‘Company culture’ can be an elusive phrase, strewn about in job ads and ‘About Us’ sections on websites to convince people that an agency or studio is a ‘cool and fun’ place to work. For a while it seemed culture was interchangeable with office perks such as free fruit or a ping pong table, but really culture is what keeps people working somewhere, keeps them sharing ideas and giving their best.

“It’s no longer about drinks on a Friday afternoon, it’s about a much more nuanced reflection of the things people care about and the people that make up the agency,” says Miranda Hipwell, CEO at adam&eveDDB in London. “Because it’s more fragmented, it’s harder to conjure up, but it’s more meaningful when it does connect with people.”

Neil Henderson, CEO at St Luke’s agency in London, describes culture as the feeling you have when you “walk in the building” and how the people who work there are bonded together by an understanding of what everyone wants to achieve. “It’s the desire to contribute, the desire to participate, the desire to engage. When that’s happening, then you get culture,” he says. “You can put values up on the wall, and you can talk about the founders’ vision, and where it all came from, but what the company means is the output of what those 50-60 people do together.”