Professional Background: 20+ years scaling creative and digital agencies from £5M to £40M+ revenue. Led AKQA London to £40M with 18% EBITDA, tripled AKQA New York to £10.5M, and engineered turnarounds for Collective and Monstarlab EMEA. Built world-class teams across 5 geographies, delivered 100+ major awards including 12 Cannes Lions. Expert in commercial strategy, new business development, client portfolio growth, and operational excellence for agencies navigating disruption. Specialist Role: I help creative, digital, and production agencies break free from the project treadmill and build sustainable growth engines. I specialise in reducing client concentration, diversifying revenue streams, and installing commercial frameworks that drive profitability without sacrificing quality. Specific Problems I Solve: Agencies trapped on the project treadmill with dangerous client concentration, eroding profitability, threat of in-housing, and no clear path to sustainable growth. The Approach I Use: I don't just audit - I embed. I work alongside leadership teams to install commercial frameworks, diversify revenue, and build cultures focused on both delivery excellence and profitable growth. I've been in the chair, scaled the business, and know what actually works. Results Clients Can Expect: Diversified revenue streams, improved profitability (targeting 15-20% EBITDA), repeatable new business process, stronger client retention, and a commercial framework that scales.
The roles Nick steps into. Select one to see how they work in it.
Nick brings 20+ years scaling creative and digital agencies from £5M to £40M+ in revenue. He led AKQA London to £40M with 18% EBITDA, tripled AKQA New York to £10.5M, and engineered turnarounds for Collective and Monstarlab EMEA. Along the way he built teams across five geographies and delivered 100+ major awards, including 12 Cannes Lions. His expertise spans commercial strategy, new business development, client portfolio growth, and operational excellence for agencies navigating disruption. Nick helps creative, digital, and production agencies break free from the project treadmill and build sustainable growth engines, reducing dangerous client concentration, diversifying revenue, and installing commercial frameworks that drive profitability without sacrificing quality. He also addresses eroding margins, the threat of in-housing, and the absence of a clear path to growth. Rather than simply audit, Nick embeds with leadership teams to build cultures focused on both delivery excellence and profitable growth, drawing on his experience scaling agencies himself. Clients can expect diversified revenue, improved profitability targeting 15-20% EBITDA, a repeatable new business process, and stronger client retention.
Selected work in this role
CEO at Collective London
Nick cut single-client dependency from 64% to 38% through portfolio diversification and C-level partnering, adding 11 new business wins.
EVP/Chief Growth Officer at Monstarlab
Transformed consultancy from £10M to £14M revenue via new value propositions, existing client growth, and multiple new business wins.
Managing Director at AKQA
Grew the office to £40M revenue at 18% EBITDA, delivering transformational work for Nike, Xbox, Coca-Cola and Sainsbury's, and winning 100+ awards.
Focus areas
Co Founder & Senior Advisor (UK/EU) at 24HR Business Plan Pty Ltd
Growth Leader at Chameleon Collective
Elite Member at Game Changers
Digital Product & Commercial Growth Consultancy | Business Transformation | Startup Advisor | at Self-employed
AKQA
IBM
Deloitte
Monstarlab
Growth Consulting | Business Leadership | Digital Strategy | Marketing | CX | at Self Employed
EVP | Managing Director at Doner
Addison Lee
CEO at Collective
Managing Director at McCann London
CEO at Collective London
Direct Advisory at Miscellaneous
Strategic Partner at T-Mobile
Delivery Director at Nike
Delivery Lead & General Manager at Xbox
Interested in bringing Nick onto your transformation? Let’s start the conversation.