Running – not walking – with the opportunity to build an inclusive agency from the ground up

February 2025: As comms professionals, turning the news agenda into a well-crafted story is our job – and yet I find myself stuck on how to put the events of the last few weeks into words. Yes, that’s right, me, the person who can talk about anything to anyone, doesn’t know what to say. But I suppose I’ll give it a go anyway… 

President Trump and his supporters including Elon Musk (I made it to paragraph two for the first mention of their names – how rare these days) are disrupting the way we live and work, and the values we hold most dear. 

Speaking from my experience alone, it’s jarring on a personal level as I fear for the safety and wellbeing of my friends and family in/from the US, and as I start to think about how the politics of the US will naturally start to seep their way into other countries. This does of course include the UK, where we have seen a growing number of companies already reversing their diversity, equity and inclusion commitments. 

In the comms sector we are responsible for helping our clients tell genuine stories that align with their business values. But in a society that seems to be becoming increasingly polarised with anti-diversity, equity and inclusion messaging, our responsibility goes further than this. Not only do we need to help clients navigate external conversations around diversity, equity and inclusion in the right way, but we also need to support one another on a human level. 

Life is a constant balance – and agency is no different 

At 393 we have a number of HR clients, and we constantly talk on their behalf about the power of the workforce. Improving the employee experience by actively listening to employee sentiment; analysing employee skillset to match their skills with different roles across the company; prioritising employee wellbeing to create a happy and productive workforce. 

Whether this is something the comms sector itself is inwardly reflecting on – and actioning – is a whole other conversation, especially now. One of the principles that 393 has been founded on is the idea that if you strip an agency of its tools and platforms, all you have left are its people. But if you aren’t dedicating the time to take a step back and understanding what people what from their workplace, you will not thrive as a business. 

This is where we are in a unique position as a startup. The team already comprises people with years of experience focused on building people-first agencies, understanding what diversity, equity and inclusion actually means, and taking the time to build a strategy that balances nurture with high performance. 

Taking all the talk through to the walk 

We work in communications – we know how to chat a good game. But when you’re building an agency with the type of person who has been taught to read between the lines, you best know there’s not a single person believing the typical diversity, equity and inclusion buzzwords chucked on to a job description. 

I will veer out of the typical British mentality of self-deprecation for a second to shout about the work we’re doing to try and understand how we can truly advance diversity, equity and inclusion across our agency and the sector as a whole. 

I’m part of this year’s cohort of The Xec., run by Elizabeth Bananuka as part of the BME PR Pros. The programme has already taught me there are a multitude of ways we can approach diversity, equity and inclusion across the comms sector; the importance of checking your privilege every time you enter a new situation; and, perhaps most importantly, shone a light on all the incredibly motivating people across our industry who are fighting against local and global challenges to create a more equitable future. 

Across our collective with Delphi, we have colleagues delivering training sessions for The Xec. and participating in wider initiatives run by BME PR Pros, and part of the steering committee for mental health initiative, State of Us. As a startup we’re working to recognise the responsibility we have in changing the comms industry for the better, and being part of each of these initiatives teaches us how to look inward. 

In the case of 393, it is helping us determine our non-negotiable employee values and client commitments. It is also helping us develop the processes we need to put in place to ensure we are not only recruiting diversely, but then going on to retain at mid-senior leadership level which is where the industry is known for losing such talent. 

393 is already a collection of people with different lived experiences, who want to champion those experiences. We are not diversity, equity and inclusion experts ourselves by any stretch of the imagination. But by putting ourselves in situations where we’re constantly learning about others and getting comfortable with being uncomfortable, we are fully committed to our promise of creating a PR agency that not only looks after its people, but ensures everyone is set up for success and growth from day one. 

By Amandeep Turna, Account Director