Published by Sue Johns-Chapman
Published Date 13.10.2026 
We are thrilled to share that Brand Champions has won Best Flexible Working Policy at the European Agency Awards 2026. The award was presented in Ibiza on 22 September, alongside agencies from right across the continent.
It is a win that belongs to the whole team, and one that recognises the principle the agency was built on in the first place.
Flexibility by design, not by exception
Founder and CEO Fiona Wylie established Brand Champions after returning from maternity leave and finding that the flexibility she needed simply did not exist, particularly for experienced senior marketers. Rather than accept that talented people had to choose between ambitious work and a life outside it, she set out to build a different kind of agency.
That decision still shapes how we work. We are remote first and freelance led, with a permanent core team supported by a trusted network of specialist marketers. People organise work around their lives while remaining accountable to clients and to one another. Flexibility is structural here: it is designed into how the agency runs, rather than granted case by case.
Connection is built in just as deliberately. Weekly in person co-working, monthly all-team calls and a fully funded team offsite give people the shared experiences that are harder to come by when a team is distributed. Autonomy works best when people also feel part of something.
The evidence sits in the numbers too. Brand Champions surpassed its £3m stretch revenue target for the year in August. Quarterly surveys have recorded team and client satisfaction above 90 per cent, and client retention stands at 87 per cent.
What the judges said
Four judges reviewed the entry, and the thread running through their comments was the link between how we look after people and how the business performs.
“The standout strength is how convincingly you connect culture to commercial results, with employee satisfaction, client retention and year-on-year growth presented together so the people-first model reads as a business advantage rather than a perk. The founding story behind the agency gives the whole entry real authenticity.”
Another judge pointed to the evidence behind it: “I appreciated solid data demonstrating the 90% employee satisfaction rate measured by internal surveys. The clients’ financial successes are also a solid proof of how a happy workplace can deliver a high quality of work.” A third summed it up as “good delivery on business impact that is correlated with your measures”, while one of the panel singled out the volunteering our team takes part in, which sits alongside our support for The Hygiene Bank and our pro bono work for Mahaba Café and Man Club Jersey.
The overall feedback published by the organisers reads:
“The judges thought that this was an authentic and compelling entry, built around a clear purpose and a genuinely people-first culture. The founding story demonstrated real credibility, while the commitment to flexibility and employee well-being felt deeply embedded in the business rather than treated as a mere benefit.”
Deeply embedded is the part we are proudest of. Our SOS (Service on Stand-by) service only works because experienced marketers actively choose to work with us, so how we treat our people is inseparable from the service our clients receive.
What the win means to us
“This award means so much, not just to me but to every single person on this team. When I set up Brand Champions, I wanted to prove that you don’t have to choose between doing brilliant work and having a life outside of it. Flexible working isn’t a perk we offer; it’s the whole foundation the agency is built on. This win is for everyone who’s ever been told a career and real flexibility can’t coexist. We’re proof that they can, and honestly, that they should.” Fiona Wylie, Founder and CEO, Brand Champions
Recognised on a European stage
The few days in Ibiza were a highlight in themselves. It was brilliant to meet so many talented people from agencies across Europe, and the networking was genuinely valuable, connecting with likeminded agencies from across the continent and comparing notes on how they are building their own businesses.
Being recognised on a European stage matters to a team of our size. It is a reminder that a flexible, people-first model stands up against the best in the industry, wherever that industry is based.
Find out more
You can learn more about how we work on our website, take a closer look at our Service on Stand-by (SOS), or read our guide to hyperlocal versus local marketing for an example of the practical thinking our team shares. To keep up with the team, follow Brand Champions on LinkedIn.
Congratulations to every winner and finalist at this year’s European Agency Awards, and thank you to the organisers and judges for shining a light on how agencies choose to look after their people.
