Creative Production

Claire Randall Consulting Turns Thirty

“I’m learning something new every single day.”

In 1996, 27-year-old Claire Randall was given a unique opportunity to manage all production work for a client, a major global FMCG.

Starting out as a producer for Saatchi & Saatchi, Randall soon found herself creating a business, to work exclusively for the client on a consulting basis.

Randall remembers her first office, 157 Wardour Street, in Soho, Central London. “It was me, a table and a PA – and I still remember the first project I worked on,” she recalls.

Little did she know then, 30 years later, she’d be five minutes up the road from Wardour Street, in a much bigger office, with her 40 + -strong team, working with over 70 major clients globally.

However, Randall is less interested in talking about longevity, as she confesses she doesn’t feel “that different” to when she first started, but more about relevance.

For Claire Randal Consulting (CRC), experience only matters if it is actively applied to new challenges and technologies, and can keep up with the pace of the evolving landscape.

While marketing organisations have become more sophisticated, they have also become more disconnected, Randall reflects.

Consulting to continuity

What brands often lack, Randall argues, is not intelligence or intent but external perspective.

“Everyone is stretched thin, everyone’s trying to do their job, but they can’t really step back and have that helicopter view that we can provide,” she says, “And often the fixes are glaringly obvious.”

Those fixes, however, are frequently blocked by internal politics or short-term budget thinking, Randall explains, “And yet it’s a false economy, because if you fixed it, you would deliver huge efficiencies.”

On top of this, championing change in an organisation can lose momentum as people pivot into new roles as their career progresses.

“We have become the continuity for many of the brands we work with,” she reflects.

With an average tenure across their top 12 clients of over a decade, Randall’s consultants become fonts of knowledge on the brand, particularly for new hires and those who might not be up-to-speed on the latest advancements in creative production.

“We like to position ourselves as the trusted advisor,” Randall says. “Brands know that if they ask a question, we give them an honest opinion – an opinion which is impartial and from someone who knows the brand well.”

It’s not just about reducing costs, Randall caveats, but rather optimising them and leveraging greater efficiency and effectiveness, which can only be done by taking a holistic view.

“Sitting slightly outside and saying, ‘this is what I’m seeing’ – that’s our role.”

For Randall, this distance is not about detachment, but objectivity.

Claire Randall will be speaking at the Marketing Procurement iQ Conference in London on 25th March 2026. To find out more about the conference and for booking details, click on the session title below. 

How a cross-functional production strategy drives scalable, efficient, quality output

Lack of transparency endures

After 30 years, Randall has observed much evolution, shift and change, but also continues to help clients with issues that have persisted over the years.

“Production companies have definitely taken a battering, in the last few years,” Randall shares, pointing to the growth of in-house agency production as a reason why their power has diminished.

“I haven’t got a problem with in-house production when it’s appropriate and in everybody’s best interest – what I have a problem with is the lack of transparency,” Randall declares.

If work is going in-house from a production perspective, the creative agency is receiving both the agency fee element and the production spend, so the client should see some sort of overall benefit from that, however, she admits, “We’re not seeing that in many instances.”

The CRC team is dogged in ensuring decisions are being made for the right reasons – “Creative has always got to be at the forefront of everything,” Randall remarks.

Curiosity around AI

Like many industry leaders, Randall’s current focus is artificial intelligence – approached with curiosity rather than hype.

For Randall, post-production is reaping the benefits of AI advancements, but sees brands are more cautious about using the tech for creative origination, due to licensing and IP issues.

“The way we see it is it’s another tool in the toolbox.”

By bringing in external specialists to educate themselves on the practical applications of AI, CRC does much of the early research, passing on what they think is valuable to their clients.

Remaining ahead of the curve is critical for CRC then, with the consultancy staying informed through regular internal training sessions on the latest models, formats and tech.

“You don’t want people to get stale,” Randall says. “You want people to always know the latest innovations and trends, because clients are expecting us to know that.”

“The onus is on us to make sure the clients and the brands are aware of other opportunities, other options out there for them,” she says.

Leading by example

Randall leads by example, “I’m not asking anyone to do anything I’m not prepared to do myself. That’s the key,” she shares.

The result, she believes, is a strong, highly respected, knowledgeable team that clients trust, with Randall’s team predominantly made up of former producers, bringing in years of experience.

“My team are just great people, they’re so good at what they do and I think clients really value that.”

Even 30 years on, Randall’s commitment to learning is stronger than ever, “That’s the other thing about this job I absolutely love, I’m learning something new every single day,” she confesses.

Randall is candid about the support that made her career possible. “I could only have done this if my husband was happy to play his part, and my in-laws and my parents were around,” she says. “Without that, it’s very difficult.”

Looking back, she feels proud of having built a business alongside raising a family.

Looking ahead

As for the future, Randall resists grand predictions. “I don’t know what the next 10 years will look like,” she says. “But just carry on.”

That understated ambition reflects CRC’s positioning: steady, informed, quietly influential.

In an industry defined by constant change, that may be the most valuable role of all.