Tangerine’s co-CEOs, Sam Gregory and Mary Harding (left pic), have increased their shareholding in the agency, signalling their long-term commitment and ambition for the future of the business.
The pair have led the independent agency for ten years, and in 2025 it delivered its strongest year yet, with revenue up 40% year-on-year and it being named Best Agency Outside of London by PR Week.
Founder, and now chair, Sandy Lindsay MBE (right), who set the agency up in 2002, sold the majority of her shareholding in 2017 to create the Tangerine Employee Ownership Trust, which at the time was the UK’s first creative agency to become employee owned. This new deal sees Gregory and Harding buy the remaining shares to increase their combined ownership to 36%.
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Harding said: “Sam and I have always shared a vision for Tangerine and this investment reflects our belief that Tangerine is the agency which has the talent and original thinking to lead this industry forward. We believe our proven model as an independent agency offers the agility brands need to thrive in the modern marketing landscape.”
Gregory added: “Our investment is a statement of belief in our people, our clients and in the agency we’re building together. This is a very exciting time for Tangerine. Two years ago the agency invested £1.2m in developing our AI capability. Now we’re perfectly placed to help brands navigate the new intelligence era.”
In striking the deal, Gregory and Harding double down on their model of co-leadership, which was highlighted recently in their Head of Agency win at the Campaign UK awards.
Lindsay MBE said: “I didn’t set out to create just another agency, it mattered to me that Tangerine constantly challenged the norms and always pushed to be the very best - both as an employer and in the work we deliver. Those founding principles still shape how the agency works today and I’m proud to see how Sam and Mary have brought them to life through their own leadership.
“It was always my ambition to build a successful business that I could pass on to the people who were such a huge part of that success – the first step was selling enough shares to create a majority for the Employee Ownership Trust nearly ten years ago and this is the next natural step for me in handing down Tangerine’s legacy. Tangerine was always more than just a business to me and I’m very fortunate to see its future secured with an incredibly strong leadership team and wider agency who continue to champion our values and vision.”
Lindsay will now take on an advisory role, drawing on her experience of creating communities and platforms to facilitate radical change, and her unwavering belief in Tangerine’s future.
Manchester-headquartered, with a London base, Tangerine has 130 staff and a global roster of consumer and corporate clients including Specsavers, Iceland and Topcon.
