5 things agencies get wrong when hiring strategists in 2026

Ellie is our Managing Partner on the Strategy team. Over the past two months, she's spoken to 117 strategy people across the creative industry. Here's what she keeps hearing.

Agencies aren't short of strategists. They're short of environments where strategists can actually do their job.

The problems usually start before the hire is even made.

1. You put them in a box.

You hire a strategist, then immediately silo them. Strategy is connective tissue. If you don't let someone flex across creative, client conversations, product thinking and commercial decisions, you're not hiring a strategist. You're hiring a service function. The good ones won't stay boxed for long.

2. You hire for years, not level.

Ten years in one specific discipline doesn't equal senior. Level is about scope of thinking, not length of CV.

3. You think hiring a strategist will fix a channel.

You can't hire one person and expect them to redefine your product, retrain your teams, reposition your agency and convince legacy clients to buy differently if the business isn't ready for that shift. Build the environment for transformation first.

4. You hire late.

Strategy comes first. Not after you've lost three pitches. Not after creative is burnt out. If strategy is only brought in to rationalise work that already exists, you're using it as decoration.

5. You ignore the T-shaped reality.

The best strategists today can flex across departments. Hire someone hyper-narrow and expect them to stretch into broader leadership,. you'll be disappointed.

UNKNOWN places strategists across creative agencies and brands. If your strategy hire isn't landing the way you hoped, it might be worth talking to Ellie first.

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