Leadership Lessons with Marshall Manson, UK CEO of FleishmanHillard

In our latest instalment of the Leadership Lessons series, Katie Simpson, Managing Partner at Hanson Search, sat down with Marshall Manson, UK CEO of FleishmanHillard. Marshall shared his perspective on why AI is no longer just a trend, the rise of corporate diplomacy and how to navigate the modern geopolitical landscape. 

Looking back at 2025, what major shifts in client expectations or industry dynamics most affected how operated? 

The major shift was that AI stopped being a standalone trend and became a force in everything else, affecting the communications landscape, commercial realities and client expectations across the board. We have had to move away from thinking about AI as a monolithic force; instead, we need to understand its specific effects in relation to every aspect of our work. Adopting this mindset has enabled us to integrate AI into our relationships, allowing us to serve clients better, work more efficiently and complete complex tasks significantly faster. 

Beyond the technology itself, we have had to think differently about how we structure our client relationships. Commercially, last year cemented the need to move away from the dynamic where clients equate time with value. We have known this in PR for a while, but we can no longer base our commercial relationships on the assumption that the two are related, because they clearly are not. In some cases, this means demonstrating new efficiencies to our clients; in others, it involves structuring our pricing in entirely new ways. We are now exploring areas that PR agencies haven’t traditionally touched, such as charging for underlying IP or adopting software-as-a-service models. 

What emerging comms trends do you think will define this year for agencies? 

I would highlight three defining trends, starting with the end of universal trust. There is nothing that is universally trusted anymore; trust is now situationally specific. If you want to reach an audience that trusts the FT, you’ve got to be there, and if they trust GB News, you have to be there too. We must be objective and go where the audiences are. 

This is linked to the second trend, fragmentation. Technology is forcing everything to be smaller and more fragmented, from audiences and publishers to news sources and institutions. Because of this, the imperative to go where the audiences are is much stronger, and relationships are more important than ever. 

The third big trend is that everything is now defined by geopolitical risk. Most people in professional services grew up in a highly globalised, rules-based international system that has since eroded. Communications advisors must now act as corporate diplomats, helping their bosses understand how to practise international diplomacy and navigate the dynamics between different markets. 

Are clients becoming more risk-averse? 

I don’t know—and I’m not being flippant. In a brand context, I do worry that creativity is getting a lot more vanilla because of an implied risk aversion and the desire to produce creative that doesn’t “piss anybody off.” In a corporate context, the situation is mixed. You get some companies that want to seize the moment and others who want to do anything but lead, preferring to hide among the pack. It is a difficult tightrope to walk when you are navigating tensions on both sides of the Atlantic. 

How has the role of an agency leader evolved over the past few years? 

The core pillars of success are still about creating an environment where people can do their best work and show up as their authentic selves. However, the imperative to transform is the strongest it has ever been. This transformation isn’t optional; we need to change how we work and approach communications to match the landscape, or we will wake up in a couple of years and discover no one is asking for what we do. Finding a future state that is even more valuable than we were five years ago is what excites me. 

Where are you investing most heavily? 

I would rather make lots of small and medium-sized investments to see which ones pay off than make a small number of big bets. We look at many little factors and, when one starts paying dividends, we back it with big support. For example, we decided we needed to get better at Substack, and one of our team built a tool in four days that helps us identify the most influential Substackers on any given topic. We also benefit from the scale of Omnicom making big bets on central AI platforms and data acquisitions like Flywheel and Axiom. 

What is one piece of advice you would give to the next generation of agency leaders? 

I have felt for my whole professional career that my job was to make myself redundant every two or three years and then figure out the next thing. My main advice is to prioritise your people above all else, because no matter what else is happening, nothing is more important than looking after them. 

Beyond that, I would tell the next generation not to be afraid of transformation and change. If you are risk-averse or resistant to change, you will struggle mightily in the current landscape. Communications has never been more important than it is now. In a world of misinformation where facts are hard to find, we need people who aren’t abusing comms. If we are going to counter forces that stir up hatred or dangerous policies, it might as well be us.

Whether you’re hiring top leadership talent or considering your next career move, our team would be delighted to support you.

Katie Simpson works at the senior end of the global Corporate Affairs and Sustainability market across both agency (CEO, MD, Head of and Director) and in-house positions (Director of Corporate Affairs, Director of Communications, Director of Marketing and Communications, Head of External Affairs etc).

Hanson Search is a globally recognised, award-winning talent advisory and headhunting consultancy. Our expertise lies in building successful ventures worldwide through our recruitment, interim and executive search in communications, sustainability, public affairs and policy, digital marketing and sales.