Why did your agency pursue Accreditation when it wasn’t mandatory?
We believe in setting high standards for ourselves, not simply meeting the minimum required.
At Apparent, it’s something we commit to annually. We’ve been ACA Accredited since 2023, and each year it allows us to check and benchmark that we’re upholding our standards across areas like governance, ethics, compliance, people and wellbeing and to identify where we can improve.
The industry has a responsibility to uphold high standards as it continues to rapidly evolve, now more than ever. ACA Accreditation helps us hold ourselves accountable and reinforces advertising as a credible and professional industry alongside other established professional services. For us, Accreditation provides the discipline and framework to do that.
Describe one moment from the past year when your investment in your people’s wellbeing actually mattered.
One moment that stands out was supporting an employee experiencing a period of significant personal and emotional difficulty, which was beginning to affect their capacity to navigate work as they normally would.
Rather than approaching it purely as a performance, attendance or workplace issue, we took a step back and focused first on the person. We had an open and compassionate conversation about what they were going through, explored what support would be helpful, and worked with them to make some practical adjustments while they focused on getting back on their feet.
We also made sure they knew there was support available beyond their manager and P&C, including professional wellbeing support, and continued to check in rather than treating the initial conversation as a one-off.
What mattered most was that the employee felt they could be honest about not being okay, without being judged or feeling that their job was at risk. It was a good reminder that investing in wellbeing isn’t always about a new program or a big initiative. Sometimes it’s about creating enough trust and psychological safety for someone to say, ‘I’m struggling’, and knowing that the response will be, ‘Okay, let’s work through this together’.
That moment mattered because we were able to support the person first, while still finding a way to balance their wellbeing with the needs of the business.
What would you want someone reading a job ad from your agency to understand about what Accreditation signals about how you run the place?
Accreditation is a signal that we’re serious about creating a great place to work, not just talking about it.
It reflects a commitment to the standards we hold ourselves to around our people, culture, wellbeing, leadership and the way we operate as an agency. It means there is accountability behind the employee experience, and that we’re continually looking at where we can do better.
It also signals that we care about building an agency where people can do great work and have a sustainable, rewarding experience while they’re here.
We’re not perfect, and we don’t pretend to be, but Accreditation reflects our commitment to listening, learning, and continually improving how we support our people.
So, if they are considering a role at Apparent, Accreditation should give candidates confidence that the way we talk about our culture is backed by genuine investment and accountability.
What would you say to an agency that hasn’t applied yet?
I’d say look into it. It’s a worthwhile opportunity to step back from the day-to-day and take an objective look at how you’re operating as an agency, and what everyone can always learn is to be better.
It’s become an important part of how we hold ourselves accountable to established industry standards. And having that independently assessed and recognised through ACA adds credibility, giving our people, clients and industry peers confidence that those standards aren’t just something we say we uphold; they’ve been externally checked and verified.
