Tom

Kelly

Chief Operating Officer

Gradually, then suddenly

ERNEST HEMINGWAY WHEN ASKED HOW HE WENT BANKRUPT

Tom is a digital agency leader with over 20 years of experience helping businesses grow and building high-performing teams across the US and UK. After relocating to Chicago from the UK in 2015, he launched the US arm of a British B2B creative agency and quickly scaled it into a thriving operation. Today, he leads the end-to-end delivery team at Marcel Digital, spanning project management, software engineering, SEO/AEO, paid media, and analytics. Tom is also an advisory board member for a purpose driven tech startup (Memory Anchor).

He’s passionate about growing agencies in ways that balance scale with profitability. At Marcel, he’s driven similar momentum while leading major strategic initiatives, including an overhaul of the company’s tech platforms, the rollout of AI and automation processes, and continuous improvements to operational efficiency.

Tom thrives on solving complex challenges, empowering teams to do their best work, and always finding smarter, faster ways to deliver value to clients.

Outside of work, Tom is a passionate amateur photographer, aviation nerd, car enthusiast and traveler.

Interesting facts about Tom

Favorite place you've traveled

Scotland

Favorite movie

Top Gun

Go-to road trip snack

Sour Patch Kids

Hidden talent

Show me a photo of any military aircraft and I'll tell you what it is

Zodiac sign

Please don't

Fun fact

Once sat in a movie theater with Stephen Hawking when the trailer for The Theory of Everything came on.

Something you hate

Sand

Outside of work you’ll find me

At home mostly

Favorite song to dance to

Caledonia

Favorite TV character

Mantis Toboggan

First concert

Bruce Springsteen

What you wanted to be when you grew up

RAF Pilot

Build Digital Experiences That Drive Measurable Business Growth

We partner with enterprise marketing and technology teams to design, build, and optimize digital platforms aligned to business outcomes, supporting growth, performance, and long-term value.