Inside the inaugural Kinase Away Day
Kinase has grown fast over the past two years - but the pandemic has kept us apart. So we organised the first company-wide away day to bring us back together.
At the start of March, all of Kinase got together for a day of discovery, new ideas and cross-agency network building. We put a lot of effort into ensuring that company culture was nurtured online and then in hybrid working, but coming together into the same place, which used to be routine, is now a rare opportunity. Kinase has more than doubled in size over those two years, and many Kinasers hadn’t actually met each other in person before.
Held at the Oval cricket ground in Kennington, the day began with co-founder Richard Brooks (above left) setting the Kinase vision for the next year. The emphasis was on pushing forward from the growth of the past year, consolidating and building a platform for the future.
Different departments and specialisms showcased their activity, holding round tables and open questions so that everyone could find out more about areas of the business. Business Development, Analytics, PR, Automation, Marketplaces, Feeds, International Growth, Innovation, Programmatic, YouTube and Social were all spotlighted.
Amber L’Estrange introduced a new statement of Kinase’s core values, based on internal discussions and reflections on where Kinase is now and how we feel about where the agency’s culture is going. The relaunch of the values centred on four key statements - that Kinase is Empowered, Limitless, Evolving and Symbiotic.
HR outlined a brand new perks and benefits package, and Sean Geaney’s new appointment as People & Culture Executive was announced - a new role for both Sean and for Kinase, doubling down on Kinase’s commitment to creating a culture and environment where all Kinasers can thrive.
Sean compared speaking at the podium to winning an Oscar! (A moment which was snapped below).
After lunch at the Oval, teams for the day then broke out to visualise Kinase’s key values in poster ideas, unleashing creativity, colour and some new visions for how to communicate what we are all about. Then as evening approached, everyone headed to Queens in west London for curling, bowling, cocktails and more fun.
