Operations Stupid or Operations Smart?
A Strategic Discussion on
the Future of In-House Creative Teams
The session explored some of the most urgent questions facing marketing and creative leaders today. Among them:
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What are the limitations of simply replicating external agency models internally?
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Which components of the current in-house operating model are likely to become obsolete within the next year?
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Why the industry must shift from measuring output to measuring value
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How automation and AI are reshaping the function and focus of creative operations
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What creative operations leaders must do to foster systems and cultures that actively support imagination and original thinking
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How in-house teams can move from being seen as production suppliers to strategic partners
Expert Panel:
Moderator: Nish Patel
Host of the Creative Ops Podcast
Nish is a seasoned facilitator and thought leader who works closely with brands to navigate creative operations and in-house transformation. His moderation framed the session around the right questions rather than standard answers.
Amy Spears
Senior Vice President, Brand and Creative, Highmark Health
Amy leads brand strategy, content development, creative, media, and operations across a major U.S. healthcare organization. She shared how her team is navigating hybrid collaboration, rethinking their operational models, and anchoring creative work in measurable brand health.
Emma Turner
Founder, In-House Agency Review
With deep experience across multiple sectors, Emma works directly with marketing teams to redesign their operating models from the ground up. In this session, she challenged the continued replication of traditional agency models within in-house teams and offered a more strategic vision for the future.
James Mathers
Head of Operations, Generation @ Three UK
James is responsible for running the award-winning internal creative team at Three Mobile. His contribution focused on team prioritisation, navigating corporate systems, and how to build trust and impact across business functions.
Anil Noorani
Director, We Are Amnet & Managing Partner, TKM Consultants
Anil brings a unique perspective at the intersection of creative strategy and operational efficiency. He works with global brands to help them scale through offshoring and Smartshoring models, and spoke about the critical readiness required at leadership level to drive transformation.
Who Should Watch
This webinar is highly relevant for:
- Senior marketing leaders building or scaling in-house teams
- Creative operations professionals leading process transformation
- Brand-side decision makers considering offshoring models
- HR and talent acquisition leaders recruiting from agency environments
- Anyone responsible for proving the value and strategic contribution of internal creative teams
We hope you find the webinar both insightful and thought-provoking. Enjoy the session.
”The biggest thing I'm seeing is how do you move away from being the all-you-can-eat agency sweatshop without making sure that they're at the top table and having that conversation with CMOs, marketing directors to really add value at a strategic level, not just execution.
Emma TurnerFounder, In-House Agency Review
