Call To Action 166: Harriet Knight and Hannah Penn on an agency world that’s open to all
Jul 18, 2025
01:07:23
This week we made difficult phone-calls to Ant & Dec, Torvill & Dean and, accidentally, the Neville Brothers, all in order to explain that the nation now has a new favourite double act – the joint chiefs of Pablo, Harriet Knight and Hannah Penn.
Not content with leading Pablo to the very top of the creative charts in agency land – scooping up the Global Campaign Indie of the Year award on two separate occasions – H&H have set about tearing up the dusty old rulebook for agency leadership (especially all those pages about being greedy and horrible). They’ve poured their considerable energies into actually delivering the kind of culture every agency pretends they have, and even launched the Pablo Living Wage, a £30,000 minimum salary for entry level roles that opens up the industry to people who are usually left on the side-lines.
As well as turning Pablo into the creative, and cultural envy of agency world, Harriet and Hannah are also responsible for one of the most successful agency models around – earning a reputation for being superb to work with that translates into a barely believable 100% client retention rate.
In an episode that puts us all in the uncomfortable position of listening to agency bosses who are actually likeable and amusing, we ponder everything from how agency cultures are created to the dynamics that make their partnership tick.
This episode is proudly dedicated to Dan Watts.
Follow Hannah and Harriet on LinkedIn.
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Timestamps
03:00 - Early Career Paths: Hannah's Journey
09:00 - Harriet's Background and Transition to Advertising
15:00 - The Importance of Diverse Experiences in Advertising
18:00 - Creative and Commercial Balance in Advertising
22:00 - How Harriet and Hannah Met
25:00 - The Dynamics of Their Partnership
29:00 - Legacy and Impact in the Advertising Industry
Hannah and Harriet’s Book Recommendations are:
Four Thousand Weeks– Oliver Burkeman
Cork Dork – Bianca Bosko
Super Communicators- Charles Duhigg
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Not content with leading Pablo to the very top of the creative charts in agency land – scooping up the Global Campaign Indie of the Year award on two separate occasions – H&H have set about tearing up the dusty old rulebook for agency leadership (especially all those pages about being greedy and horrible). They’ve poured their considerable energies into actually delivering the kind of culture every agency pretends they have, and even launched the Pablo Living Wage, a £30,000 minimum salary for entry level roles that opens up the industry to people who are usually left on the side-lines.
As well as turning Pablo into the creative, and cultural envy of agency world, Harriet and Hannah are also responsible for one of the most successful agency models around – earning a reputation for being superb to work with that translates into a barely believable 100% client retention rate.
In an episode that puts us all in the uncomfortable position of listening to agency bosses who are actually likeable and amusing, we ponder everything from how agency cultures are created to the dynamics that make their partnership tick.
This episode is proudly dedicated to Dan Watts.
Follow Hannah and Harriet on LinkedIn.
/////
Timestamps
03:00 - Early Career Paths: Hannah's Journey
09:00 - Harriet's Background and Transition to Advertising
15:00 - The Importance of Diverse Experiences in Advertising
18:00 - Creative and Commercial Balance in Advertising
22:00 - How Harriet and Hannah Met
25:00 - The Dynamics of Their Partnership
29:00 - Legacy and Impact in the Advertising Industry
Hannah and Harriet’s Book Recommendations are:
Four Thousand Weeks– Oliver Burkeman
Cork Dork – Bianca Bosko
Super Communicators- Charles Duhigg
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