Leeds Agency XSEM Names New Executive Board

The brand engagement agency behind events for Molson Coors and Arla has appointed a new executive board as it scales past 40 staff and expands into pharma

One of Leeds’ longest-established brand engagement agencies has reshaped its leadership as it pushes for its next phase of growth. XSEM, the Leeds agency behind live events and marketing campaigns for brands including Molson Coors, Arla and the Co-op, has appointed a new executive board. Co-founders Dan Bardgett and Michael Gwilliam become chief executive and chief commercial officer respectively, while Caroline Medcalf, who joined in 2024, steps up to chief operating officer. The move formalises the leadership of a business that has grown to more than 40 staff and is expanding into new sectors.

Why This Matters For Leeds

XSEM’s move into pharmaceutical marketing, a specialist, compliance-heavy field, is a bid for higher-margin work that keeps skilled creative jobs and client budgets in the city rather than London. A founder-led agency formalising its board as it scales is also a sign of a business planning for the long term. If the pharma push lands, it points to specialist expertise where the Leeds’ agency sector can grow next.

How the Leeds Agency Has Restructured

Under the new structure, Dan Bardgett will lead strategic direction and overall growth, while Michael Gwilliam and his commercial team oversee revenue and pipeline. Caroline Medcalf, who joined as director of events in 2024, will run operational strategy, delivery and margin performance as the business scales. The three report into a board chaired by Nick Ivel, and sit alongside an existing senior leadership team of commercial director Rob Woodhead, marketing director Liana Lax, financial director Ben Sabberton and client services director Emily Podesta. The agency frames the changes as a way to create clearer accountability and faster decision-making across its teams as client demand grows.

“Consistent growth in recent years brings new opportunities.”

— Dan Bardgett, CEO, XSEM

From Sports Events to Pharma

XSEM has travelled a long way from its origins. Founded around 2004 as a sports-event marketing specialist, it has evolved into a full brand engagement agency running conferences, exhibitions, brand experiences, loyalty programmes and corporate golf for clients across FMCG, retail and construction. Its most recent expansion is into pharmaceuticals: the agency has launched a six-strong team dedicated to the compliance-heavy world of pharma marketing and events, one of the higher-value niches in the sector. It has also added a dedicated venue-finding service. Operating from Leeds’ media quarter, the Leeds agency is one of a cluster of creative and marketing firms that have grown up in the city.