Getting out of the marina is the hardest step.

People who own boats have a saying: Getting out of the marina is the hardest step. When your boat is in a marina, there is always one more project. The environment seems great—often a pool, bar, and easy access to services. It is safe. And you do not need to navigate your vessel out of the tight channels often packed with other boats and risk. But once you are out of the marina, you realize you stayed too long.

In early January, I decided to retire from GALE, the agency I founded.

Three years ago, I began the process of building a catamaran, and in October 2024, it splashed in South Africa. In November and December, I sailed it back from Cape Town to Grenada, and that just reinforced my passion. A few years back, one of the founders reminded me I only committed to seven years when we started the agency. And she said I would never leave. I just smiled.

Lots of people sit on their boats in the marina and never leave. Working at an agency can be the same. Time moves fast, and it is one of the things that is for sure and can not be rewound.

For over ten years ago, I had an idea. Having never worked at an agency and watching the chatter from the sidelines, it was clear the space was primed for disruption. There was no real agency of scale that had a business-first approach.

A few of us began GALE with the idea that our external offering would be built over six to seven years, resulting in a fully integrated creative and media agency that prioritized the business conversation.

We accomplished that.

Over ten years, I led the agency, driving strategy, positioning, internal culture, and sales, working with a fantastic and collaborative team. You can see the spectacular revenue growth and the profitable bottom line. You could look at the epic client list. Or you could look at the diverse industry recognition we have received. GALE is the most diversely recognized agency in North America, period. That is a fact, from Effie’s to creative awards to data and media awards. A fully integrated agency was built.

More importantly, the key to the agency's success is what we are committed to internally. A set of core values, career coaches, internal tools, yearly engagement surveys, and yearly performance reviews created a culture that is the secret sauce of GALE. We did not always get it right, but we always tried and corrected along the way.

The agency world in which GALE operates has changed a lot in the last few years. I am a builder, strategist, and entrepreneur. Businesses go through phases, and GALE is at a point where different leadership is the right answer.I have accomplished all I could at GALE.

The success of GALE is our 700 people from Bangalore to Toronto, who show up each day heads down as a team to deliver value for our clients quietly.

I would also be remiss not to acknowledge the OG founders. They trusted me and joined me when we had no name, no clients, and just an idea.

I am tremendously proud of what I accomplished, period. I feel like I am leaving my agency in great hands as I move on to my next adventure.

For me, retirement will include sailing (this blog will track it. The link to get updates is below) on REIMAGINED, my new catamaran. As a friend once said, transformational leaders build great companies, but at some point, you lose the innovation lens because you lose the agility required. So there may be an innovation or two left to explore.

So I have now left the marina.

To everyone working at GALE. You are GALE. Keep being great. To my clients from GALE, you are in great hands. And to the future …. We will see where everything goes. May your journeys involve fair winds and following seas