April, 2026.- In the 2026 advertising landscape, agency survival depends on the ability to evolve without losing core identity. Alex Green is a living example of this resilience; after ten years at Born Social, she has moved from account management to leading the expansion of one of the world’s most influential social-first agencies. For Green, growth has shifted from a volume metric to a value ecosystem. Her approach is not traditional “business development,” but rather creating partnerships where the agency acts as a strategic consultant. Her success with giants like Diageo—expanding a single brand into a multi-market portfolio—proves that trust is earned through consistency and expanded through judgment. In a world saturated with content, Alex bets on “context over content,” understanding that true power lies in deciphering the communities and cultures that AI still cannot replicate.
In this exclusive interview with Roastbrief, Alex Green breaks down how the collaboration with Croud is allowing Born Social to offer integrated solutions that eliminate friction for the client. From her role in the IPA New Business and Marketing Group, Green also reflects on the need to improve pitch processes to make them more sustainable and effective. Discover why the “red thread” of a unified strategy is today’s greatest competitive differentiator and how Born Social is adapting its model to respond to briefs that no longer ask for “posts,” but for customer journeys and total commerce strategies. It is a lesson in staying relevant in the “battleground” of human attention, always prioritizing relationship quality over contract size.
1. A Decade at Born Social: You’ve spent ten years at Born Social, growing from Business Director to now Head of Growth. What has kept you at the agency for a decade, and how has your perspective on the business and the industry evolved over that time?
I started at Born 10 years ago as an Account Manager, joining the industry at a time when social was established but had nowhere near the momentum it has today. It’s evolved so much, as has Born, and so while it’s been 10 years, navigating the change has been the only constant. Well, that and our leadership team whom I’ve worked with for the last decade; an amazing group of people that have been a huge factor as to why I’m still here!
My perspective has changed a lot but mostly, in 2026 I feel excited to be part of our industry. Yes, there are new pressures and probably more unknowns than we want to admit, but that’s the fun of it, right?!
2. The Growth Role Defined: You’re stepping into a newly focused growth role as record demand for social-first creative continues. How do you define the difference between “business development” and “growth” in your approach? What does growth mean to you beyond winning new clients?
In 2026, growth for me means building a sustainable ecosystem where our team is excited by the work and our clients feel like we’re an essential part of their business. It’s about growing our influence and taking up more space at the table. If we’re winning the right kind of work – the kind that pushes the boundaries of what ‘social-first’ actually means and delivers for our clients, then I’m succeeding! So for me, growth is about levelling up, not just getting bigger.
3. From Single Brand to Multi-Brand Portfolio: You played a central role in growing the Diageo partnership from a single brand into a multi-brand, multi-market portfolio. What’s the secret to expanding a client relationship like that? What do you need to deliver first to earn the right to grow?
Obviously, consistency has been key to unlocking the scale of the opportunity – you have to execute the work you already have brilliantly before you begin to build. But alongside that, strategic leadership has been an important lever in stretching our relationship from supplier to consultant. Once a client trusts your expertise, taste and judgement, you create a real partnership of which growth is a by-product.
4. Collaboration with Croud: You’ll be working closely with Croud’s Chief Growth Officer on shared pitches as briefs increasingly span multiple disciplines. How do you ensure that collaboration feels seamless to clients rather than like two agencies awkwardly joined? What makes a successful cross-agency pitch?
The market is naturally demanding more integrated solutions from Born and Croud. As brands become increasingly fragmented across platforms, clients recognise the necessity of connected creative and media planning.
To make that feel seamless, we move past just sharing a deck; we start sharing a language. By co-authoring the strategy from day one, we ensure there is a single, unified ‘red thread’ through the work. Clients get the best of both worlds without the headache of managing the friction in the middle.
5. The IPA New Business and Marketing Group: You recently joined the IPA’s New Business and Marketing Group. What does that involvement mean to you, and how do you balance contributing to the broader industry conversation with driving growth for your own agency?
There is so much we can do to drive better behaviours during pitch processes, to help create sustainable, effective growth practices in the industry. This is at the heart of what our group is trying to do, through the New Business Diaries podcast, amongst other industry initiatives. I feel strongly that driving positive change here directly benefits Born Social. When the pitching ecosystem in particular is more effective, it allows us to stop worrying about the ‘process’ and focus on what we do best: delivering brilliant, social-first work.
6. Evolving Client Briefs: Ben Tyson noted that briefs are increasingly spanning multiple disciplines, requiring “smarter, more connected thinking.” What are clients asking for now that they weren’t asking for five years ago, and how is Born Social’s growth strategy adapting to meet those new demands?
Social is now the primary battleground for consumer attention and cultural insight, which has led to a massive convergence – every agency type is now claiming a stake. This makes the landscape more exciting, but also far more complicated to navigate. Five years ago, we talked about ‘posts’; today, we’re talking about customer journeys, commerce strategies, and the list goes on.
Our strategy to meet this complexity is three-fold:
1. Double down on our strengths: We aren’t trying to be everything to everyone. We are staying laser-focused on what we do best so we can confidently say ‘yes’ to the right opportunities.
2. Borrow from the best: We’re leaning into our partnership with Croud more than ever. Our solutions are more enriched when we utilise their deep media and data expertise – in particular, for performance creative and social measurement.
3. Prioritise ‘Context over Content’: In a world where AI can generate infinite content for next to nothing, the value has shifted. Creativity is needed more than ever before – starting with understanding the nuances of community and culture that AI still can’t replicate, and translating that into ideas that people don’t want to scroll past.
