Brainlabs Strengthens Global Leadership, Appoints Grant Impey as Global Chief Commercial Officer
Brainlabs, the high-performance media agency known for its innovative approach to omni-channel media, has appointed Grant Impey as Global Chief Commercial Officer in London, reporting to the U.S.-based Global Chief Operating Officer Sean Seamer.
Bringing over two decades of advertising industry expertise, Impey will drive Brainlabs’ global leadership by identifying and securing new business opportunities, developing innovative new business models, and implementing strategic pricing frameworks. His key responsibilities include negotiating critical contracts and leading mergers and acquisition due diligence. Impey steps into a role previously held by Neil McCarthy, who served as Global Chief Commercial Officer for over three and a half years before departing in April 2025.
Impey arrives at Brainlabs after a distinguished career spanning creative and media agencies. He began in the creative sector at Iris and Momentum (IPG), before pivoting to media activation with GroupM/WPP as the Global EVP of Commercial. This cross-disciplinary background enables him to drive strategic commercial growth and forge global client partnerships with unique insight.
Prior to GroupM, Impey served as Global Chief Commercial Officer at EssenceMediaCom, where he led teams across the UK, US, and Singapore. During his tenure, he achieved remarkable milestones that redefined commercial leadership in the advertising industry. He led the media agency response that became the first fully integrated holding company pitch for Coca-Cola, securing WPP what is considered the largest pitch win in industry history.
Throughout his career, Impey has been a transformative force in commercial strategy. He systematically evolved the commercial function from a traditional compliance-driven role to a dynamic, strategic business partnership model. By consistently championing value creation and deploying innovative negotiation strategies, he has delivered substantial financial and strategic advantages to his organizations.
Those commercial strategies were deployed on some of the world’s most prestigious brands, including adidas, Airbnb, Coca-Cola, Dell, eBay, Google, GSK, Mars, NBCUniversal, Richemont, Sky, Sony, and Uber. His appointment is a strategic cornerstone of Brainlabs’ aggressive global expansion plan, which has seen the agency methodically strengthening its leadership team with top-tier talent. Earlier this year, the company made strategic additions including Andy Littlewood as Chief Planning and Data Officer for North America and Ali Reed as Chief Growth Officer for EMEA, with Impey’s hiring representing the next critical step in building a world-class global leadership team.
With offices spanning Europe, North America, Latin America, and APAC, the independent agency serves major clients including Estee Lauder Companies, AT&T, and Walmart. Over the past year, Brainlabs has demonstrated remarkable market momentum, achieving 60 percent year-over-year growth in North America and an impressive 74 percent new business conversion rate. These figures underscore the company’s strategic positioning in the competitive global media landscape, making Impey’s hire a pivotal moment in their continued trajectory.
Brainlabs COO Sean Seamer highlighted the significance of this strategic move: “Grant’s appointment marks an exciting new chapter for our leadership team. His proven track record in driving growth, securing major client wins, and fostering high-performing collaborations makes him a tremendous asset to our global operations.”
Commenting on his new role, Impey stated, “I look forward to leveraging my experience to drive innovative commercial strategies and build even stronger partnerships with our clients. At the heart of every great organization are the people, so I’m excited to work alongside such a talented team to achieve new milestones together.”
Read the news in Media Post here.
