The mission statement of the group, which includes in-house agency OLIVER, global agency Adjust Your Set, engineering company DARE and property specialist Aylesworth Fleming, is to transform its clients' brand business performance through the use of smarter solution delivered from the inside.

Simon Martin, the founder, told the media how it has achieved its success. “The strongest marker of our success in 2020 is our incredible growth and healthy people, which has sustained us despite a world recession.”

Evidence came when OLIVER was ranked the fastest-growing large agency by Adweek in 2020, a reflection of its role in building and growing brands for 200 clients in 46 countries.

Responding to criticisms in a staff survey, IIG has raised its game on staff wellbeing, “gifting” staff 2.5 days to work on their physical and mental health.

Senior managers launched an IIG Care programme which at Christmas, recognising the extra strain and dark days of lockdown 2, gave every employee a Fitbit exercise monitoring device as part of a pan-company steps challenge. Everyone was also given an extra day and a half off. Company satisfaction scores rose to their highest level – 8.9 out of 10 – during the pandemic.

It believes in giving back through the Brixton Finishing School, a grass-roots organisation that helps underrepresented groups gain access to the marketing and advertising industries, through sponsorship of courses, mentorship and internship placements.