Hearts & Science Grows Senior Leadership Team with Chief Investment Officer Hire

Jun. 02, 2026

Hearts & Science UK, an Omnicom Media agency, has appointed David Counsell as its new Chief Investment Officer. He joins Hearts’, now, seven-strong senior leadership to support the agency’s growth ambitions by contributing to new business success and long‑term client retention. 

Reporting directly to CEO Garrett O’Reilly, Counsell is tasked with strengthening Hearts’ outcome-led investment strategy for clients. This involves further enhancing the agency’s integrated client offer by embedding joined-up investment thinking across strategy, planning and activation. By aligning media investment decisions to clients’ commercial objectives, Counsell will ensure spend fuels both brand and business growth.  

Innovation across partnerships is also a core part of his remit and Counsell is responsible for building deeper collaborations with media owners and technology partners to unlock new opportunities through the smarter use of data.

Counsell brings deep experience to the role, he has extensive senior investment leadership experience spanning investment, trading and commercial leadership at agencies including Manning Gottlieb OMD and the7stars. He joins Hearts following three years as Head of Investment at OmniGOV - MG OMD’s bespoke unit overseeing media investment for complex, high‑accountability public sector clients. 

Garrett O’Reilly, CEO of Hearts & Science, said:

"David has been deeply embedded in Omnicom Media and is well placed to call on the network’s scale to ensure maximum value is extracted from every pound we invest on behalf of our clients. At the same time, David is adept at building creative collaborations with media partners and has a strong track record in developing unique growth opportunities and value in the market. It is David’s long-standing commitment to innovation that fits so well with the Hearts ethos and mission."

 

Reflecting on his new role, Counsell added:

"Hearts is at a pivotal point in the stage of its growth, combining strong momentum with a passionate, forward-thinking team and a clear belief in the power of investment working hand-in-hand with strategy and creativity. I’m looking forward to partnering with the team to build on this and continue delivering best-in-class outcomes for our clients."