An exclusive Business Insight Journal interview with Tim Ringel, Global CEO of Meet The People, on the future of advertising, strategic partnerships, and modern agency models.
Welcome to Business Insight Journal, Tim. We’re delighted to have you. To begin, could you share your professional journey and what ultimately led you to your role as Global CEO of Meet The People?
Thank you for having me. I’ve spent more than 20 years working in senior positions at both major advertising networks and boutique agencies. My focus has consistently been on transforming how marketing organizations operate and helping brands navigate the digital landscape.
The decision to launch MTP came from identifying a real void in the marketplace. I wanted to create something distinct from conventional holding companies — an organization where specialized agencies maintain their independence while operating cohesively. This model delivers comprehensive marketing services while preserving the deep expertise that each agency brings to the table.
My background includes leading 10 strategic acquisitions and now we have grown to 800 employees throughout the U.S. and Canada. Working with both major corporations and growing brands taught me what makes partnerships succeed and where traditional models fall short.
You’ve written about how marketing skills require constant refreshing — from computational thinking to cultural fluency. How are these evolving skill demands shaping the type of talent you’re recruiting at Meet The People today?
Change in marketing is accelerating, which fundamentally shapes our hiring strategy. We prioritize people who are lifelong learners and can work across multiple domains. The era of narrow specialization is ending.
Today’s marketers need cultural awareness to navigate global markets authentically. Simultaneously, they must possess technical literacy: understanding data systems and algorithms and how to apply AI effectively. These aren’t optional skills anymore; they’re foundational.
I’m most interested in hiring curious, flexible thinkers. We’re assembling teams where creative vision intersects with technical proficiency, because modern marketing challenges demand both. You can’t solve today’s problems with just imagination or just data — you need both working together.
The MTP-KD Global alliance specifically focuses on small and mid-sized European companies. What’s your philosophy on serving this segment, and how does your approach differ from the traditional holding company model?
This partnership addresses a real market need. Major international networks aren’t designed to serve companies in this segment when they’re expanding into North America.
Large networks focus on massive global clients with substantial budgets. A mid-sized German manufacturer or Scandinavian direct-to-consumer brand faces different challenges and has different resource constraints. These companies want sophisticated solutions tailored to their scale, not watered-down versions of enterprise services.
Unlike holding companies that attempt universal solutions, we’re deliberately focused. This partnership delivers a coordinated package: logistics support, creative services, digital commerce and performance marketing, all synchronized from the start. No fragmented service providers, no unclear accountability, no inefficient handoffs.
MTP’s structure provides the responsiveness of a smaller operation combined with robust capabilities. We’re matching advanced marketing services to the actual needs of growth-oriented middle-market companies.
You’ve emphasized agility and flexibility as essential in times of economic uncertainty, especially with shifting tariffs and global market pressures. How does the partnership with KD Global put these principles into practice?
Market volatility has become constant, particularly with unpredictable tariff policies and supply chain challenges. European companies face a complex retail environment where success requires simultaneously performing on major platforms like Amazon, Walmart and Target while building direct consumer channels.
This partnership addresses a fundamental obstacle these companies encounter. Marketing capabilities are useless without operational capacity. Companies need demand generation through advertising and e-commerce, but they also require import logistics, warehouse operations, distribution and regulatory navigation. Traditional agencies can’t provide the latter, which is where expansion efforts stall.
KD Global has spent a decade helping European brands build North American operations. Combining its logistics expertise with our marketing capabilities creates a complete solution that’s immediately operational.
Flexibility means rapid adaptation to changing circumstances. Working as a unified partnership rather than disconnected vendors enables us to modify strategies, recalibrate pricing, shift resource allocation and streamline operations quickly. That adaptability keeps our clients competitive regardless of market conditions.
As marketing becomes more data-driven, how is Meet The People helping clients bridge the gap between creative ambition and technical capability?
It’s one of today’s most compelling marketing challenges. The proliferation of data and technology platforms creates enormous potential, but many organizations struggle with the expertise gap this creates.
We’ve deliberately structured our teams to combine creative and analytical talent. Analysts collaborate directly with creative directors, and brand strategists work alongside performance marketing specialists. This goes beyond occasional meetings — it’s fundamental integration where data insights shape creative decisions and creative thinking enhances technical execution.
Our role is translating across these disciplines. Creative professionals need to understand audience insights from data without drowning in analytics. Technical teams need to value emotional storytelling and brand building, not just metric optimization.
Modern campaigns demand both imaginative excellence and technical precision. Personalizing content at scale, dynamically optimizing media investment, tracking attribution through complex journeys — all this requires creative and technical capabilities working in tandem. That’s how we’ve built our teams and how we serve clients.
Collaboration models are evolving rapidly across the industry. How do you envision strategic alliances like MTP-KD shaping the future of global marketing services?
We’re seeing a major industry transformation away from holding company consolidation toward flexible strategic partnerships. Our work with KD Global is evidence of this shift.
The holding company approach worked in an earlier time — centralized resources, scale advantages, serving multinational corporations. But that structure has grown cumbersome and often fails middle-market clients. Meanwhile, businesses are frustrated with disconnected services, fragmented teams and unclear ownership when problems arise.
Strategic partnerships offer an alternative. We’re combining distinct strengths — MTP’s marketing proficiency and KD Global’s operational capabilities — creating value neither could generate independently. We’re achieving this through collaboration rather than acquisition, maintaining each organization’s agility and culture while enabling seamless joint delivery.
I expect to see more purpose-driven alliances like this. Rather than attempting to own every function internally, the best agencies will build strategic partnerships that deliver comprehensive solutions for particular market segments. This enables specialization, preserves entrepreneurial culture and produces superior client outcomes.
The future will favor flexible networks of specialized partners, where different organizations integrate smoothly to address complex business challenges, as opposed to conglomerates.
Looking ahead to 2026 and beyond, what other types of partnerships, acquisitions, or service expansions can we expect as Meet The People continues building an alternative to traditional holding companies?
Our growth strategy emphasizes strengthening our core offering rather than expanding simply for size. The KD Global partnership is a perfect example, addressing a specific capability gap for clients we want to serve better.
Looking forward, we will pursue partnerships that enhance our integrated services, particularly in AI-driven marketing automation, sophisticated analytics and emerging media channels. These need to be embedded in our operations, not added superficially.
Geographic expansion is another focus. Europe offers significant potential, as do other regions where mid-sized businesses have global aspirations but lack resources for independent expansion.
On acquisitions, our track record speaks to our integration capabilities. But any acquisition must deliver strategic value, align culturally, and improve client outcomes. We won’t acquire just to increase revenue numbers.
What we won’t do is replicate the holding company model. We’re demonstrating a different approach — preserving partner agency independence and specialized excellence while delivering genuinely unified solutions. We’ll continue refining this alternative model.
What does success look like for Meet The People over the next two to three years, both operationally and culturally?
Success has multiple facets. Operationally, we want our clients expanding successfully — accessing new markets, increasing revenue, developing meaningful brands. When mid-sized European companies build successful North American operations with our support and when U.S. clients effectively navigate market complexity, we’ve achieved our operational goals.
We should be recognized as the preferred partner for mid-sized companies with global objectives who want advanced marketing without corporate bureaucracy. I want MTP to be synonymous with unified solutions that deliver real results, where combined capabilities truly exceed individual parts.
Culturally, success means attracting talented professionals energized by complex problem-solving. We should provide an environment where creative vision meets analytical capability, where careers develop while maintaining the agility and entrepreneurial energy that large organizations lose.
Sustainability matters, too. This isn’t about maximizing short-term growth — it’s building an organization that creates client value, offers fulfilling careers and proves an alternative to traditional holding companies is viable.
In three years, I want MTP to demonstrate that sophistication and integration don’t require massive size, that serving diverse clients works alongside specialized excellence, and that strategic partnerships can outperform consolidation.
From a personal leadership standpoint, what strategy or guiding principle has helped you most in navigating fast-changing client needs and industry disruption?
One principle guides me consistently: focus on solving actual client challenges rather than following industry fads. It sounds straightforward, but it’s tempting to be influenced by the latest buzzword or to adopt the latest technologies just because your competitors are.
I’ve learned to accept uncertainty rather than fight it. Leaders exhausting themselves trying to predict and control everything will fail. Building inherently adaptable organizations works better.
Finally, intellectual honesty about our knowledge and limitations is essential. Continuous change means we’re all constantly learning. Creating an environment where you’re saying “I don’t know, let’s discover together” is not only acceptable, it’s crucial. That humility paired with decisive action once you have sufficient information, that’s what enables us to navigate disruption effectively.
Before we wrap up, what advice would you give to marketing and agency leaders who are trying to stay competitive in an industry that’s becoming more fragmented, tech-enabled, and talent-driven? And finally, do you have any closing thoughts you’d like to share about the future of the industry or Meet The People’s role in it?
Don’t try being everything to everyone. Develop deep specialization in your strengths, then partner to address gaps. The era of truly excellent full-service agencies is over. Clients prefer working with specialists who collaborate effectively over generalists delivering average results across the board.
Invest substantially in continuous learning for your people. Tools and tactics will keep changing, but talented people who embrace learning will adapt. Winning agencies will be those fostering curiosity and growth cultures.
Don’t let technology drive strategy. Yes, AI, automation and data are essential, but they’re problem-solving tools, not strategies in themselves. Begin by understanding what clients need to accomplish, then deploy the appropriate mix of human creativity and technological capability.
Despite ongoing disruption and uncertainty, I am optimistic about our industry’s future. Yes, legacy models are collapsing, but that opens opportunities for new approaches. What we’re building at Meet The People and demonstrating through partnerships like KD Global proves that alternatives to massive, bureaucratic holding companies exist.
The future favors organizations that combine sophisticated capabilities with agility, that serve diverse client needs while maintaining specialized excellence, and that navigate external complexity without creating internal complexity.
I believe the independent agency model, when properly structured with strong partnerships, outperforms traditional consolidation. We prove this every day with our clients. The industry is at a turning point, and I’m excited about its where it’s headed.
Tim Ringel
Global CEO of Meet The People
Tim Ringel is Founder and CEO of Meet The People (MTP), a marketing organization positioned as an alternative to the traditional advertising holding company model.
Since 2021, Ringel has built MTP as a unified but independent group of internationally recognized agencies bringing together key marketing services under one umbrella. The structure allows for fully integrated but deeply specialized solutions, from Creative and Design to Activation and Measurement.
MTP recently announced a strategic alliance with KD Global USA to help European small and mid-sized businesses establish operations in North America through an integrated solution combining import management, logistics, creative, e-commerce and growth marketing.
