Welcome to the pitch academy!
Pitching sits at the heart of MG OMD’s growth. It’s how we earn trust, showcase our thinking, and set the tone for the partnerships we want to build. As the market becomes more competitive and client expectations continue to rise, the way we pitch – how we listen, shape strategy, tell stories and show up as leaders – matters more than ever.
The Pitch Academy has been created to sharpen that craft. It’s a space for our senior leaders to step back, upskill, practise and learn from one another. Not just to win more pitches, but to lead them better – with clarity, confidence and conviction.
This site is your home for the programme. It brings together the Pitch Academy modules, session recordings, tools, inspiration and support all in one place, so everything you need is easy to access.
We’re excited to have you as part of the first cohort and look forward to seeing how this strengthens the way we pitch, together.
Katherine & Georgia
The Pitch Academy is an internal programme designed to sharpen the pitch capability of MG OMD’s senior leaders. It brings together focused training and practical application to strengthen how we shape thinking, lead teams and win pitches.
Rather than relying on scripts or templates, the Academy builds confidence in the moments that matter most – from decoding briefs and setting strategy, to storytelling, selling ideas and showing up as a united leadership team. Alongside the core programme, this site hosts additional tools, inspiration and wellbeing resources to support you throughout the Academy.
The Pitch Academy runs over four weeks, combining learning with practical application.
Across the first three weeks, participants take part in structured modules covering the full pitch journey – from strategic process and storytelling to creative thinking, written responses and the client perspective.
Cohort one brings together our most senior pitch leaders, with Steering Group members acting as pitch leads and agency leadership building the skills to confidently run and win complex pitches. The ambition is to embed this capability across the business, with wider rollout planned for 2026. T
he programme culminates in a two-day live Pitch Lab, where teams respond to a realistic prospect brief under real pitch conditions – from briefing and win strategy to tissue meetings and final presentation.
• A four-week structured programme designed for senior leaders
• Live training modules covering strategy, storytelling, creativity, listening and selling
• Practical application through a two-day pitch simulation
• Senior leadership involvement and external perspectives
• Access to tools, templates, inspiration and wellness resources
• A shared language and approach to pitching across MG OMD.
The Pitch Academy is about raising the bar – for ourselves, for our teams and for the business. This site is here to support you every step of the way.
For more detail on what’s included in the agenda, see below.
agenda
WEEK 1
Foundations of great pitching
Monday 19th January
Module 1: Introducing…. Pitch Academy
with Kat Bozicevich and Georgia Frost
Module 2: Pitching 101
with Katherine Charalambous and Georgia Frost
Tuesday 20th January
Module 3: A view from the CEO
with Kat Bozicevich
Thursday 22nd January
Module 4: The Art of Listening
with Lizzie Palmer, a facilitator, trainer, coach and brand consultant
Friday 23rd January
Module 5: Understanding our Pitch Process
with the Katherine Charalambous and Georgia Frost
WEEK 2
FROM BRIEF TO BIG IDEA
Monday 26th January
Module 6: Decoding a brief
with Gerry Ridgway
Wednesday 28th January
Module 7: Becoming a Storyteller
with Simon Jenkins and Tom Nash
Thursday 29th January
Module 8: Selling Creativity
with Tamara Cross
WEEK 3
WINNING RESPONSES & CLIENT PERSPECTIVE
Monday 2nd February
Module 9: Effective Response Writing
with Sophia Durrani, Alex Pilcher and Laura Cochran
Wednesday 4th February
Module 10: ‘A View from the Client’ Panel
with Katherine Charalambous and Andrew Mortimer from Apart (intermediary)
WEEK 4
PITCH LAB
What is Pitch Lab?
Pitch Lab is a two-day live pitch simulation where teams respond to a realistic prospect brief and are assessed on strategy, storytelling and delivery under real pitch conditions.
Wednesday 11th February: Pitch Lab, Day 1 (Bankside)
Thursday 12th February: Pitch Lab Day 2 + dinner and drinks (offsite)
Speak to a pitch expert
For questions on anything pitch-related, please contact MG OMD’s New Business team:
Katherine Charalambous
Head of New Business and Marketing katherine.charalambous@omc.com
Georgia Frost
Head of New Business gfrost@omc.com