School of Agency is a specialist training and coaching practice that helps agency people grow.

We work with professional services teams to build essential skills in client and account management, people leadership, and business development.

Created by ex-agency leader Mai Aristoteli, our learning programs are highly interactive, thoroughly practical, and informed by decades of real-world experience.

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WHO WE’VE WORKED WITH

WHAT THEY SAY

“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. I believe our team are in a much better position to deliver in their roles as 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

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ABOUT US

Hello! I’m Mai Aristoteli, an agency leader with 20 years experience at network and independent communication agencies including M&C Saatchi and McCann Worldgroup.

There’s no place quite like agency.

We work in a fast-paced environment and our roles require a vast range of skills - from managing accounts and building client relationships, to delivering new business pitches and having difficult conversations with team members.

School of Agency is a passion project, born when I was an agency leader thinking “why is it so hard to find great training for my team?” Generic external management trainings never quite resonated with my teams, lacking an understanding of the unique agency working environment.

And as much as I wanted to spend time training and developing my team (my favourite part of my role), between juggling client and business demands, I could never find nearly enough time to do it properly.

I founded School of Agency in 2023 to bridge this gap, through interactive, thought-provoking, and highly practical training delivered by an industry expert who speaks agency team’s language

In the wonderfully frenetic world of agency environment, our talented teams need expert guidance and support to help them to thrive and grow.

If you’re looking for a tailored service that offers exactly this, we’d love to talk.

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WHO WE’VE WORKED WITH

ABOUT US

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