Leading through the messy bits - Katy Stolliday, Blurred
Episode 30 - THAT MOMENT
What do you do when you've reached board level and you still don't get the final say?
Katy Stolliday, Co-Founder and Chief Client Officer of Blurred, had a strong career in consumer and corporate comms and a seat at the top table. She never planned to start a company, and says she didn't feel brave enough to do it alone. This conversation on That Moment is about what happens when you say yes anyway.
Board Level, Still Not Her Call
Katy built her career in consumer comms, moved into the CSR space, and reached board director level. On paper, that's the seat where you steer the business. In practice, she found the ultimate say often sat somewhere else.
"You're actually working for other people, making them lots of money."
The frustration wasn't only about control. Comms had started to feel superficial to her, and she was convinced it could deliver real change if it was set up differently. She had always wanted to build something from the beginning, but she was looking for the right thing rather than following a plan. That gap between influence and authority is something many senior people in agencies will recognise, and it pushed her to ask what a business would look like if she got to make the decisions.
Building Blurred Around the Client
The invitation to start an agency came at speed, with a clear message: it was happening with or without her, but they wanted it to be her. Katy said yes, and once she had, the practical worries stopped mattering. The only safety net she needed was a good career behind her and skills another business would want.
"I also think making those leaps or taking those steps is what builds that confidence."
Blurred launched in 2018, not long before Covid, and quickly turned towards ESG as corporate reporting pressure grew. As Chief Client Officer, Katy starts from the client's side of the table, and she had seen where agencies weren't delivering. Clients were splitting work between a corporate agency and a consumer agency, or relying on a network that claimed to do both. They wanted one team that understood both, which is where "blurred briefs" came from.
Values as an Operating System
The agency's model is built on ESGP: environment, social, governance and purpose. The logic is that a business can't credibly talk about the good it does until it has addressed the harm it might cause. That approach also shapes who Blurred works with. The agency walks away from clients who aren't aligned on values, though Katy is clear that pragmatism has to sit alongside principle.
"I think you have to find the right clients."
Her red lines are personal, and she's open that a business partner might draw them differently. She also says comms can only push so far. The leaders on the other side have to want the change, because without that there's a limit to what any agency can achieve. Her answer on profit or purpose is purpose, since if you lead with purpose, profit will come.
Leading Through the Messy Bits
Running a young agency isn't a straight line, and Katy says so plainly. She took two maternity leaves within the first three years of the business, and she's honest that it was tough.
"Look, it's messy. That's all I can say."
What made it workable was the support of her business partners. It's also why she has strong views on how businesses treat people who are grieving. A standard two weeks off doesn't fit everyone, and showing up means practical help, like picking up someone's inbox, rather than saying "tell me what you need". For Katy, that comes down to culture: a workplace where people can be as open or as private as they need to be every day, not only when something has gone wrong.
Key Insights
Authority and influence are different things. Even at board level, Katy found the final say sat elsewhere, and that gap is what pushed her to build her own business
Confidence follows the leap. Her safety net was a good career and transferable skills, and taking the step is what built the confidence to keep going
Clients are asking for one agency, not two. Corporate and consumer work used to sit with separate agencies, and "blurred briefs" is the space between them
Values are a commercial filter. Blurred turns down clients who aren't aligned, while accepting that comms can only go as far as the client's leadership will let it
Grief policy is a culture question. Statutory time off doesn't fit everyone, and practical support matters more than an open offer to help
Tipping points beat exit strategies. Katy leaves when someone compromises her values, usually around respect or autonomy, not because a plan says so
What This Actually Means
Autonomy turned out to be a core value Katy hadn't spotted until she was running her own business. It explains why the frustration of board level was so sharp, and why the freedom to make decisions has been the real prize of Blurred.
"I felt my values had been compromised too far."
The leadership lesson runs through the whole conversation: know your red lines, be honest about your limits, and build a business that reflects both.
About Supo:
Supo provides people-first intelligence software for professional services firms, helping businesses maximize profit and motivate their people through powerful, AI-enabled business intelligence dashboards. By connecting over 500+ platforms and providing real-time data analysis, Supo helps firms make better data-driven decisions about their profit, projects, and people.
For more information about Supo: www.supo.co.uk
About Blurred
Blurred is a London-based strategic and creative advisory firm, founded in 2018 and built on ESGP (environment, social, governance and purpose). It works on briefs that sit between corporate reputation, creative campaigns and sustainability expertise.
For more information about Blurred: https://blurred.global/
Essential listening for founders sitting on an idea, leaders who say "fine" when someone asks how they are, and anyone running a business through a messy personal life.