Leading Questions with Marcus Orme – Medialab
Leading Questions
Medialab founder and CEO Marcus Orme is in the hot seat to face our probing and quick-fire Leading Questions.
Marcus Orme is the CEO and co-founder of Medialab, the independent, data-led media agency he launched with two colleagues 21 years ago and still helps run day to day.
Under his watch the agency has grown into one of the UK’s leading independent media agencies, built around a partnership model and a stated commitment to putting its people first.
Leadership
What principles guide your leadership approach?
The principles that guide my leadership are the same ones I follow in my personal life. Whether it’s in my relationships or how I show up as a parent, I’m fundamentally driven by a commitment to do the right thing and act with empathy.
I’m an ambitious and competitive person by nature; I want to be the best at what I do, and I want the people around me to be the best, too. To achieve that, I believe in a ‘one team’ philosophy: ensuring everyone is aligned with the plan and moving in the same direction is key.
Ultimately, everything we deliver at Medialab is built on trust, honesty, and doing the right thing – always. If you are honest and you deliver, the results follow. That links to accountability, something I’m admittedly obsessed with. I’ve always struggled with the idea of passing the buck, and I believe we are all accountable for our own areas. The beauty of running this business is that while I’m responsible for our overall outcomes, I empower others to be fully accountable for the areas they lead. It’s an incredibly liberating way to work.
I believe that this leadership approach has been a key driver of our growth. We don’t just have ’employees’ here; we have talented people who are empowered to take genuine ownership and deliver great work for our clients. These principles set the bar for everything we do, ensuring we remain the UK’s leading independent media agency.
How do you define success as a leader in today’s media landscape?
Success starts with listening. Both to what our clients really want and what our people want.
Being adaptable is key too. It might sound clichéd, but we’re in a fast-moving landscape where we have to be agile enough to look around corners and be willing to keep learning. Watching the team go from strength to strength over the last few years has taught me that even if we’re doing incredibly well, it’s not the time to sit still. That’s when it’s time to change.
How do you personally stay ahead of industry disruption?
I make a point of giving myself the space to think and get away from the daily noise. While industry events and networking spark new perspectives, I also believe in reading voraciously around my subject; I’m a bit of a bookworm at heart, and that constant learning is vital.
However, the real edge always comes from staying close to the voice of the customer and our media owner partners. By digging deeper to truly understand their challenges, we can spot shifts early and move with much greater speed.
Asking direct, honest questions, rather than second-guessing, allows us to bypass the fluff and move straight to the opportunities that actually matter.
People and Culture
How do you build and maintain a strong company culture in times of rapid change?
Medialab is on an exciting growth journey, and even as the landscape shifts, our values act as our compass. By committing to doing the right thing and helping people flourish, we ensure our culture stays strong, and our performance remains high as we scale.
I’m a firm believer in radical candour, open, honest conversations that balance clarity and empathy and strengthen relationships. We train everyone in the company to be radically candid so that we all speak the same language and know how to give and receive clear feedback across our teams and with our partners.
I, along with Medialab’s other two founders, remain heavily involved in the day-to-day business 21 years later. I believe that presence makes a positive difference, ensuring we never lose the entrepreneurial day-one spirit that keeps us agile.
Diversity is non-negotiable for us; great talent and fresh perspectives come from every background, and we need those different voices to stay ahead.
How do you inspire your teams when uncertainty is the norm?
Uncertainty is just an opportunity to lead. From 21 years of steering this business through multiple industry shifts, I’ve learned that honesty and transparency are the only way forward. As things evolve, we have to acknowledge that there will be highs and lows in productivity and team culture. That’s when it’s important to address it, show my support as a leader and listen to the challenges people are facing.
I believe in addressing the reality head-on and focusing on what we can control. If you control the controllables, the rest will usually come good.
Celebrating progress is also vital. When people see tangible results, confidence builds. It’s the same spirit that had us ticking off targets on a whiteboard in the early days. We have weekly ‘Collablabs’ where the company comes together to share news, share insights, and celebrate achievements. Freshly launched this year, we now use ‘Medialab Live’ – our annual, all-agency get-together – to align the entire business on how we’ll continue to shape the industry, rather than just reacting to it.
What’s your approach to developing future leaders within your organisation?
I believe leadership starts with opportunity and trust. From day one, our people take real ownership of projects that make a measurable impact, and we equip entry-level talent to be commercially sharp and culturally aware.
To support this, we provide internal and external mentoring and coaching programmes to all our Medialabbers at every level. This includes board-level mentors who dedicate time to their mentees, away from the pressures of day-to-day work. Beyond our internal efforts, we use external programmes from Bloom, Outvertising, and MEFA, as well as bespoke coaching for our senior leaders.
All line managers undergo our ‘Managing Well at Medialab’ training, ensuring they develop the essential skills not just to manage a team, but to lead one. I am personally passionate about this investment in ongoing development; it’s inspiring to see and ensures our future leaders are as high-performing as they are empathetic.
AI, Innovation and Skills
How is AI changing the way you lead and make decisions?
AI isn’t just a tool to do the same work but faster. For me, this technology is about liberating human intelligence. By automating the noise, we’re freeing up time for sharper, more considered strategic thinking.
Our significant investment in AI signals our advocacy for change, but it’s also my responsibility to ensure we use it with a human-in-the-loop approach. Being independent means we focus on long-term value and real-world effectiveness, not short-term hype.
What skills will define successful media leaders in the next decade?
The ability to marry data with intuition. We must never lose sight of the fact that this is, and always will be, a people-first industry.
Successful leaders will be those who can blend high-level data literacy with deep emotional intelligence.
A relentless curiosity is also essential. If you’re not willing to keep growing, you’ll be left behind. In a world of automated solutions, character will always be the ultimate differentiator.
What’s your advice for aspiring media leaders?
Maintain an open mindset and say yes to the unexpected, as this is often how the most inspiring moments in a career come about.
It’s also vital to listen more than you talk. The most brilliant insights usually come from the people around you.
And finally, if you focus relentlessly on client outcomes, you’ll build a legacy, not just a career.
The Quick-fire Round
Which book would you make required reading for all media leaders?
The Lombardi Rules. In my view, it is one of the most underrated leadership books of all time.
Which leader from TV, film, or literature most inspires you?
Sir David Attenborough. He is someone who personifies living and breathing your work.
What’s your go-to source for inspiration when you need it — work or otherwise?
For me, it’s all about getting out into nature. My go-to is a long walk with my two best friends: Dotty, my beloved Boxer, and my wife Penny, who is my better half and closest confidant.
Media lunch or media breakfast meeting, and why?
Media lunch, and a long one at that. I don’t get to do it as often as I’d like, but when I do, it’s a chance to really go deep into what matters with our partners.
Which media leader would you like to answer Leading Questions next?
I’d love to see Dom Williams take the hot seat. He’s someone I truly admire. He lives and breathes the voice of the customer, and I think we could all learn a thing or two from his approach.
Leading Questions is published by The Media Leader every Friday.