Huddersfield and Leeds brand and digital consultancy Smith has appointed Adam Gill as creative director, as founder Oliver Smith hands over creative leadership after 12 years.
The appointment comes as the agency reports 55% revenue growth on the previous year, alongside recent client wins including Booths, Age UK and Sentio Partners.
Gill joins after almost 15 years working independently on brand and editorial projects for clients including Nike, Calvin Klein, Basic-Fit, adidas, UD Music and Offside Sports Photography, as well as agencies across the UK and Europe.
He will lead Smith’s creative output across brand strategy, design and digital, working with clients including VP Plc, Enevo and North Defence.
Oliver Smith, founder of Smith, said: “Creativity isn’t decoration. It’s one of the few unfair advantages a business has left. Our clients want work that shifts sales, margins and recruitment, and that’s exactly what Adam has been hired to deliver. At Smith, the work has to work.
“I’ve admired Adam’s work for years. As it happens, I featured his work in my university research. Handing over creative direction frees me up to focus on our clients and the future of Smith.”
Born and raised in Huddersfield, Gill studied graphic design at Batley School of Art and Design before beginning his career at Design Junkie in 2004.
His more than 20 years in design spans editorial, retail, music and culture. Among his projects is Art of the Terraces, the exhibition he co-created and co-curated, which ran for five months at Liverpool’s Walker Art Gallery in 2023.
Gill said: “I didn’t realise I was looking for a change, but after working with Smith on an intense freelance project, I quickly saw what a great opportunity this was. It’s an exciting agency with a great team, and I’m looking forward to developing both personally and professionally here.”
Smith’s emphasis on sales, margins and recruitment echoes a wider discussion about how agencies demonstrate their value to clients.
Prolific North’s latest analysis of its Top 150 Agencies records £1.42bn in combined turnover and almost 9,500 staff across the featured businesses, with almost two-thirds recording fewer than 50 employees. The analysis explores how changing buying models and expectations are putting greater emphasis on commercial impact.
Growth is also taking place against continuing cost pressures. As Prolific North reported in August, the Agency Performance Pulse found 54% of surveyed independent agencies increased revenue in the six months to July, while 62% reported rising employee costs.
The survey of 87 agencies highlighted longer sales cycles and greater procurement scrutiny, with its findings described as directional rather than statistically representative.
Founded in 2014, Smith has a team of 10 working across professional services, food and drink, tech, manufacturing, construction and lifestyle.
