Sandy Lindsay has sold her remaining shares in Manchester-based PR and social agency Tangerine to co-CEOs Sam Gregory and Mary Harding.
Gregory and Harding have increased their shareholding to 36 per cent as a result, and the news comes just weeks after winning Head of Agency at the Campaign UK Awards.
Back in 2017, Tangerine made history when it became the first creative agency in the UK to go employee-owned.
Gregory said: 鈥淭he co-CEO partnership that Mary and I have developed over the years is grounded in trust, unwavering support and a vision to make a difference.
鈥淲e have always shared a belief that our industry can be better and a determination to challenge the status quo and push it forward.
鈥淭hat belief has shaped the business we鈥檝e built: one that鈥檚 grown into a national and international force, powered by brilliant people and exceptional clients who share our ambition to stay ahead and do work that truly matters.
Work wife
鈥淭onight, I鈥檒l be raising a glass to all of you who鈥檝e been part of the journey so far, but especially to Mary. I now pronounce us work wife and work wife!鈥�
Harding said: 鈥淲hen I left London and moved to Manchester 13 years ago, I never imagined this would be possible.
鈥淏ut Tangerine has a way of growing people, not just a business.
鈥淚鈥檝e been given the space to stretch, the trust to lead, and the opportunity to become the best version of myself, and it鈥檚 what鈥檚 made this possible.
鈥淒oing this with Sam is a special moment for both of us. We believe deeply in the co-CEO partnership, different perspectives, shared ambition and mutual trust, and we鈥檙e fortunate that it makes us stronger leaders and delivers better outcomes for our people and our clients.”
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Lindsay, who was named as a 老九品茶Cloud Northern Leader in 2024 and 2025, said she was 鈥榦ver the moon鈥� that her remaining shares had been bought by the co-CEOs.
She said: 鈥淎 little over 24 years ago we launched Tangerine to prove ethics and profit were not mutually exclusive ambitions. Our values have always been: do great work, treat people well and success for all will naturally follow.
鈥淚 also said at that time that, when I started to feel ready to step back, I would find a way to put the company into the hands of the people, rather than sell on the open market and risk these values.
鈥�15 years later, nearly 10 years ago, we became the first creative agency in the UK to become an Employee Ownership Trust and now I am absolutely over the moon to say that my remaining shares have been bought by my wonderful co-CEOs, Sam Gregory and Mary Harding.
鈥淭here literally couldn鈥檛 be a better result for me, for them, for the company and for our wonderful team and clients.
鈥淏y buying these shares, Sam and Mary, who have been leading the company for more than a decade and just last week were jointly named Agency Leaders of the Year by Campaign magazine, are backing themselves.
Investment in the future
鈥淭hey鈥檙e believing in the future of the business they love and they鈥檙e locking themselves in, which ensures our values will continue into what can only be an even brighter future.
鈥淭hey have asked me to stay on, in a non-executive capacity, to continue to help guide the culture and values of the business and I will, of course, be honoured to do so.
鈥淭oday Tangerine has more than 130 people, working with some of the world鈥檚 leading brands and regularly winning national and international awards and I still sometimes, honestly, have to pinch myself.
鈥淏ig thanks to Daniel Varney, of Glaisers, and to our FD Matt Emblem, for steering us through the deal and for your patience. Contracts and detail were never my strong suit.鈥�
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