Hearts & Science

Simon Carr’s journey from a working-class childhood in Yorkshire to Chief Strategy Officer at Hearts & Science shapes how he leads, thinks and inspires. Growing up outside the industry’s traditional centres of influence sharpened his instinct to look to the cultural margins and to listen to voices often overlooked.

That perspective underpins his reputation as one of the UK’s most influential strategists, recognised for combining evidence-based thinking with cultural intelligence, and for a generosity that raises standards and creates opportunity for others. Over the past seven years, Simon has helped transform Hearts & Science into the UK’s fastest-growing media agency. Central to this success is his belief that great strategy should make people think differently: lifting teams, modernising organisations and giving clients ideas that expand both business performance and imagination. His pioneering partnership with the Ehrenberg-Bass Institute, commitment to effectiveness, early investment in AI-driven insight, and rare ability to turn often-neglected theory into everyday practice have reshaped how the agency plans, learns and creates. Simon’s leadership drives impact across four dimensions: the agency itself, the work it produces, the wider industry, and the people—clients and colleagues—who rely on him to grow and deliver lasting change.