Gareth Healey - Agency Coach & Mentor
Gareth Healey is a marketing agency mentor working exclusively with owner-directors of established independent agencies. As an agency coach, he has more than 24 years experience in the sector to draw upon.
For 15 years, Gareth was CEO and equity partner of his own agency in Leeds, UK. He acquired his business in a management buy out in 2002, transforming it from a family-run design agency, into a fully integrated £12.5 Million agency. In 2014 they acquired a Shoreditch digital agency giving them a London base and a headcount of 175 talented people.
In addition to numerous creative awards, Gareth’s agency achieved Investors In People Gold accreditation. They were crowned “Yorkshire’s Best Company to Work for” by the Yorkshire Evening Post, beating Yorkshire-headquartered PLC, Morrisons Supermarkets in the process. They were also ranked as the top creative agency in the UK outside of London by Campaign magazine.
After 18 years, Gareth successfully exited his agency. Since doing so, he has invested in early-stage tech companies as a business angel, and has mentored a number of tech start-up founders.
Gareth originally developed his love for marketing at University. Over the course of his career he has found a similar passion for people development through mentoring.
You might consider marketing and mentoring to be unrelated. However, Gareth is drawn to both for the same reason; their ability to influence and change behaviour. Above all, good marketing and good mentoring both start with active listening. Trying to develop a deep understanding of your audience.
UK Mentor of the Year Finalist
Gareth was delighted to be shortlisted by the judges at The National Mentoring Awards as one of 4 finalists in the “Mentor of the Year” category.
This was in recognition of his work as a mentor to the founder of early-stage tech business, TrippTee. Gareth became involved with TrippTee through the TechManchester mentoring programme.
Career Timeline
July 2022
CACTUS MERGER
Gareth merges his consultancy, Beyond Noise, with Cactus Consultants Limited and becomes Managing Partner (Consultancy) of the combined businesses.
Europe’s leading corporate advisory and growth consultancy for agencies, Cactus was founded by the team behind Agencynomics, Spencer Gallagher and Pete Hoole.
May 2020
COVENTRY UNIVERSITY
During the pandemic lockdowns, Gareth takes the opportunity to support the next generation of marketers by becoming a guest lecturer on Digital Marketing at Coventry University.
February 2011
SUNDAY TIMES BEST COMPANIES
Gareth’s agency places 51st in The Sunday Times Best Small Companies to work for 2011.
March 2002
AGENCY ACQUIRED IN AN MBO
Gareth acquires Gratterpalm in a MBO with 2 colleagues
May 1999
GARETH JOINS GRATTERPALM
Gareth joins Design agency Gratterpalm in Leeds to head up one of the agencies biggest accounts.
May 1995
AGENCY CAREER BEGINS
Following a Business Studies with Marketing degree at University, Gareth starts his career in agencies as an account handler at sales promotion agency PDP Limited (later to become part of Momentum Worldwide.
Marketing and Agency Awards Judge
Gareth is an experienced marketing awards judge and has been a member of the following distinguished panels:
Do you want to win some awards for your agency, but don’t know where to start? Read some of Gareth’s tips here.
Interviews and Podcasts featuring Gareth Healey
- Sean Gilligan talks to Marketing Expert Gareth Healey about marketing, leadership, business exits and more in Episode 24 of #SeanInTheShed
- Agency Owner Forum where Gareth Healey sits on a panel discussing the subject of client relationships, pitching and Selling On Value.
- Agency Roadblocks (and how to avoid them) £12M advice from Gareth Healey as he talks to Mike Killen on The Sell Your Service Show.
- Gareth Healey talks to Matt Essam about his new book STANDOUT OR DIE.
- Gareth talks to Katie Street about creating a thriving digital agency for her podcast Word on the Street
- Gareth talks to Matt Daley on The Daley Hustle Podcast about growth tactics, culture, positive mindset and, of course, STANDOUT OR DIE.
- Gareth talks to Robert Craven, Managing Director of GYDA (Grow Your Digital Agency), about his book STANDOUT OR DIE
- Gareth talks to Manni Singh about his book STANDOUT OR DIE
- Gareth talks to Martin Henley of The Effective Marketing Co about the power of focus.
- CEO Manni Singh discusses the future outlook for digital agencies with agency growth coach Gareth Healey.