Stephen Leach
Digital/Tech Pluralist
Stephen is a pioneering digital entrepreneur and investor who co‑founded BigMouthMedia, the agency that helped transform the UK’s internet advertising market. Launching the business in 1999, he grew it to over $500m in turnover, collecting more than 30 industry awards along the way, including Agency of the Year (three times) and The Sunday Times Best Place to Work. He was named Entrepreneur of the Year in 2007/8 (a rare triple win across Scotland, the UK, and Europe). He received Campaign Magazine’s Chairman’s Award for his outstanding contribution to the industry, later representing the UK business community at the Royal Albert Hall alongside then Prime Minister Gordon Brown.
After selling BigMouthMedia to Carlyle in 2008, Stephen stayed on as CEO, leading 13 offices in 10 countries and driving further acquisitions, including the 2010 merger with LBi that created Europe’s largest privately owned marketing and technology agency. He exited following the business’s sale to Publicis Digitas and went on to build a diverse portfolio of ventures and board roles.
Stephen has a strong track record in spotting and scaling high‑growth digital businesses. He was a founder and principal shareholder of web analytics start‑up Hitdynamics, which was acquired by HitWise (Experian) just one year after launch. He later became Chairman and investor at Outsideline, a London/New York digital agency, where the bottom line doubled in 18 months before the company was sold to Saatchi & Saatchi (Publicis Groupe) in 2013. In 2012, he joined mobile marketing agency Fetch as Chairman/investor, during which time profits tripled, and both revenue and headcount doubled, leading to its sale to Dentsu Aegis Network in 2014. In addition to his commercial success,
Stephen served on the Comic Relief board for seven years, contributing to the charity’s US launch.
He now manages his family's investment fund; his preference remains with early-stage digital and technology businesses. However, recent exits include more diverse sectors, such as Medical (YourGP Ltd - sold in 2025) and the Food and Beverage sector (The Scotch Malt Whisky Society - IPO in 2021). He continues to advise leading organisations such as Publicis, Omnicom, WPP, and Carlyle Private Equity.