In honour of International Women's Day, The Work Crowd is spotlighting remarkable women leaders who are shaping the communications and PR landscape throughout March and April.

This month, our Co-Founder Madeleine Weightman sat down with Sarah Scholefield, Group CEO of Accordience — a dynamic network of five agencies operating across 28 countries.

Sarah’s career spans decades in the PR and communications industry, with leadership roles across both UK and international markets. From her early days at Freud’s to her time in Singapore with Edelman and Ruder Finn, and later taking the helm at Grayling before stepping into her current role—Sarah has built a reputation as a collaborative, strategic, and commercially astute leader.

Tell us a bit about Accordience Group and your role

I’m the Group Chief Executive of Accordience, a relatively new group coming up on three years old. It's an offshoot of what used to be Huntsworth, a well-known listed group. The group comprises five different agencies, with Grayling being the largest — it’s a global, full-service agency covering everything from public affairs to corporate and consumer communications.

Our other agencies include CDR (Citygate Dewe Rogerson), Cirkle (a UK-focused FMCG Trade and Consumer shop), Red Consultancy (a famous brand consultancy), and most recently, Movement, a social media-specific agency. Each agency has its own specialism, but they work closely together, allowing us to cross-sell services to clients.

Now, my job is to build the group from a reputational profile, but also commercially. I work with the chief executives to optimise their particular agencies to ensure they have a strong proposition. Put simply, I'm like the glue that binds them all together and drives the group forwards

And how would you describe your leadership style?

I'm quite approachable and don't believe in a command-and-control approach. I prefer partnership and collaboration. Throughout my career, I've been fortunate to find "wingmen" or co-pilots to work with closely. I'm very much a team player who likes to work with people, get to know them, and build teams that complement my skills.

I'm aware of my own shortcomings and like to surround myself with people who can teach me things. While my current role is slightly more arms-length from day-to-day agency operations, I'm still involved in supporting the businesses and offering my experience from running agencies previously.

Was there anyone who initially inspired your career journey?

I've been enormously lucky to have strong mentors throughout my career. From very early on, I worked with inspirational people who took a genuine interest in my development. At Freud's, the creative director Paul Melody was incredibly supportive. In Asia, Brian West at Fleishman Hillard mentored me, and later, Paul Taaffe from Inizio was instrumental in my growth.

These mentors were generous with their time and advice. Critically, they allowed me to take risks and make mistakes. Paul Taaffe, in particular, taught me the value of trusting my gut, and that’s something I’ve carried with me through my whole career. He would say, "If you think it's a good idea and you understand your strategic vision, go ahead — but be prepared to clean up if it doesn't work."

And I think that’s so important. In a leadership role, you need to trust your own instincts in a way that a lot of women aren’t particularly conditioned to do, especially early on in their career. It’s about taking calculated risks, and ultimately, trusting in yourself and your vision.

What advice would you give to young professionals, and particularly young women?

My key advice is to back your own instincts. Early in my career, I would defer to the loudest voices in the room, often men, assuming they knew better. I've learned that my instincts aren't bad — they're not always right, but they're not wrong either.

I encourage young women to trust themselves. It's about knowing deep down that your decisions have merit and being willing to acknowledge and address things if they don't go as planned.

You’ve got to just try and be the best you possibly can be, remain self-aware, listen and learn from people. And if that means you're being the best possible woman you can be, then that's brilliant.  Furthermore, I would go out on a limb and say don’t be defined by gender.  I don’t feel it is necessarily part of my success.  I would just focus on being the absolute best you can be.

What's your perspective on women supporting women?

The sisterhood is real. I have a network of women in similar roles whom I've met through work and networking. It's crucial to have peers who understand your experiences. Networking isn't a chore — it's about building relationships, learning from others, and creating a supportive community.

I've been deeply supported by women throughout my career, and I think it's a shame when women feel they're competing with each other. My advice is to be curious, build genuine connections, and remember that networking should feel as natural as making friends.

The best thing about meeting new and interesting people is that they’re all different – they all have different perspectives. And that’s how you learn.

Any final thoughts for aspiring leaders?

Focus on being the best version of yourself. Have self-awareness, listen to people, grow your network, and learn continuously.

Success comes from understanding your own capabilities and pushing yourself forward — not from dwelling on potential barriers.