Ace of Hearts Is Open for Business

Agency Ace of Hearts launches globally today and will be based from their offices in Soho, London. The creative business is founded by some of the advertising industry’s most awarded and respected leaders: Polly McMorrow, Richard Brim, and Martin Beverley. The founding trio want to give leaders across every corner of a business access to world-class creativity, and help recapture its value.

Polly McMorrow is the former CEO of McCann London, where she successfully led the agency to be named Cannes Lions UK Agency of the Year in 2024. Considered one of advertising’s most creative commercial leaders, Polly was previously managing director at BBH, overseeing iconic brands and award winning campaigns for the likes of Audi, Johnnie Walker, and The Guardian.

Richard Brim and Martin Beverley, formerly CCO and CSO of adam&eveDDB, helped creatively define a decade of industry-leading work for the agency. Under their leadership, adam&eveDDB was Cannes Lions European Agency of the Decade, and Campaign’s Agency of the Decade - winning IPA Effectiveness Company Of the Year three times along the way.

Richard Brim, founder and CCO says: “We’ve come from brilliant places and we’ve had the fortune to work with some brilliant people, but now we want to see how creativity can play a bigger role for our partners. We’re building a company at a time when the world is changing which means that we can change with it, which couldn't be more exciting. No retrofitting, no restrictions, just the ability to evolve with the change of our industry.”

Ace of Hearts will partner with leading brands, legacy organisations, and emerging start-ups, working directly with executives across the entirety of a business to give them a broader canvas for commercial creativity. The creative business will shift from labour-based compensation towards commercial models that align agency remuneration with the value they create for clients; championing shared success and ensuring that interests are tied to meaningful business outcomes.

Polly McMorrow, founder and CEO adds: "We love this industry, we love what we do and we love watching the impact that creativity has, but we're at an inflection point and that means we need to radically evolve how we value creativity itself. Shedding some of those legacies, models and structures, and being able to play across the full spectrum of our partners' business is critical. In my experience, the very best partners I've ever worked with will actively encourage you to do that. That's the level of ambition I'm most excited about, and it's exactly why we're building Ace of Hearts."

Technology and AI will play an intentional role in their work with partners, bringing only the best people and products into the fold. To that end, the creative business will be backed by ServicePlan, Europe’s largest independent creative group who hold industry leading capabilities within this space.

Ace of Hearts launches with a team of seven, including chief commercial officer - John Cornwell, previously from Ogilvy - with more senior creative appointments to be announced in September. When it comes to talent, the priority is culture and compensation. The founders are actively recruiting for lovely, fun, creatively rebellious people. There will be fractional roles, flexible working structures, recruitment outside of the industry, plus talent will be rewarded through shared commercial success.

Martin Beverley, founder and CSO comments: “People will always be the most important part of our business. We are looking for talented people who challenge us, want to build the future with us and want to have fun along the way. It’s not just about us, it will be about the whole gang."