From five people renting a boardroom to meet clients, to an independent agency now housing over a hundred people in 2025, growth is one entity Propel Manila has taken seriously. One that allowed 15 years and counting of growth, impact, and creativity.
In this exclusive Agency Leadership Decoded piece, MARKETECH APAC spoke to John Carlo Valenzuela, Propel Manila’s chief executive officer, on how he balances growth, culture, and innovation while preparing the agency’s years ahead.
Navigating challenges: Rolling up sleeves and leading from within
It’s nothing new for leaders to wear many hats. In JC’s case, it’s a variety of being a CEO, a shareholder, and a part of the board. This, according to him, gives him the flexibility to take care of their people.
“We don’t have to navigate layers of global policy or direction; instead, we can respond directly to what the business needs and what our people need at any given moment,” JC explained.
Hence, in his tenure as a leader, JC highlighted that every day still comes with challenges. For him, two out of those stand out.
“The first is losing clients and deciding to keep people anyway. The short-term, textbook move is to protect ratios, but I’ve always believed in our team; in our talent, in our ability to recover the business, and in our capacity to create new momentum,” shared JC.
He added that when a client leaves, it is important not to interpret this as a cue to cut headcount. In confidence, he shared that Propel, over 15 years, has never done this.
“I see it as a moment to double down on the people who built our reputation in the first place. It’s both a strategic decision and, frankly, the right thing to do,” highlighted JC.
The second challenge, he shared, is finding your generals.
“Not because we lack strong talent or can’t attract them, but because people grow, evolve, and sometimes move on. Leadership is dynamic. As CEO, my responsibility is to constantly develop the next wave of leaders, people who can grow the business, inspire teams, and earn in a way that genuinely contributes to their life goals.”
He shared that this is an ‘ongoing challenge, but also one of the most meaningful parts of the job.’
This practice is rooted in his belief that, as a leader, it is always easy to celebrate culture and generosity.
“What makes Propel unique is how intentionally we show up in the years that are tougher or slower. It’s in those moments that we make sure we still carve out profit to share.”
So, even in slower years, he said, did they find ways to share the wealth and protect their people.
“This flexibility isn’t about being reckless or rigid with ratios; it’s about understanding that this is a creative business powered by people,” JC remarked.
He added, “Our initiatives, benefits, and engagement programs come from one simple principle: sustain the business, but never at the expense of the people who make the business possible.”
This is why he never believed in the red line drawn between work and life.
“I’ve never liked the red line people draw between work and life. When a business says, “it’s not personal, it’s business,” it ignores the truth that this work takes time from our lives and that makes it personal.”
JC underscored that this is the reason why, over time, leadership became a balance of knowing when to push people into their next level, when to give them room to grow, and when to signal your presence as a leader, especially when times get difficult.
“It’s a philosophy built on trust, proximity, and sleeves rolled up. I don’t have a formal label for it, but it’s rooted in one belief: a leader should never be too high to not get their hands dirty for himself, his organization, and his clients.”
Simply creative: Steering Propel Manila through change
His leadership philosophy revolves around this imagery: moving people in a territory they didn’t know they were ready for, while also making sure that there are 10,000 hands beneath them when they leap.
“It means being present enough to sense where Digital, Creativity, and Communications are heading, and intuitive enough to guide the team through change as it unfolds,” shared JC.
In a fast-moving and changing industry, JC shared that as Propel’s leader, his role is to stay deeply engaged, while also constantly learning, researching, and tuning in to his instinct for what’s next.
“When we author new approaches or evolve how we do business, I lead by being in the work with the team, coaching in real time, and shaping the system while we’re inside it together,” narrated JC.
This flexibility can be pointed out as the core reason for how Propel Manila emerged over the past 15 years.
“From a team of five people renting someone else’s boardroom just to meet clients, to celebrating our 15th year with over a hundred people in 2025; that journey alone is one of the milestones I’m most proud of. I look back with so much gratitude for how far we’ve come and the culture we’ve built along the way,” remarked JC.
He also shared his aspirations for the coming year, “As we approach 2026, and our next 15 years, we’re conscious that we’re no longer the new, shiny upstart, and that’s a good thing. It pushes us into a healthy practice of self-obsolescence: continuously rethinking, optimizing, and staying ahead of what high-impact digital-first creativity should look like.”
Thus, he declared 2026 for Propel to be a year of evolving current products, launching new ones, and reskilling teams to meet a more fragmented, AI and human, discerning world.
“One day, Propel will represent the Filipino creative voice on the global stage: tinkering, obsessing, and solving our clients’ problems in ways that make their brands deeply cultural, deeply current, and centered on the relationship between the brand and its community,” said JC.
One of his most highlighted beliefs is that soon, creativity won’t need the label ‘digital’ anymore.
“It will simply be creative — shaped by culture, informed by a fragmented media landscape, traversed through creative systems, powered by AI and technology, and driven by human insight.”
He continued, “I see Propel at the center of that shift: an agency evolving its products, deepening its expertise, and building the creative systems that future-proof both our clients and our people.”
As Propel Manila looks ahead to 2026 and beyond, JC Valenzuela’s leadership philosophy remains clear: cultivate talent, embrace change, and let creativity lead the way.
With a focus on reskilling teams, evolving products, and staying ahead of technological shifts, Propel aims not just to keep pace with global trends but to define them, cementing the agency’s role as a homegrown creative powerhouse and a true representation of the Filipino voice in the international arena.
