The Immortal Life of Agencies

Candid’s CEO: The quest for agency simplification - Ruud Wanck

Jan 28, 2025

32:00

Today’s guest is Ruud Wanck, CEO of Candid - who describe themselves as ‘next generation holding company’. Candid’s offering has been specifically designed to address the defining challenge for modern clients - the twin needs for specialisation and integration.

Ruud shares how he’s consolidated his group into three core offerings - brand, communications and media. And by removing so much complexity, Candid claims to be the first player to truly break down the silos in our industry.

His clarity is compelling. While so many agency groups are wrestling with their strategy, Ruud has a very specific take on what his agency CEOs remain responsible for and what is handled centrally.

He also explores the importance of maintaining each agency's culture and independence, as well as how his growth strategy is driven purely by client needs.

And yes, for fans of British humour, we DO talk about his name.

HIGHLIGHTS:

[02:14] Ricky Gervais and THAT Tweet

[03:21] Where specialisation meets integration

[09:59] Empowering CEOs to lead

[13:30] Maintaining cultures across a holding company

[17:16] Making agency mergers simpler

[20:14] Expanding Candid’s reach

[23:22] Avoiding the hard sell

[27:26] Driving growth via client needs

[29:49] Celebrating opportunity

MORE ABOUT RUUD: