The Tribe
Fran Nolan, Managing Director of Tribera
Some leaders chase plaudits. Our leader chases progress. Introducing, Fran Nolan.
A marketer, mother, and co-founder of our award-winning Brummie agency, Fran is far more than her impressive titles. She’s a rule-breaker, culture-shaper, and the kind of leader who proves there’s always a better way to do business.
Fran’s path began outside agency life, with her last corporate position being Head of Product & Proposition at Legal & General. She then made her mark at Superdream with insight-led strategy, commercial smarts, and fearless creativity. But red tape, rigid hierarchies, and outdated cultures forced a choice between career and family life - which she wasn’t willing to make.
So, she co-founded Tribera, alongside her buisness partner
Dré, and never looked back.
Women, work, and rewriting the rules
Used to running million-pound accounts, leading high-performing teams, and launching campaigns that spark conversations far beyond the boardroom, Fran is no stranger to success. But, her mission goes deeper than applause and awards.
From being pressured to hide her first pregnancy at work, to witnessing toxic cultures that sidelined entire careers, Fran channelled her experiences into building something better: redefining agency life - for women, for parents, and for anyone told they must compromise themselves for success.
Tribera began, quite literally, around Fran’s kitchen table. From day one, it was designed as a flexible, empowering agency built on trust. No micromanagement, no clock-watching, just a shared belief that people do their best work when they’re free to balance their life and career on their own terms. That principle still drives the agency today.
In 2022, she pushed that vision further, introducing a 32-hour working week – making Tribera one of the UK’s first agencies to do so. No stunts. No gimmicks. Just proof that balance and brilliance can co-exist. And the best part? It really works.
Championing braver and bold brands
Under Fran’s leadership, Tribera has partnered with some of the UK’s most exciting brands - from Costa Coffee to West Midlands Trains. For her, marketing isn’t just about cliche campaigns or empty slogans - it’s about shaping culture, influencing behaviour, and driving real change.
She’s not afraid to challenge clients to be bolder, braver, and more human in their approach - because the best work doesn’t just sell, it shifts perceptions.
BRUMWIM
Fran’s world isn’t all strategy decks and boardrooms. A proud feminist and advocate for mental wellness, she launched BRUMWIM (Birmingham Women in Marketing) in 2025 – a community built to connect, celebrate, and empower women across the Midlands marketing scene.
Beyond the boardroom
Curious about people, passionate about progress, and unafraid to call out industry bullsh*t, Fran changes the game simply by refusing to play it the old way.
Empowering. Fearless. People-first. Fran is rewriting the rulebook of modern work. And her number one rule? Work should be fun and fulfilling - but never at the expense of life outside it.
Rule number two? Success means nothing if it isn’t shared - with your team, your community, and the next generation coming up behind you.