About us.

School of Agency is a training and coaching practice that helps agency people grow their skills in leadership, client service, and business development.

We’re proud to partner with some of Australia’s leading agencies, across disciplines including advertising, creative, digital marketing, and PR - offering group workshops, 1-1 coaching, and people & culture advisory.

Founded by agency leader Mai Aristoteli, who brings 20 years’ experience at agencies including M&C Saatchi and McCann, our training is practical, energising, and built for the realities of agency life.

What we teach.

Partnership and relationship building
Account leadership and growth
Strategic advisory vs. order taking

Doing vs. managing vs. leading
Leadership styles and strategies
Feedback and difficult conversations

Strategic and commercial thinking
Identifying new business
Pitching and selling ideas

Time and task management
Managing up and down
Building resilience

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

How we work.

Working with School of Agency starts with one question - where’s your team at, where do you need them to be, and what’s getting in the way? From there, we design a program dedicated to solving that for you.

Looking for inspiration? See our TRAINING page for sample programs, all of which can be tailored to your team.

Meet with you, and each participant, to understand your world.