IPA honours industry’s Golden agencies

The IPA CPD Gold scheme recognises and rewards agencies who demonstrate a genuine culture of learning, bettering the professionalism, development and reputation of the industry enhancing clients’ brands and agencies’ worth as a result.

Each of the 35 CPD Gold agencies have made an exceptional investment in the professional development and wellbeing of their employees helping them maintain strong business practices throughout the changes and challenges of 2021.

On average, CPD Gold agencies earned £5.64 return on every £1 invested in learning and development in 2021, while saving £143,905 on recruitment fees, and retaining 93% of their clients.

This year’s CPD Gold agencies are:

23red, Access, AMV BBDO, Anything is Possible, April Six (Mobility), Bray Leino, Cogent, December 19, Elvis, Generation Media, Havas Media, Hearts & Science, Hunterlodge Advertising, mSix&Partners, MG OMD, MBAstack, McCann Central, McCann Manchester, MediaCom, Medialab, Mindshare, Ogilvy, OMD UK, PHD UK, St Luke's, The Advertising Association, The Kite Factory, The Specialist Works, Total Media, Total Media Connect, VMLY&R Commerce, WAA Chosen, Wavemaker, Wieden + Kennedy London and Wordbird.

Anything is Possible, December 19 and McCann Central have achieved CPD Gold for the first time.

Twenty agencies also achieved CPD Platinum Accreditation for sustained CPD excellence, by earning CPD Gold at least four times over a five-year period.

This year’s CPD Platinum agencies are:

23red, AMV BBDO, Bray Leino, Elvis, Generation Media, Hunterlodge Advertising, mSix&Partners, MG OMD, MBAstack, MediaCom, Mindshare, OMD UK, St Luke's, The Kite Factory, Total Media, VMLY&R Commerce, WAA Chosen, Wavemaker, Wieden + Kennedy London and Wordbird.

mSix&Partners, VMLY&R Commerce and WAA Chosen have achieved CPD Platinum for the first time.

Says, Abba Newbery, Chief Marketing Officer, Habito and Chair of Judges for CPD Gold 2021: "I was incredibly honoured to be asked to Chair the Judges, but nothing could have prepared me for the brilliance of the entries I read. There is so much for the advertising industry at large to be proud of here - an unwavering commitment to people, to nurturing them, motivating them, developing them. But equally impressive was the deep commitment to innovation, diversity and an obvious passion for the business we all work in.

Says Patrick Mills, Director of Membership and Professional Development, IPA: "There’s no question the world is in turmoil; and you’d be forgiven for thinking adland was too with ‘talent crisis’ raging, ‘the great resignation’ in full flow and the endless debates on how hybrid working will actually work. So it is heartening to see how many IPA member agencies are quietly building strong cultures of learning and development through their commitment to Continuous Professional Development (CPD) that are enabling greater rates of staff retention and driving forward their businesses.

When applying for CPD Gold Accreditation, agencies must demonstrate that CPD lies at the heart of their business, building a strong learning culture, in support of real business objectives and the development of employees professionally and personally. Find out how you can achieve CPD Gold accreditation at our free workshop on 25 May

The IPA’s CPD programme offers inspirational career development and training through engaging and effective courses and award-winning qualifications, ensuring agency practitioners; skills match their client’s needs.

How the advertising industry can recruit, retain and recognise outstanding talent will be discussed at the inaugural IPA Talent & Diversity Conference on Wednesday 4 May.