Brian Kessman

Brian Kessman is the founder and Principal Consultant of Lodestar Agency Consulting and Executive Director of the Value Model Institute. He helps CEOs and CFOs of independent and multinational network agencies redesign their value models: the commercial system that connects how they define, package, deliver, and price their expertise around solutions and outcomes, not hours and headcount.

He is the author of Redesigning the Agency Value Model, published by VoxComm, the global alliance of communications agency associations, featuring case studies from eight agencies including VCCP, 72andSunny, FIG, and Monks. The paper has been covered by MediaPost, Campaign UK, WARC, and trade press across ten countries on five continents, and adopted as a standing resource by agency associations representing Europe, Australia, and New Zealand.

He is a contributor to the IPA’s 2026 Pricing Playbook and an inaugural member of the 4As Expert Network, and his work has been featured in Ad Age and MarTech. Brian brings more than 25 years of agency experience and presents regularly at conferences and industry associations around the world.

If your agency’s commercial model isn’t capturing the full value you create, the first step is finding where it breaks down:

→ Take the five-minute Agency Model Map Diagnostic for CEOs and CFOs
→ Read the industry guide, Redesigning the Agency Value Model
→ See how Lodestar helps agencies through its solutions