.
Starcom MediaVest
This is a superb ‘state of the art’ submission from Starcom MediaVest, almost the CPD equivalent of an IPA Effectiveness Awards paper. During a tough year, with decreasing budgets, Starcom MediaVest has managed to generally retain staff, due in no small part to its obvious dedication to staff welfare, training and development. It is small wonder that the agency has recently been ranked in the ‘Sunday Times Best 100 Companies To Work For’ Awards.
td Search
This agency proves that being small, partly regional and specialised is no bar to excellence. They could teach some big London agencies how it should be done. This is an agency whose senior management demonstrates convincingly, right from their incredible eight day welcome programme, that knowledge is vital.
Total Media
A learning and development culture has been at the heart of Total Media since their formation over 20 years ago. The partners felt the business could not grow unless others could take responsibility , which meant giving the right expertise, and having policies in place around useful inductions and appraisals. A virtually flawless programme earns them a top Gold Award.
Unique Digital
The importance of Unique Digital’s people practices shines throughout this submission, evidentially and from the quotes, feedback and testimonials provided. It is clear that CPD has been fully embraced by all levels within the agency with the training and development providing something for everyone.
Zenith Optimedia
In a difficult year Zenith Optimedia has increased their investment and amount of training dramatically, which is all part of their plan to make Zenith Optimedia the place of choice for talent. This is very impressive given the size of the agency too which gives a real sense that no talent is left behind.
For more information about CPD accreditation, please click here.