B2B marketing is often seen as a machine built for efficiency—programmatic ad buys, automated email funnels, and endless reports on cost-per-click. But three former Dentsu B2B APAC executives think the industry has lost sight of something fundamental: Actual business impact. Now, they’ve launched Grove B2B, an advisory-to-activation agency that promises to shift the focus back to what really matters—helping marketers drive revenue and growth.
The agency, helmed by Kiaran Geen, Samantha Cunliffe, and Jake Hird, brings over five combined decades of experience in B2B marketing across global, regional, and local brands. Geen, who will now assume the role of CEO, was most recently president of Dentsu B2B APAC, has spent 25 years leading marketing teams and driving business transformation. Cunliffe, now chief client officer, was previously managing director of Dentsu B2B Australia, has worked across major markets, crafting strategies that deliver results for enterprise and startup clients alike. Hird, taking on the position of chief strategy officer, who was most recently the former vice president for Strategy at Dentsu B2B APAC (Merkle) until earlier this year, has a deep understanding of how shifting buyer behaviours are reshaping the industry, making strategy more pivotal than ever.
Grove B2B will be based in Sydney and Singapore, tapping into an ecosystem of partners to deliver its services. The agency is in the process of onboarding clients—though they are not yet able to share names—and will initially focus on sectors such as technology, financial services, manufacturing and professional services. While the founders are currently based in Australia, they plan to operate on a fly-in, fly-out model as they expand across APAC, with a view to hiring more permanent roles in the region in the near future.
When asked, the trio who all left Dentsu in 2025, share that the decision to leave was not one made by the company, but rather a strategic move by the founders to create a new kind of agency—one that is agile, cost-effective, and deeply embedded in client partnerships. “We have a deep passion for B2B, and that means we need to delve deeper into our client relationships,” the founders share. “Traditional holding companies struggle with the financial implications of this kind of engagement, and that’s not unique to any one group. We’ve seen a strong industry trend of successful agency start-ups in the consumer space, where experienced founders are looking to do more for their clients. Now is the time to do the same in B2B.”
That’s where they’re hoping Grove B2B comes in. The trio say that agency has been built to bridge the gap between strategy and execution. Whether a company has an in-house team, is transitioning, or needs full-service support, the model is designed to be flexible. Core services include customer and market insights, go-to-market planning, investment strategy, and training and development. Hird sees this as a response to a deeper industry problem. “Most agencies do one of two things: They either provide high-level strategic advice and walk away, or they focus purely on execution without understanding the business context. We do both. That’s the missing piece in B2B marketing.”
The B2B boom: Who is serving it?
B2B marketing is at an inflection point. For years, the industry has prioritised digital investment—moving budgets away from traditional relationship-building and into data-driven performance marketing. The shift made sense at first, but in the rush to optimise every impression and click, something got lost. Speaking to Campaign about why they felt the urgency to start the agency now, Geen references the above shifts have left many CMOs struggling to connect marketing efforts to business outcomes. “Over the last ten years, CMOs have gone all in on digitisation, replacing golf days and call centres with programmatic, search, and social. But now they’re realising that without a clear link to sales, their media investments aren’t delivering real business growth.”
Much of this disconnect, Cunliffe argues, stems from an over-reliance on efficiency metrics. “There’s so much talk around AI helping with media buying efficiencies, with platforms offering automated targeting. That’s great in theory, but it’s problematic when dealing with regulated industries or highly specific audiences. You can hit your click-through targets, but is it actually driving business impact? We need to shift the conversation away from efficiency metrics and start focusing on the KPIs that actually matter.”
At the heart of the issue is the changing role of B2B marketers. Cunliffe notes that the demands placed on them have never been greater. “Budgets are shrinking, and B2B marketers need to do more than ever—prove ROI, drive revenue, and contribute meaningfully at a board level. Marketing can’t just be about driving engagement or optimising for cost-per-click. It needs to be a business driver. But that requires strategic leadership, not just activation.”
This ability to connect the dots between strategy and execution, Hird adds, is what they hope will set Grove B2B apart. “We’ve seen clients struggle because they’re getting either surface-level thinking or activation without business context. That’s why we take an integrated approach—understanding the customer journey, aligning sales and marketing, and then executing in a way that truly impacts the bottom line.”
Cunliffe explains that the agency’s name was inspired by its core values. “We’ve got a tagline that brings the name to life—shared wisdom, collective growth, fresh perspective. That’s what fuels Grove B2B. We wanted to encapsulate the idea of growth, much like oak trees—starting with one grove and expanding into a connected network. It represents how we see our role in the industry: Fostering knowledge, collaboration, and success across the board.”
Beyond strategy, into results
Beyond strategy and activation, the agency’s approach is also deeply shaped by its regional perspective. Geen, who has spent the last decade leading an APAC business, believes that understanding cultural nuances is critical to effective marketing. “Too often, clients get handed a one-size-fits-all ad from corporate America that doesn’t resonate in Thailand, India, or Japan. We’ve lived and worked across these regions, and we know how to navigate those complexities.”
While Australia and Singapore will serve as launch markets, the agency has broader ambitions across APAC. “Ultimately, we will grow in the markets,” Geen says. “I’ve run an APAC business for the last ten years. My wife calls me a FIFO husband because I’m constantly flying in and out of different markets. We understand the cultural diversity of APAC—that’s something our clients struggle with.”
When asked how they plan to grow with a three-person team, Geen emphasises that the agency is not in a rush to scale. “All of our clients will work directly with the founders. We will add senior growth to our organisation, but only where it directly supports our clients’ needs. We believe in hiring the right B2B thinkers first and foremost, ensuring that every engagement maintains the essence of what we set out to create. We’ll be tapping into a flexible workforce model but won’t scale beyond what allows us to stay true to this vision.”
Hird adds, “It’s also about knowing our limitations. We’re not positioning ourselves as a marketing technology specialist, for example. If a client comes to us with a very specific need for marketing automation, we have people in our network who can deliver that through our partner ecosystem. Our strength is in strategic thinking and execution, making sure advisory connects seamlessly to activation.”
The decision to work together was an easy one, according to all three. “We’re very similar in how we operate—honesty, trust, and integrity are core to who we are. We’ve been in multiple pitch rooms together, and that’s the trench—if you trust and enjoy working with someone in the trench, you know you’ll work well together outside of it too. When our time at Dentsu was coming to an end, one of the key reasons we wanted to start something of our own was to maintain this partnership. It’s built on trust, longevity, and the fact that we genuinely enjoy working together.”
The founders are also hoping to bring their own personalities and interests to the business. Geen balances work with family life, expecting his second child while navigating the demands of a new venture. Cunliffe has a passion for travel, cooking, pickling and craft beers, while Hird, with a background in consulting and agency work, spends his time outside of work with his two kids and ‘a large dog’.
“We’re not here to follow a formula; We’re here to challenge the way things have always been done,” concludes Cunliffe. “The industry needs smarter thinking, better execution, and a true connection between marketing and business growth. That’s what we’re here to build.”
