ZEAL
Manchester (HQ), Singapore
Website: ZEAL
Type of agency: Creative
Founders: Robert White and Stewart Hilton
Year founded: 2013
Headcount: 160
Offices: Manchester (HQ), Singapore
We’re not interested in eating everybody’s lunch.
Profile:
ZEAL Creative has been bouncing around for well over a decade but it has been growing ever since. Its name means passion, energy and enthusiasm, which is exactly what co-founders Robert White and Stewart Hilton have been bringing to clients since they met as account executives at Blue Chip Marketing in the ‘90s.
After almost two decades, Rob and Stewart made the decision to give it a go themselves and set the wheels for ZEAL in motion. They phoned everyone they knew and set up 21 meetings, which yielded 11 clients from the get-go.
They have been “playing catch up ever since” and have built a team of 114 Zealots to match the demand. From their Manchester HQ in Media City (a step up from their very first tiny room for an office), ZEAL is working with some of the world’s biggest FMCG brands including Nestle, Carlsberg Britvic and Kraft Heinz.
A unique focus on turning consumer apathy into action has helped the agency to achieve 30% year-on-year growth for the past three years. ZEAL EQ is the engine behind this – the agency’s unique proprietary methodology which drives emotional impact and effectiveness across every aspect of its work.
This is all made possible by ZEAL’s strong and positive culture, which encourages employees to learn, develop and be friendly with other agencies.
“We’re specialists in what we do and know where our strengths are; we’re not interested in eating everybody’s lunch,” say Rob and Stewart.
In 2026, ZEAL has made its ambitions for growth clear. The agency made its first acquisition with a 51% stake in social-first creative studio Tommy, taking total headcount to 160.
Then, just a few weeks later it launched a retail a shopper PR agency, Joe Public, as part of its strategy to build influence across brand, culture and retail. It is led by ex-Cirkle CEO, Ruth Kieran, who has plenty of experience across the UK and APAC – where ZEAL is next looking to crack.
Looking to the year ahead, the focus is on making everything a bit more efficient in terms of integrating the businesses and, fundamentally, doing better work for clients.