Tim Ringel, CEO of Meet The People, is on a Mission to Improve Agency Work Culture

Few would disagree that an agency’s greatest asset is its people. Tim Ringel, ad veteran, serial entrepreneur, and one of the founders of agency group– Meet The People, is on a mission to ensure that an improved work culture is front and center for ad agency employees.

He describes Meet the People as the world’s first people-centric agency group, based on a better work/life balance, no glass ceilings, and a commitment to DEI.  As Global CEO, he also focuses on driving the company’s growth and expansion, as well as the continued development of core capabilities, technology, and platforms. Tim raised $150MM+ from Private Equity in 2021 to build his vision and has since acquired multiple advertising agencies in North America.  He has built a business with 500+ employees working for brands like Google, Moet Hennessy, IBM, Nespresso, Nike, and many more. 

Tim Ringel’s goal is to create a global Advertising Agency Group with a billion-dollar valuation that combines 15+ businesses in North America, Europe, and Asia with more than 1,500+ people.

Today he talks about the evolution of the ad agency, as well as how a better employee experience leads to stronger work and greater efficiency for clients.

To learn more from Tim Ringel about why today’s ad agencies and holding companies must change, watch the video interview on Internationalist Marketing TV (IMTV) on YouTube by CLICKING HERE.

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In our conversation, we discuss the following:

• You have an interesting perspective as both a serial entrepreneur and start-up investor, as well as an ad industry veteran. Are we at a critical inflection point in the evolution of agencies or in addressing client-agency needs?
• Do you think that today’s agency business model is broken?
• What do you offer potential clients that differentiates you from other agencies? 
• Is it truly as simple as “happier people do better work”?  What about efficiency, metrics, deliverables … and profitability?
• How does technology factor into your vision?
• We’ve talked a lot about agencies, what about the client side of the business?  What must change there?
• I’m curious if you see an essential link between today’s entrepreneurial mindset and strategic or innovation marketing thinking …
• What’s next for you and Meet the People?  

Or tune in to our Trendsetters podcast, HERE

A company builder at heart, Tim Ringel is a serial entrepreneur and start-up investor with a portfolio of over 50 companies mainly in the digital technology space in Europe, the US and Asia. His pre-IPO investment track record counts well-known names like AirBnB (IPO), Animoca Brands, BlockDaemon, Cobi (sold), Contentful, Klarna, Knip (sold), Kreditech (sold), Mambu, Meet The People, Palantir (IPO), Pamono (sold), Slang Worldwide (IPO), SoFi (IPO), Spotify (IPO), SpaceX, Tonibox (IPO) and many more. Tim is a frequent speaker at industry events around the Globe and is an active supporter of entrepreneurial associations.

Prior to him launching Meet The People, Tim ran world-famous Spring Studios as global CEO across its Offices in New York, London and Milan managing 300 staff in the luxury, fashion, beauty and lifestyle agency category as the home for world-class activations like New York Fashion Week, TriBeCa Film Festival, Vogue Forces of Fashion, and the Independent Art Fair. Tim helped to digitalize Spring Studios Creative, Production and Event Business capabilities during the COVID 19 Pandemic from 2019 until he started his new Agency Group Meet The People in 2021.  

Tim moved to New York and lead the relaunch of Reprise (an IPG – Interpublic Group of Companies Business) in 2017 to become the digital performance agency of IPG Mediabrands, after recognizing an opportunity to combine content, creative, e-commerce and media channels under one roof. Under Tim’s leadership Reprise grew from 800 staff to 69 offices and 3,000 staff worldwide in just 3 years, with clients that include many global Blue-Chip brands. 

Before moving to New York, Tim was CEO of stock market listed NetBooster Group, an independent digital agency conglomerate, based in London and Paris, where he scaled the business from 370 employees to 25 global offices and oversaw more than 950 employees worldwide within 4 years in office. 

He began his entrepreneurial career building internet portals in 1998, before establishing his first digital agency metapeople Group in 1999 in his native Germany. Tim grew the company to a business with hundreds of employees across multiple offices before selling it successfully to NetBooster Group in 2011.