When Cheryl Reddy launched Comms Reddy in October 2024, she brought nearly two decades of experience in the communications industry with her. Having worked across journalism, public relations, strategy and agency leadership, she understood what went into building strong brands and managing client relationships. What she wanted now was the opportunity to build an agency that reflected her own values and approach to the work.

The timing, however, came with an interesting twist. As Reddy was registering Comms Reddy, she landed a position at MSD as Head of Communications and Patient Engagement for Sub-Saharan Africa. She was beginning one professional chapter while being offered another.

“I wanted both as I am deeply passionate and knowledgeable in the healthcare sector and equally I have finally given in to the vision of being an entrepreneur and so it forced me to think differently,” she explains. Ahead of accepting the corporate position, she disclosed her plans to establish Comms Reddy and explained that her involvement would be after hours and on weekends, with two team members managing the agency’s initial client account and the arrangement was approved. As she puts it, “ask or the answer will always be no.”

It was a practical way to make room for two ambitions, and one that drew on the experience she had accumulated throughout her career.

An agency two decades in the making

Reddy began in journalism before moving into public relations, joining Ogilvy PR as a senior account manager. She worked her way through virtually every level of the industry, gaining experience in media relations, strategy development, traffic management, business-unit leadership and profit and loss management.

That exposure gave her a close understanding of how communications businesses operate, from developing a strategy and managing client expectations to allocating resources and making sure the work is commercially viable. When she eventually started her own agency, she had a clear idea of the kind of business she wanted to build.

“After nearly two decades in the communications industry, I reached a point where I wanted to build something that reflected my own values, vision and approach to business. I wanted to create an agency that was free from the limitations I had experienced, where the focus was on the quality of the work, the strength of relationships and the value we brought to our clients, rather than simply being driven by numbers.”

Winning business beyond the pitch

That philosophy has shaped the way Comms Reddy has approached one of the biggest challenges for any new agency: winning business.

Since opening its doors, all the agency’s retainer and project work has come through existing relationships and referrals from clients and partners. Some of those relationships stretch back 14 years, including connections with chief marketing officers Reddy has worked with throughout her career.

Her approach has always been to deliver beyond the expectations set out in a brief. “I have built my career by not simply meeting brand KPIs, but consistently striving to exceed them. Over time, that consistency builds trust, and trust builds lasting relationships.”

It is a particularly important distinction in an industry where relationships can move with people as they change companies and roles. The trust built over years of working together can become the foundation for an entirely new business.

At Comms Reddy, the focus is on understanding the client’s wider business ambitions and making sure communications contributes to them. Reddy describes the agency’s guiding principle as helping clients achieve greater success, with the belief that their progress ultimately benefits the agency too.

The referral-led growth is a strong endorsement of that approach. As Reddy points out, it reflects not only the quality of the work but also the confidence people have in the agency and their willingness to put their own reputations behind a recommendation.

The agency has also been deliberate about the way it structures its services. Rather than adopt a traditional communications agency model, Comms Reddy has introduced fractional marketing leadership into its offering. Two team members stepped into fractional marketing lead roles for client brands, supported by the wider agency team and trusted partner agencies.

The model allows the agency to work more closely with clients’ businesses and take responsibility for a broader set of outcomes.

“Instead of simply delivering communications outputs, we are able to get closer to our clients’ businesses and be accountable for business outcomes,” Reddy explains.

That also changes the way the agency thinks about pricing. Its fees need to reflect the expertise, resources and strategic thinking required, rather than simply the hours spent or number of deliverables produced. It is a balance between understanding the value of the work and being realistic about what the agency can deliver.

Then there is cash flow, an area that can make or break a growing service business. Agencies often have to fund work upfront, absorb production costs and wait for clients to pay. Reddy has learnt that financial discipline and cash reserves are essential to managing those pressures.

“Understanding when money comes in and goes out is not just a finance function; it’s a survival skill.”

Practitioner to business leader – What it takes

As the agency secured more work, its team grew from three people to nine. The expansion was gradual, with each appointment made in response to the client portfolio and the capacity required to deliver the work. Reddy was not interested in building a large agency simply for the sake of size.

“I have enjoyed the pace of our growth. It is gradual and progressive versus stressful and messy, so every appointment came as the client portfolio grew and in line with what was needed at the time.”

For a business built on client relationships, maintaining the quality of delivery as the team expands is essential. Reddy believes that people, processes and culture all have a role to play. The agency has had to become more intentional about managing workflows, allocating resources, monitoring budgets and making sure everyone understands their responsibilities.

In the early days, many of those processes could sit with the founder. That becomes less practical as a business grows. People need clarity about their roles, deadlines and what good delivery looks like, while having enough ownership to make decisions and respond to clients.

Reddy is particularly conscious of the role people play in the agency’s reputation. “You can have the best strategies and the strongest client relationships, but if you don’t have the right people, supported by the right processes and culture, the quality of your work will suffer.”

Her own role has had to change alongside the business. In the beginning, she could draw directly on her technical experience to guide the work, assess briefs, troubleshoot challenges and understand the resources required. As the team has grown, she has had to make space for others to take responsibility.

“You cannot do everything yourself, nor can you rely solely on the skills and habits that made you successful as a practitioner. You have to learn to delegate, trust others, make difficult decisions and remain open to different ways of thinking.”

Comms Reddy

There is a personal story behind the name Comms Reddy, too. It is a tribute to her late father, whom Reddy describes as a role model, mentor and adviser. The name carries his surname while also playing on the idea of being communications-ready and prepared.

“The name Comms Reddy is particularly meaningful to me. It is a tribute to my late father, who was a role model, mentor and adviser to me. It also represents what we stand for: being communications-ready and prepared.”

Reddy is also realistic about what it takes to keep building. Her experience across the industry has given her a practical appreciation of the work, the people and the commercial decisions behind a successful agency. But running a business has required her to think differently, particularly as responsibility shifts from doing the work herself to building a team and an organisation that can deliver consistently.

Comms Reddy’s early growth has come through the confidence of people who already knew Reddy’s work and were willing to bring that trust into a new business. Its next chapter will depend on continuing to earn that confidence while developing the people and structures needed to support its ambitions.

For now, the agency is growing at a pace that allows it to build deliberately, with its founder’s experience and relationships providing a strong starting point. The name may be a clever play on words, but the thinking behind it is serious: being ready for the work, the client and what comes next.