The former managing director of Bray Leino Bristol, Ian Noble, has set up his own ‘people development consultancy’ called The Difference Engine.

The company will aim to work with small to medium sized creative agencies to help them deliver their employee development strategies.

Noble has already secured his first client in the form of 20 strong design agency,  Studio Six, which has tasked The Difference Engine with designing and implementing a development programme for its senior management team.

Noble explained: “We see a real need for agencies to re-orientate themselves around their internal team rather than the client. We know this represents a fundamental shift of emphasis for many agencies but we believe that too many have taken client service to the point of client servitude. It’s time to redress the balance and for agencies to realise that their organizational success lies in maximising the potential of every individual within the business.

“The potential commercial benefits of creating a ‘people first’ culture are manifold; a reputation for supporting, developing and motivating the best people will in turn attract better future employees. The best employees are more innovative, more commercially astute and will develop deeper and ultimately more successful relationships with their clients; clients who will be likely to spend more and place more of their business with their agencies. We think it’s a simple truth ‘people first is better business’.”

Noble added that it takes guts to focus time and energy on a company’s own team, rather than servicing it clients, but said that it had been proven that businesses which invested in people would thrive in the long term.

“People represent the biggest overhead, the biggest challenge and the biggest asset of an agency. The sooner agencies place their people at the heart of their business the faster they get results. And that ultimately that is how we’re all judged,” he concluded.

Noble left Bray Leino Bristol in July after 13 years with the company.