As part of the Morning Lazziness series highlighting empowering women who are making a remarkable impact with their ideas, I had the pleasure of interviewing Fiona Wylie.
With over two decades of professional experience, Fiona has cultivated a wealth of expertise collaborating with renowned household brands such as British Airways, Nestle and Pfizer. Recognised as a ‘Rising Star’ by Marketing Week early in her career, Fiona has been honoured with multiple innovation awards.
In 2018, Fiona identified a unique opportunity to leverage her skills and knowledge to establish an agency that could seamlessly support both agencies and clients. This vision materialised into Brand Champions, a dynamic business specialising in Strategy, SOS and Skills. Brand Champions is dedicated to assisting clients with significant strategic initiatives, addressing short-term resource challenges, and fostering in-house learning and development. In her current role, Fiona is committed to helping others to build champion brands through the comprehensive services offered by Brand Champions.
In this interview, she reflects on the pivotal moments, hard-earned lessons, and defining wins from her journey in building thriving online ventures.
What inspired your leap into entrepreneurship, and what sparked the idea behind Brand Champions?
Part frustration with the lack of opportunities for working Mums and part love and passion for my industry that I wasn’t prepared to walk away from, despite being limited on what I could commit to in terms of hours.
How did your own return-to-work experience after maternity leave influence the way you built Brand Champions and its flexible, remote-first model?
The first role I landed, I was really lucky as I was offered a job share but that was extremely unusual at the time. It made me determined to prove that Mums were still prepared to give 100% to their work. My team obviously work flexibility but work extremely hard, always putting clients’ needs first, whilst balancing the demands of their family life.
Your “SOS” marketing support is known for its fast, focused results—what makes this model so effective for the brands you work with?
It’s been described as an emergency service. My team, being all ex-clients, can drop into a business and be hands-on, really quickly, which means the team can feel the weight lift immediately. It’s often a situation of too much to do and too little time, so this is why it’s so effective.
Brand Champions is a lean yet high-impact team—how do you stay nimble while delivering deep strategic value across projects?
For any team, there’s a difference between delivering day to day and being able to step back and look at a project holistically. In our initial phase of defining our client’s gritty problem, we will spend time understanding what’s happening and giving a strategic overview before we get stuck into delivering quickly.
What kinds of challenges do clients typically bring to you, and how do you and your team approach solving them?
Every client thinks their problem is different, but there are definitely some themes of not enough time to deliver, not enough experience in a category or market or just needing an outside perspective to make them think bigger.
Is there a campaign or brand transformation you’ve led that you’re especially proud of? What made it stand out?
We were very lucky to lead on the first menopause product to be sold inside pharmacies rather than through the doctor surgeries and this was really special because the opportunity was so unique, the menopause market was just exploding and an area we feel extremely passionate about and just a great team that all worked hard together.
You’re helping redefine leadership and workplace flexibility in marketing—how do you see that evolving, especially for women returning to work or leading teams remotely?
I am a strong believer in right place right time. If you need to be in an office for a client, or you need to do a face to face with your team to get a greater output then that’s where you should be. The thing I don’t agree with is presenteeism, sitting in the office for the sake of it – work smartly to get the most for you, your clients, and your team.
What’s your vision for the future of female-led, remote-first consultancies like Brand Champions? How do you hope to influence the wider industry?
I hope to show that regardless of gender, parents are a capable and determined part of the workforce and drive the exceptional results you want to see with your brand.
What’s your best piece of advice for someone just starting out, especially first-time entrepreneurs feeling overwhelmed or uncertain about their path?
Focus on one thing you’re better at than everyone else, rather than diversifying too quickly as I see many people do this and lose their way.
What are the top 5 mindset shifts or practices that helped you overcome self-doubt and grow your confidence as a founder?
- Be comfortable asking questions and not being the cleverest person in the room
- Have a team around you that support and empower you to want to do more
- Prioritise self care whatever is important to you
- Keep putting yourself out of your comfort zone
- Ask for feedback and learn and adapt
If you could spark a global movement through your work, what would it be—and why does that mission matter to you personally?
In a world that is building AI, clickbait, copycat lazy briefing to agencies, I’d like to spark a movement of campaigns with meaning, for bold clients and agencies that strive for the best, where ok is never good enough and where the work we do adds real, meaningful value to brands.
What’s a quote, mantra, or philosophy that you live and lead by—something that keeps you grounded and focused?
If you’re a champion, you have to have it in your heart. Chris Evert
Finally, where can our audience connect with you or learn more about the work you’re doing with Brand Champions?
You can check out our website or connect with us on LinkedIn.
