Celebrating 10 and 20 Years of ROAST & STEAK

This February marks a double anniversary for all those at TIPi Group: the 10th anniversary of ROAST and the 20th anniversary of its ancestor, STEAK.

In celebration of these achievements, we reflect on some of the highlights from the journey so far…

STEAK: Where it all started

Back in 2005, STEAK opened its very first office in Covent Garden, quickly signing our first client.

It wasn’t long before STEAK expanded internationally, establishing a presence in Australia and the US.

In 2008, as STEAK’s success grew, Minute Steak, sister agency, was launched, spearheaded by Gemma Haggarty. This expansion highlighted STEAK’s growth and impact in the industry. Initially Minute Steak’s Client Services Manager, now ROAST’s Growth Director, Camilla Charalambous (née King) comments:

“Being involved in the early days of STEAK was truly very exciting. It felt like we were on the cusp of a digital wave, and we held the keys to something that every client wanted to be part of. There were many highs, of course some lows, and even more hangovers. I’ll always look back on that early part of my career with so much fondness.”

By 2012, STEAK’s achievements caught the attention of Dentsu, leading to an acquisition. Despite the change, the spirit of STEAK lived on, paving the way for what would come next.

ROAST: New beginnings

In 2015, Ollie Bishop co-founded ROAST with Charlotte Cosky, alongside Camilla Charalambous, Gareth Owen, and Kieran Bass. This core team launched the first ROAST HQ in Fitzrovia, and within weeks, secured our first client.

As ROAST grew, our sister agency Kitty was founded in 2016. This marked the formation of TIPi Group, uniting both agencies under one roof. ROAST’s early successes were recognised when we earned a spot on the Sunday Times Best Companies to Work For list for the first time.

To accommodate our expanding team, we relocated to Paddington, earning accolades along the way, including Google Premier Partner status.

ROAST’s culture continued to shine, as we were named a ‘Sunday Times Best Companies to Work For’ for the second year running.

“From day one, fostering a great company culture has been at the core of our mission at ROAST. Creating an environment where people genuinely want to be – one they take pride in – was always a top priority. When we introduced the House System, our goal was to create an inclusive, engaging, and enjoyable workplace – infused with a touch of friendly competition and team spirit. But a strong culture goes beyond any single initiative; it becomes something that every team member is personally invested in and proud to uphold, as a unit. The many amazing friendships, and even marriages and growing families over the years are a testament to the strong bonds that have been built within our team.” – Charlotte Cosky, Co-Founder & Chief Communications Officer.

The Formation of TIPi Group

With the success of ROAST & Kitty, TIPi Group was officially established. Joining the menagerie alongside Kitty and ROAST, TIPi Group’s third agency, Rabbit & Pork, launched in 2018, broadening our capabilities.

ROAST moved to new pastures in Covent Garden – right around the corner from where STEAK first began. That same year, ROAST was named a ‘Sunday Times Best Companies to Work for’ for the third time, followed by winning ‘The Drum Digital Agency of the Year’ in 2019.

“After having great success and coverage from the world’s first ever voice search reports under the ROAST brand we launched Rabbit & Pork. An exciting proposition as the world started to embrace voice technology with the booming sales of Alexa and Google Home devices. Rabbit & Pork was launched as a mix of agency services and development of voice apps.” – John Campbell, Managing Director of Rabbit & Pork

Navigating Challenges and Embracing Growth

The pandemic in 2020 brought challenges, but TIPi Group adapted by shifting to remote working and embracing new ways of collaboration. Despite the obstacles, the team’s resilience shone through.

ROAST continued to thrive, earning a spot on the ‘Sunday Times Best Companies to Work for’ for the fifth time and moving into a temporary Fitzrovia office post-lockdown. Some remained working from home, while others moved to hybrid working

“Lockdown and teams working from home was a true test to the culture we had created. We were concerned about employees feeling isolated and without being able to inject fun, or the socialising we were used to, it meant that we had to adapt. We ramped up communication and created safe online spaces for our teams to feel engaged, listened to, and have a bit of a laugh with during a tough time. We didn’t try to engineer a similar experience to what we had in the office, it simply wasn’t possible. Instead, we have built on our strong culture to craft a new cultural experience from home, which is truly collaborative and inclusive and out of which new and positive additions have emerged such as the CSR committee.” – Kerry Hillier, Head of People and Culture

By 2022, we moved into our permanent home in Soho, marking another chapter in our journey. ROAST’s achievements included being ranked highly in ‘The Drum Top Agencies with Under 100 Staff’ and receiving ‘Sunday Times Best Companies to Work for’ for the sixth and seventh times.

ROAST announce moving into through the line planning and media in 2022, and have since had several successful campaigns for LEON, Cencora, Travel Sentry, Pitchbook.

“Change can be tricky to navigate, and while our processes have evolved over the last few years placing more focus on media intelligence and planning, we are constantly seeking to learn and improve. At the core, ROAST truly are a bunch of really smart people striving to do great work for our clients and continue to push the needle.” – Lynsey Rollinson, ROAST Managing Partner

In 2024, ROAST is named a ‘Sunday Times Best Companies to Work for’ for the ninth time and ‘Campaign’s Best Places to Work’.

On the verge of ROAST’s eleventh year, our commitment to client success, innovation, and growth remains unwavering.

To connect with ROAST and be part of our journey, please contact us here. Join us as we dive deep into the key forces redefining search in April as we host The Future of Search.

Happy 10th birthday ROAST and here’s to the 20th anniversary of STEAK!