Fractional Operations Director for Agencies

Photo of Damian

Hi, I’m Damian. I’ve been helping agencies run better from the inside for most of my 25-year career. My journey started at a 200-person London agency during the dot-com boom. Since then, I’ve founded two agencies, worked with numerous boutique and mid-size agencies, and led global operations within an 18,000-person agency.

I enjoy helping agencies tackle challenges around people, processes, and strategy. These could be solved by the founders or through hiring new staff. But there’s a lot to be said for bringing in deep experience in a fractional role, because it’s affordable, efficient, clearly defined, and there can be an end point to the work.

My ultimate goal is to help founders feel less trapped in their business and build something they love running again.

Drawing on my applied psychology background and extensive experience in customer research and UX, I bring a unique perspective to agency operations – one that combines strategic thinking with deep human understanding. This allows me to help agencies not just run better, but truly innovate and deliver more value to their clients. If you’re interested, you could read more about my Purpose to Profit Pyramid.

I work with founder-led agencies

I work directly with founders and agency leaders who need support with ops but don’t want to commit to a full-time resource. The agencies I work with typically need support to :

  • Re-think their role to focus on what they enjoy the most
  • Build stronger, more independent teams who enjoy coming to work
  • Create repeatable processes that deliver quality, efficiency and profitability
  • Define a vision for the agency that everyone is excited about

Three Ways We Can Work Together

My approach is flexible and affordable. I know how difficult it can be to run an agency. I’m here to help solve problems, not add to your overhead without making a difference. So, I have three simple ways of working:

1. Project-Based Support

When you have a specific one-off challenge that needs focused attention, for example:

  • Setting up hiring processes
  • Hiring support for a specific role
  • Overseeing challenging client projects
  • Talent gap audit
  • Value proposition definition

2. Fractional Leadership

Regular, ongoing support without the full-time commitment, for example:

  • Monthly strategy sessions
  • Leadership team development
  • Performance and PDPs with the team
  • Repositioning strategy
  • Process automation

3. Long-term Partner

Part of the leadership team for the foreseeable future, for example:

  • Leading IT, cybersecurity and innovation
  • Standardisation of tools and processes
  • Develop and oversee the agency playbook
  • Future team and organisational structure planning
  • M&A strategy

Why Me?

Some logical reasons:

  • I’ve founded and scaled a successful agency to 15 staff
  • I’ve led global operations for an 18,000-person organisation
  • I’ve implemented repeatable and scaleable frameworks across multiple agencies
  • I’ve guided numerous founders through business transformation

Some emotional reasons:

  • I enjoy working with smart founders on complex agency challenges
  • Most agency people I know are lovely people with the courage to work on their own terms, and I love being a part of that
  • Running an agency is tough, lonely, and demanding. When I help ease the pressure, I get a lot of personal pride and satisfaction from it

Next Steps

This website isn’t going to convince you on its own. So, the best thing to do would be to get on a call to see if there’s a good fit. If you decide I’m not the right guy for you, I have some great contacts I could introduce you to instead.

Book a Meeting