Audience Group bets on independence with new five-partner structure
Three senior leaders take a stake in the indie media agency
AUSTRALIA— 6 AUG 2026 — Australian independent media agency Audience Group has expanded its ownership group from two to five, with Casey Greig, Aimee Gossage and Angela Rogers investing in the business to become shareholders and directors. It’s a deliberate bet on independent ownership as acquisition and consolidation reshape the agency market.
The three have each made a substantial personal investment in the business, joining co-founders James McDonald and Tom Evans. All three were existing members of Audience Group’s senior leadership team, with Casey leading strategy, Aimee leading investment and Angela leading client service.
The structure is unambiguous in its intent. Rather than bring in external ownership, Audience Group has extended equity to the senior leaders already running its core disciplines.
“We remain firmly independent,” said James McDonald, managing director. “Tom and I founded Audience Group on evidence-based advertising strategy and a firm belief in Asymmetric Growth: the principle that media investment should generate business value well beyond the media plan itself.
“Casey, Aimee and Ange believe in that vision and bring the leadership, smarts and ambition to further develop our agency principles and each make their own mark on its future.”
Co-founder and COO Tom Evans said, “Our independence is a clear operating advantage. The people who own this business remain directly involved in client programs. Clients can speak directly to the people making the decisions and accountable for the outcomes.”
Growth on its own terms
Audience Group’s billings grew 164% in the past year, following consistent year-on-year growth since the agency was founded.
“That is a big number, achieved through a program of deliberate growth,” Evans said. “We have always expanded when the business, the team and our capabilities were ready, rather than chasing growth for its own sake.”
Evans said last year’s step-change was the payoff on investment made in the business the year prior.
“It’s a direct reflection of the strength of the leadership team we’ve built and the work they’ve put in,” he said. “It’s also why we’re moving into new offices at the end of September. The new space reflects where the agency has got to, and where we’re taking it next.”
Addressing the knowledge problem
McDonald said the ownership move would help address a structural weakness in the typical agency model: the loss of institutional knowledge through senior turnover. Media agency employment among MFA members fell 5.1% to 4,411 people in the most recent census, with much of the deliberate headcount reduction occurring across leadership and support roles.
“Client knowledge, it lives in people,” he said. “Every time a senior person leaves an agency, a client loses history.”
“Developing your people, creating a clear path for progression and providing opportunities for equity are all critical to addressing that problem. Casey, Aimee and Ange are now owners with capital at risk and a long-term interest in continuing to build the knowledge, relationships and expertise that sit within this agency.”
McDonald said the new ownership structure was built for expansion rather than consolidation. “We intend to grow this agency, and we intend to do it as an independent, on our own balance sheet and our own terms.”
The new ownership structure took effect on 1 July. There are no changes to client teams or servicing arrangements.
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Comments from the new owners:
Angela Rogers, Head of Client Service, said:
“Clients are managing complex agency villages, so the value we bring has to include orchestration as well as specialist media expertise. My focus is on tightening how we operate, embedding our AI approach across the agency and making it easier for clients to connect our work to shared business outcomes. Becoming an owner gives me greater scope and accountability to drive that forward.”
Casey Greig, Head of Strategy, said:
“Media strategy has to contribute to more than marketing outcomes. More and more, our role is to help leadership teams understand how media and advertising strategy can support business growth and change the conditions in which customers make choices. As an owner, I want to keep building and innovating on our strategic and data capabilities and make sure our thinking reaches further into the decisions that shape the business.”
Aimee Gossage, Head of Investment, said:
“Strong investment outcomes depend on forging the right partnerships across media, technology and data. Brands also need to think beyond visibility and invest in becoming retrievable when people and AI systems are looking for answers. I see a significant opportunity for Audience Group to help clients navigate that shift, and I have backed the business because I believe we are well placed to lead it.”
