Walpole: Tell us about your company…
Stephen Knight: Pimento is a network of agencies and senior consultants, offering a gateway to the independent sector, helping brands to grow by navigating the world of marketing with clear, expert guidance. We assess needs, qualify briefs and match clients with high-performing agencies and specialists, all at no cost.
Many of the independent agency founders in the community have run in-house marketing teams themselves, so we know exactly what brands need and what it takes to deliver. That shared experience is what allows us to connect agencies and brands in a way that works in the real world – and have done so for more than 20 years.
What is your area of expertise and how can luxury brands benefit from working with you?
At Pimento, our expertise lies in helping brands navigate the increasingly complex world of marketing by connecting them with the right talent, agencies and specialist expertise. What makes us different is that we’re not tied to any one discipline or way of working. Instead, we build bespoke solutions around a client’s specific needs.
Whether that’s identifying the right marketing or business consultant, assembling a tailored team of independent agencies to deliver a broader brief, supporting digital transformation initiatives, conducting an agency search, or helping brands find the right permanent, interim or fractional talent, we act as a gateway to the very best independent expertise available.
Luxury brands, in particular, require a unique approach. They are built on far more than products or services; they rely on perception, heritage, craftsmanship and emotional connection. Marketing in this space requires a careful balance of creativity, exclusivity and strategic precision, ensuring every interaction reinforces value and desirability.
Through the Pimento network, we are able to bring together specialists across brand strategy, digital, PR, experiential, design, communications and technology. By combining the right expertise for each challenge, we help luxury brands strengthen their brand equity, engage discerning audiences and continue to grow while protecting the qualities that make them distinctive.
What luxury brands has the Pimento network of agencies worked with previously?
One of the strengths of the Pimento network is the breadth of experience our agencies and consultants bring. Over the years, members of our network have worked with an impressive range of luxury and premium brands across sectors including automotive, fashion, hospitality, jewellery, travel, retail and lifestyle.
That experience includes brands such as Aston Martin, Audi, BMW, McLaren and Rolls-Royce in the automotive sector; Gucci, Harrods, Charlotte Tilbury, Tiffany & Co. and Fortnum & Mason in luxury retail and fashion; Rolex, H Moser & Cie and Christopher Ward in watchmaking; and De Beers and Richemont within the world of luxury jewellery.
Our network has also supported globally recognised names including Mandarin Oriental, NetJets, Qatar Airways, Bicester Village, Nyetimber, Pernod Ricard, Royal Albert Hall and Grosvenor, among many others.
What’s particularly valuable is that these brands have often benefited from highly specialised expertise delivered by independent agencies that understand the nuances of luxury marketing. It demonstrates that independent talent can deliver work of the very highest calibre while offering the flexibility and agility that modern brands increasingly need.
What has been a significant achievement in your company’s timeline?
Twenty-one years ago, I set out to build something different. I established Pimento because the traditional agency model was no longer fit for purpose. Brands needed something faster and more flexible, tailored with agency partners focussed on outcomes and not overburdened with high overheads. No big egos or rigid structures. Just brilliant people, doing brilliant work, together.
Since then, we’ve grown into a network of 190-plus independent agencies, consultants and professional services with around 6500 marketing experts, each with their own flavour and deep expertise. And every single one committed to solving problems in smarter, faster, more flexible ways.
But the thing I’m most proud of? We’ve stayed true to our founding principles. We built this on trust, curiosity and a shared belief that the best ideas come from diverse minds working together. It’s why learning and networking have always been part of our DNA, and why our community continues to grow stronger in the face of constant change. Pimento doesn’t just connect talent, we create the conditions for innovation. And in a world where nothing stands still, that’s more important than ever.
