Why TW1 is evolving

I started TW1 because I wanted to work differently.

I had spent enough time in traditional medical communications agencies to know what I didn’t want: pitching hard for work, then handing it over to a changing team who had to learn the therapy area, the client and the internal politics from scratch.

I wanted to work with clients rather than simply for them, and to build relationships where accumulated knowledge actually mattered.

So that is what I did.

TW1 grew largely through word of mouth and my existing network. I am still very proud that I haven’t pitched for a client in more than ten years. For me, that says something important about the kind of relationships we have built.

The interesting thing is that the model we developed years ago now feels particularly relevant.

Pharma teams are under pressure. Budgets are tighter, restructures are frequent, and routine work is increasingly being brought in-house, automated or bought cheaply. What remains externally is often the work that is more complex, more strategic or more sensitive.

That doesn’t necessarily require more agency people. It requires the right people.

TW1 is deliberately senior-led and deliberately small. We work closely enough with our clients to understand not only the project, but the therapy area, the stakeholders, the history and what is likely to happen next. There is less time spent briefing, re-briefing and bringing new people up to speed.

AI strengthens that model rather than replacing it.

We are investing in tools and training that allow us to automate or accelerate the work that doesn’t need ten or twenty years of experience to complete it. Research, first drafts, quality checks and administrative tasks can all be made more efficient.

That gives experienced people more time to do the work where experience actually matters: thinking, questioning, advising, facilitating and building relationships.

Facilitation is a good example.

A strong advisory board or steering committee is not simply a well-run meeting. It depends on understanding the real business needs, the objectives, the science and the power of collaborative dialogue with the people in the room. Over time, you instinctively learn who will challenge, who will hold back, who influences whom, when the client should contribute and when to allow an unexpected twist in the discussion, recognising when you are uncovering insights of real meaning.

That knowledge is difficult to automate. It is also difficult to retain when agency teams are constantly being reorganised.

So TW1 will continue to grow, but not by becoming a large traditional agency. We want to stay boutique: experienced people, close client relationships, intelligent use of technology and the ability to expand around a project when required.

That is really what the new TW1 brand represents.

The fundamentals haven’t changed. We are still flexible, collaborative and senior-led, with a mixture of agency and pharma experience. But the business has matured. The team is stronger, our expertise is broader, and we are becoming much clearer about where we add the most value.

TW1 began as Tracy Willmott, one (yes, there is a postcode relevance too). Thirteen years later, we are one team - and increasingly, exactly the company I wanted to build.