'Young firms have the opportunity to build around new technologies and ways of working'

For some young founders, starting an agency is about spotting an opportunity in the market. For Arth Malani, Founder & CEO, NorthStar Insights, it was also about rethinking what clients should expect from an advisory firm. His experience across risk, communications, financial PR and government affairs exposed him to the decisions that sit behind a company’s public narrative, particularly when the stakes involve investors, transactions or reputation.

In e4m’s Corp Comm & PR ‘Too Young to Start?’ series, we look beyond the decision to start young and into the thinking that drives these new businesses. In this edition, Malani takes us through the journey of building NorthStar, a senior-led, AI-powered risk and communications advisory firm that works across markets from its base in Dubai.

The firm’s proposition is rooted in something Malani has seen first-hand: when the stakes are high, clients want experienced people in the room where decisions are being made. NorthStar has therefore built its model around keeping the majority of its engagement teams senior, rather than handing mandates down through layers of junior execution. Its work spans C-suite executives, institutional investors and government clients across banking, financial services and investment, with the firm now expanding across MENA, India and APAC.

But building a specialist advisory business is a different challenge from building a conventional agency. How do you convince clients to trust a young founder with high-stakes mandates? What happens when the business is designed around senior expertise rather than scale? And as AI changes how advisory work gets delivered, where does human judgement continue to matter?

In this conversation, Malani speaks about why he chose to build NorthStar, the realities of building credibility early, what he believes clients are really buying from an advisory firm, and how he sees the future of risk and communications consulting evolving across emerging markets.

Excerpts:

What convinced you there was room for another PR agency in an industry already crowded with established players? What opportunity did others overlook?

The industry was never short of agencies; it was short of new operating models. Communications has changed significantly over the last decade, but many firms still work in largely the same way they always have. At the same time, clients are under pressure to move faster, navigate more complex stakeholder environments and deliver better outcomes with greater efficiency.

I saw an opportunity to build a firm that combines experienced counsel with modern technology. Rather than creating additional layers of process, our focus is on keeping senior practitioners closely involved in every client engagement while using technology to improve efficiency, consistency and insight.

The goal was never to create just another agency. It was to build a modern, independent advisory firm that delivers high-quality strategic communications and reputation counsel in a way that reflects how clients operate today.

How difficult was it to win your first few clients, and did your age or experience ever become a hurdle during client conversations? What almost made you quit?

It was hard, and yes age was a factor. In this industry, grey hair is often read as a proxy for judgment, and as a young, first-generation founder you walk into rooms where that assumption is already working against you. The first few clients came with an Indian precision engineering company we supported. I think it was the values we tried to embody - precise, commercially minded and more importantly being a partner to the client.

The moment that tested me most was a major pitch for one of the world's largest investment firms in India. It was tough, but being given the platform to share our insights and ideas proved particularly valuable. What kept me going was that the discomfort was the cost of building something that didn't exist yet. If the model was sound and every prospect conversation was quietly confirming it was then quitting would have meant abandoning the thesis right before it started to work. Then add to this, all the wonderful people that are on this journey with you - it really keeps you grounded.

Where do young agencies genuinely outperform established firms?

One advantage independent agencies have is accountability. When the founder and senior leadership team remain closely involved in the work, there is a direct connection between the advice being given and the responsibility for the outcome.

A second advantage is agility. Smaller firms are often able to adapt more quickly to changing client needs, emerging issues and shifts in the market because they are not navigating multiple layers of internal process.

The third is innovation. Young firms have the opportunity to build around new technologies and ways of working from the outset. For us, technology is not a replacement for expertise or judgement; it is simply a tool that allows our team to spend more time where clients derive the highest value: strategic thinking, problem-solving and trusted counsel.

Does the industry give enough room for first-generation founders? What assumptions about younger agencies do you wish clients would stop making?

It's improving, but the large retainers still default to legacy names. First-generation founders have to earn twice: once for the work, and once for the right to be taken seriously. My experience in the industry taught me the fundamentals of the profession, and those lessons continue to shape how we build NorthStar today. 

The assumptions I'd retire: that young means unreliable delivery, that small means unable to scale, and the newest one that "AI-led" means cutting corners. It's the opposite actually. A senior-led, AI-enabled team, I'd argue, is more consistent, not less, because the routine work is standardised and the human hours go where they matter. 

We are young and we have had the legacy agency experience - so we are building for those who want something different.

Many independent agencies begin with the founder's personal reputation. What systems have you built that don't depend on you?

This is something I think about a lot because a business that only succeeds when the founder is present is difficult to scale sustainably.

From the beginning, we've focused on building a culture of ownership and accountability. One of our core beliefs is that the people closest to the work should have the confidence and authority to take responsibility for it. We actively look for people who share that mindset during the recruitment process.

We've also built a relatively flat organisation where senior colleagues across our markets play a meaningful role in client delivery, decision-making and business development. The aim is to create an environment where strong ideas can come from anywhere within the firm rather than flowing through a single individual.

Ultimately, the ambition is to build an institution rather than a personality-led business. That means investing in talented people, creating clear standards and ensuring clients build relationships with the wider team, not just the founder.

How do you measure your agency's contribution to the industry, whether through employment generation, supporting startups, creating new specialisations, or building talent?

I measure it less by headcount and more by impact.

First, are we creating opportunities for talented people to work on meaningful and intellectually challenging assignments? Communications is one of those industries where learning comes from exposure, and we want our team to work on issues that help them grow professionally.

Second, are we helping clients access senior strategic counsel in a more flexible and effective way? For many organisations, particularly growing businesses, access to experienced guidance can make a significant difference during moments of opportunity or risk.

Third, are we contributing positively to how the industry evolves? Technology is changing many aspects of communications, and we believe there is an opportunity to combine innovation with the values that have always mattered in this profession: sound judgement, trust and strong client relationships.

For me, success is ultimately about building a firm that develops talented people, delivers measurable value for clients and contributes positively to the profession over the long term.

Looking ahead, how do you see young independent agencies growing to become significant contributors to the PR economy?

The economics of building an agency have changed significantly. Independent firms today have access to technology, talent and specialised expertise in ways that were much harder to achieve a decade ago.

As a result, I expect to see more independent agencies become meaningful contributors to the PR economy, particularly those that are able to combine experienced counsel, strong client relationships and modern tools. Technology will continue to play an important role, but the fundamentals of the industry remain the same: trusted advice, sound judgement and measurable results for clients.

The agencies that succeed will be the ones that embrace innovation while staying focused on delivering real commercial value.