The Ad Club Bangalore launches 'Founders Circle' for agency leaders

New Delhi: The Advertising Club Bangalore has introduced “Founders Circle,” a new membership-based initiative created for agency founders, co-founders and senior partners across advertising, design, digital, media, technology and public relations.

The Bangalore International Centre, the initiative brings together selected agency leaders for conversations around business resilience, people management, differentiation and financial planning, issues often experienced by independent founders.

The programme responds to evolving shifts in the advertising industry, where many agency leaders have transitioned from networks to entrepreneurship. While creative expertise remains central, the realities of building and running an agency continue to present operational and strategic hurdles.

"As agency founders, we’re constantly navigating a mix of creative ambition and business survival, often without a playbook or a peer to call. The Founders Circle is born from that lived reality. It’s a space for leaders to pause, reflect, and grow together. We’re not just solving for today’s pressures; we’re shaping what the future of our industry could and should look like,” said Laeeq Ali, co-founder of Origami Creative and president of The Ad Club Bangalore.

Suneet John, co-founder of Trigger Worldwide and lead of the Agency Impact Series, added, “Agency founders face a brutal paradox: building the future while barely surviving the present. The Founders Circle transforms hard-won wisdom from battle-tested founders into the competitive advantages that separate thriving agencies from those that merely survive. This invitation-only peer circle addresses the fundamental challenges that keep agency leaders awake at night, not through theory, but through proven frameworks that work. We're not just building better agencies; we're redefining what agency leadership looks like in an industry that demands both creative brilliance and business mastery.”

The inaugural session will include a leadership workshop led by Dilip Krishna, founder and chief executive of Carpe Diem India. Krishna brings more than two decades of experience in people development and organisational change, having worked with leaders across 27 sectors.

Membership to the Founders Circle is restricted to invitation or application, with eligibility limited to founders, co-founders and senior partners in creative, media, digital, design, PR and technology-led agencies.

The initiative will feature quarterly sessions, expert-led modules, resource sharing, and collaborative conversations around core business concerns. Additional formats such as retreats, learning journeys and skill-based workshops are expected to follow based on member feedback.

The launch event on August 2, will run from 4:30 pm to 7:00 pm, with an early registration fee of Rs 1,250 and an at-event fee of Rs 1,750.