Default to Designed
For agency leaders who want better retention, stronger culture, and a reputation that wins clients
What it is
Default to Designed is my 6-month cohort programme for agency leaders who want to close their gender pay gap and actually make it stick.
The default position in most agencies isn't malicious. It's unexamined. Processes, habits and norms that nobody designed intentionally quietly compound over time, creating gaps in pay, progression and opportunity.
Good intentions don't close gaps. Actions do.
Default to Designed gives you the structure, the support and the practical tools to take those actions, one pillar at a time.
Six months. Five pillars. One practical step at a time.
The programme is designed to be bitesize. Small, incremental actions each month, not a huge project all at once. Two hours a month is the live commitment. Everything else fits around you.
Live sessions
6 live online sessions, one per month, two hours each
Slack community
Peer support, accountability and direct access to me between sessions
Practical resources
Tools and templates for each pillar, ready to use
How this can improve your business
The business case for gender equity is well established. These are the outcomes that become possible when you close the gap intentionally, not by accident.
Win target clients
ESG increasingly shapes procurement decisions
Improved profitability
Gender-balanced teams consistently outperform less diverse ones
Better decisions
Faster, higher quality, better outcomes. Diverse teams outperform on all three.
Retain and attract the best talent
People stay longer in inclusive cultures
Impact reporting
Real data for your B Corp, CIC or ESG reporting
Sharper creative thinking
Different perspectives produce fresher, stronger ideas
How it works
The gender pay gap isn't created in one moment. It compounds across the entire employee lifecycle, through everyday decisions about who gets hired, who stays, who gets recognised, how the business is perceived, and who gets access to opportunity.
The 5Rs are the five pillars of the programme. Each one represents a stage of the employee lifecycle where gaps are created and compounded, and the practical actions your agency can take.
For each pillar we cover:
Reality — what the data and statistics actually show
Requirements — what the law expects as a minimum
Recommendations — what good looks like in practice
Is this for you?
Default to Designed is for agency leaders who want to get this right.
You might be a growing agency that can see the early signs of a diversity problem and wants to get ahead of it.
You might be a founder who cares deeply about building something good, not just something profitable.
You might have just hired a head of people or culture, and this feels like the right moment to start with a clear baseline.
Or you might have assumed this didn't apply to you, because you're too small, mostly female, or already have a good culture. It probably still applies.
This programme is for agency leaders of 10 to 100 people. The sweet spot is agencies of around 20 to 60, big enough to have meaningful data, small enough to actually change things quickly.
No jargon. No corporate HR processes. Just clear data, honest conversations and incremental steps that actually fit a small agency.
Ready to move from Default to Designed?
Cohort 1 starts in September 2026. Places are, intentionally, limited to allow for open discussion.
Default to Designed is priced per participant. Both options include full access to all six sessions, the Slack community and all resources.
Pay monthly
4 monthly payments of £195
£780 per participant
Pay in full
Save £55 when you pay upfront
£725 per participant
Not quite ready to book yet?
Book in a complimentary discovery call and let’s chat about whether this is right for you and your agency
About Lynda
I'm a former agency MD, former management accountant, and Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership alumna. I bring 30 years of business experience, 14 years on the agency side, and my own lived experience as a woman in that world.