The Future of Skills and
Hiring in the age of AI 

When I started The Industry Club, the goal was simple: to connect brilliant people with brilliant places. That mission hasn’t changed – but the definition of brilliant has. 

AI isn’t just another tool; it's redefining what agencies need from their people, 

how teams are built, and what “hireable” means.

Until now, the industry has navigated chiefly by instinct. Partnering with Spark AI allowed us to look beyond opinion – to data. The results reveal an industry in transition: confidence is high, but capability still lags. The biggest gaps aren’t just technical; they’re practical and commercial. Agencies need people who can apply AI intelligently, sell it credibly, and link it to real business value.

This research validates what we at The Industry Club see daily. We’re helping agencies rethink both how they upskill and who they hire: valuing curiosity, adaptability, and mindset over fixed expertise. 

This report is both a reality check and a roadmap – for leaders making hiring

decisions, for candidates deciding what to learn next, and for everyone building the right mindset for what’s coming next.

About The Industry Club 

At The Industry Club, we’ve been working with in-house agencies of differing sizes and shapes to provide a level of support that helps them level up against their external counterparts. It’s always an interesting challenge and not one to be taken lightly. We found very early on that providing recruitment for in-house agencies has its own unique requirements, whilst our training programmes for in-house marketers have many of their own nuances. 

Our recruitment service is lead by a team with deep agency experience, having worked across the industry for leading agencies at board level. So we understand exactly what is required to replicate the creativity and efficiency of an external agency, whilst delivering on the marketing agility of an in-house operation