Each agency founder has their own origin story, but the people who started these businesses have one thing in common: they overcame bumps in the road.
If you think you’re brave, ask yourself: would you have launched an independent ad agency in New Zealand in 2008?
Federation founder and CEO Sharon Henderson did exactly that, despite facing the global financial crisis and a much less indie-friendly industry landscape.
“I founded my agency at a time when being an independent was not seen as a great move, and multinationals were absolutely front and centre,” she says.
Henderson knew the multinational environment well, having worked for 15 years at Clemenger BBDO before having an “epiphany” that led her to start an agency of her own.
“I had this realisation that ‘actually I’m working 24/7 for the New York Stock Exchange’,” she says.
“I felt really passionately that I wanted to be a New Zealand company, for our industry of agency people who also believe there is a better way to create impact on the New Zealand economy.”
Another way the industry has changed since Henderson launched Federation is a subject she is passionate about: gender balance at exec level.
“For a long time, I was the only female CEO in this industry. I think it’s just really important to create opportunities for women to elevate into the C-suite.
“It’s a goal to help my female clients who are really strong businesspeople to not be seen just as marketers, but actually as businesspeople.”
Bump in the road
When Rufus Chuter and Kris Hadley co-founded Together in 2018, no-one knew Covid was about to hit.
The crisis was a challenge – “I had to reforecast the business every day for six weeks,” says Chuter – but also a massive opportunity. Together was called in to help with targeted digital advertising for the government’s vaccination campaign.
“It was an absolute monster, but amazing. And a fantastic validation of what we had built already.”
The two close friends are both managing partners at Together, and Hadley says their respective skill sets make a great Venn diagram.
“We powerfully meet in the middle, but around the edges each of us brings something a little bit different to augment each other.”
Together founders Rufus Chuter and Kris Hadley.
In the background
While agency founders are often the public face of their business, some – like 36 Presents founder and managing director Niko Toluono – keep a low profile.
“I don’t like to make the business about me,” he says. “It’s about our team. And I’m not just saying that because it’s a bit of a cliché, but it’s just not my style. I work extremely hard in the background.”
Born and raised in Samoa, Toluono got his start in the New Zealand media industry with a role at Sky TV. This was followed by a couple of media director roles at Ogilvy and Mediacom, plus a two-year stint as a business consultant at Fairfax.
He founded 36 Presents after the collapse of mobile advertising company Snakk Media, where he had been country director for New Zealand.
“My clients had really trusted me and I didn’t want to let them down. So a week before Christmas when this happened and it was all over the news, I had to go in and say, ‘Please, everything will be fine.’ Thank goodness they trusted me and I didn’t let them down.”
Toluono says his drive to succeed in business comes from growing up in poverty.
“I was always hungry as a child. When you’ve seen that side, you make sure you don’t go back to it.”
This story comes from NZ Marketing magazine issue 87, June-August 2026. Why not subscribe? Get four issues a year for just $50 (including delivery) if you autorenew.
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