Leadership Lessons with Lucy Newson, Deputy MD at Alfred

Principal Consultant Helena Ranger sat down with Lucy Newson, Deputy Managing Director at Alfred, to talk about leadership in uncertain times, the rise of integrated comms and how to keep teams motivated in a changing industry.

With a background in consumer communications and years of experience leading within an independent agency, Lucy shares how Alfred has built agility into its model, supported its people and stayed ahead of the curve.

What essential qualities should leaders possess to drive success in agencies today?

Resilience, without question. The market is tough, and the pace can be relentless. Leaders need to keep learning, keep pitching and find new opportunities. At the same time, they need to protect the energy of their teams. You have to lead from the front with a can-do attitude and not let challenges knock you down. Adaptability is just as important. We’ve always been a strategic agency with long-term plans in place, but recently we’ve had to respond quickly to changing client needs and industry shifts. Being independent helps. There’s no red tape, so we can move fast when we need to.

What changes are you seeing across the PR industry right now?

 The pitch process has definitely become harder. It’s more drawn out, and there’s a lot of uncertainty. Ghosting has been talked about a lot, and we’ve experienced it. Clients want fast turnarounds but sometimes disappear mid-process. There’s also a higher volume of agencies pitching for smaller pieces of work, which adds pressure on resourcing and prioritisation. Budgets have also changed. Retainers have shrunk but expectations have grown. What used to be a £20k retainer might now be £10k or even £5k, yet clients still expect a similar level of service. That puts pressure on agencies to demonstrate value at every stage. We’ve also seen more briefs focused on social, digital and influencer work. It’s where momentum is building and often where the bigger budgets and creative opportunities now sit.

How has influencer marketing and integrated comms changed how you work as an agency?

Integrated work has always been part of Alfred’s set-up. Dan, who founded the agency, has a digital background and mine is in PR and integrated comms, so from day one we’ve worked across channels. As the market has evolved, we’ve added more specialists to the team. We now have paid media experts, content creators and producers alongside traditional PR talent. We try to hire people who are comfortable across both PR and digital. The kind of person who can spot a media opportunity and understand TikTok at the same time. That blend helps us deliver joined-up work for clients and means we can flex depending on the brief. Some clients come to us for specific channels, but many ask for fully integrated campaigns. We’ve been the lead agency for brands like Impossible Foods, managing everything from media buying to retail partnerships and influencer strategy. It’s about understanding how all the pieces work together.

How has your approach to leadership evolved in light of economic uncertainty?

We’ve doubled down on transparency. It’s something we’ve always valued, but during uncertain times it becomes even more important. We make an effort to keep everyone informed about both the challenges and the wins. Celebrating success is another focus. PR moves quickly and it’s easy to skip past a win and move straight to the next thing. We’ve built regular reflection into our schedule with monthly agency meetings and quarterly updates. It helps keep morale up and shows people how their work is making an impact. Flexibility is also key. We’ve always tried to support different working styles, whether that’s parents needing flexible hours or team members who need to work remotely more regularly. The workplace has changed and so has leadership. I try to lead in a way that’s nurturing and focused on helping people grow in the direction that’s right for them. We also encourage people to explore their interests. One of our team members moved from an office management role into social content. She’s flying now. Those kinds of internal shifts are great for morale and show the team we’re serious about progression.

What skillsets do you think agencies will prioritise in the years ahead?

AI is the big topic. I think it will help us be more efficient and reduce time on repetitive tasks, but it won’t replace the human skills that sit at the heart of our work. Creativity, consultancy and relationship building will always matter. There’s also a conversation to be had about pricing. Most agencies still use time-based billing, but AI might push the industry to think differently. Value-based pricing, where clients pay for impact instead of hours, could be a positive shift. We’ll need to continue hiring for creativity, emotional intelligence and adaptability. Digital fluency will also become more important, but I don’t think that means replacing the core PR skills. We need both.

What are your predictions for the year ahead in the communications industry?

Clients will continue to be under pressure to justify their spend, and that means agencies need to get better at measurement. We’ve talked about this as an industry for a long time, but now it’s critical. We need to show the value of PR in a clear and tangible way. I also think the debate between generalists and specialists will continue. Some brands want one agency to handle everything. Others want niche expertise. Agencies need to be flexible and able to collaborate across disciplines. And of course, we’ll all need to keep up with digital change. Social platforms evolve fast, and the pace isn’t slowing. Agencies that stay curious, embrace changing tech and support their teams to grow will be the ones that succeed.

Lucy Newson is Deputy MD at Alfred, an independent agency known for integrated, purpose-driven campaigns. With a strong background in consumer PR and strategic comms, Lucy plays a central role in shaping Alfred’s direction, developing its team and leading client relationships. Her approach combines commercial awareness with a focus on culture and team wellbeing, helping Alfred to grow while staying true to its values.

Helena Ranger is Principal Consultant leading the Consumer division across PR and Marketing, Helena has played a pivotal role in building high-performing teams for top global communications firms, independent boutique agencies, and in-house teams of major international brands. Helena began her recruitment career by specialising in talent acquisition for the hotel and private members’ club industries. She fosters lasting, meaningful relationships with both clients and candidates, and always goes above and beyond to deliver exceptional results.

Hanson Search is a globally recognised, award-winning talent advisory and headhunting consultancy. We excel in helping businesses recruit world-class, transformative talent for business-critical roles that drives revenue and manages reputation and risk. Our expertise lies in building successful ventures worldwide through our recruitment, interim and executive search processes for consultancies and in-house teams across industry sectors in communications, sustainability, public affairs and policy, digital marketing, and sales. Over our two-decade history, we have successfully hired C-suite executives, curated boards, and built teams that drive growth and transformation.