School of Agency offers practical training in leadership, client service, and business development, designed for the realities of agency life.

Who we’ve worked with.

What they say about us.

  • “The team has been raving about the many ‘lightbulb moments’ during the two day course. Thank you for sharing your brilliance!”

    Chloe Fitzgerald - Business Director, Dentsu Creative PR

  • “Mai brings years of recent agency experience and a warm and professional approach to her training. She takes the time to get to know participants and tailors her training to meet them where they are at. Our team is in a much better position to deliver in their roles as a result.”

    Susie Laurence - GM, Sabio

  • “Mai is the one of the best agency directors I’ve worked with. She’s pragmatic, empathetic and inspirational - a problem-solver and an opportunity-finder. Watch your business and your people thrive.”

    Tanya Hughes - Ex-MD, M&C Saatchi Talk

  • “The sessions were incredibly detailed, yet so easy to digest - thanks to the approachable, interactive and engaging training style. I really valued being able to get some practical tools that could be applied immediately. I feel much better prepared and more confident about my ability to do the job of Account Director.”

    Account Director - C7EVEN

  • “Extremely engaging. Very practical - was able to really absorb all the information. Loved the deep discussion among attendees.”

    Senior Account Director, Burson WPP

  • “Mai is just the best. She has the innate ability to bring out the best in people and teams.”

    Andie Crawford - Sydney MD, Alt-Shift

  • “Coaching with Mai played a huge role in my professional development. I’d recommend her to anyone.”

    Senior Account Director & B&T 30 Under 30 winner

  • “Just wanted to reach out and say thanks (again) for the killer training. Being able to lean on what we learnt and practiced in your sessions has helped HEAPS, as I had my first difficult conversation with a direct report today. THANK YOU!”

    Account Manager - Dentsu Creative

  • “I thought the training was fantastic - it felt like work therapy! I learned so much that is incredibly helpful for performing well at an agency that you don't learn at uni or on the job. It was well delivered, engaging and helpful. I really valued receiving some key insights and ways of working from a clearly seasoned and polished agency professional.”

    Account Executive - Rowland

Founder’s note.

In agency, high performers rise through the ranks quickly, often before they’ve had a chance to grow into the leadership skills they need to thrive in a senior role – from leading client meetings with gravitas, to having difficult conversations with team members.

Hi 👋🏽 I’m Mai Aristoteli, founder of School of Agency.

As an agency-lifer and former GM, I know how exciting the transition from “doer” to “leader” in an agency team can be. I also know it can be tough at first - and that without the right tools, even the highest performers can quickly feel overwhelmed when they step up.

External trainers can help a bit, but in my experience they fall short because they don’t really ‘get’ the agency environment - the fast pace and constant context-shifting across clients, and the toggling between doing, leading, and getting creative.

I created School of Agency to offer agency people the guidance I wish I’d had when I was “growing up” - through practical training in team leadership, client service, and business development, that’s designed for the realities of agency life.