Hewitt Matthews Group (HMG) launches with acquisition of Quba.
Hewitt Matthews has announced the acquisition of long-established Sheffield digital agency Quba, to form the Hewitt Matthews Group (HMG) - a new national agency group built for the future of digital.
With 35 years of combined reputation, 30+ staff, and a stellar portfolio of clients including the NHS, Carnival UK, BOXPARK, London Luton Airport, Birmingham Airport, T.C. Harrison Ford, Avanti Gas, and University of London, the newly formed group launches with serious momentum, and even bigger ambitions.
The move is part of a larger strategy to challenge the outdated agency model and build a group that fuses enterprise technology, digital marketing, and applied AI - offering clients better speed, intelligence, and impact, all from one agency.
Carl Hewitt, Group CEO of HMG comments “The fundamental value of agencies has never changed, it’s the positioning & delivery that must constantly evolve.
That’s why we’re building something specifically designed for the reality of where digital is headed. Not only are we bringing more capabilities together under one roof, but we’re using applied-AI in new ways for better efficiency, fewer points of failure and far greater speed.”
The AI led vision
HMG is already building a proprietary AI model exclusively for their clients which securely ingests internal strategy, customer data, market trends, and competitor activity in a fully encrypted, black-box environment. These bespoke LLMs offer intelligent insight, surfacing growth opportunities, and guiding decision-making at speed which will become essential in the new digital landscape.
The group will be led by 27 year olds Carl Hewitt and Reece Matthews who launched the original Hewitt Matthews agency aged 17 in 2016, evolving their services to focus on search optimisation, design, hosting and support with a team of experts in the field. Joining them in the Group leadership team is Jonny Tooze, founder of Lab Group, bringing over 25 years of leadership experience, scaling agencies to £10m+ revenue and working with some of the world’s biggest brands including Nike, Sony, Superdry and many more.
His remit is to guide group strategy and ensure the new group applies its experience and stays true to its goal of building something smarter, more scalable, and fit for today’s market.
Tooze comments on the launch of HMG “The agency model is changing rapidly. Agencies need to add value using the latest technologies and data, feed this into big ideas, and ensure ultra-efficient execution.
Our job is now about bringing real-time context into client strategy - using AI and smart workflows to help make better decisions, faster. Quba gives us the enterprise backbone to do that at scale.”
Quba’s senior leadership team including Technical Director Ben Franklin, Account Director Andy Precious and Head of UX & Design, Amy Willoughby, all remain as a critical part of the groups future - ensuring continuity and stability through the transition whilst developing the new, innovative group offering.
Why Quba?
Built by Matthew Williams and Matt Jones, Quba has spent 25 years delivering technically complex digital projects for airports, automotive brands and public sector organisations which millions rely on. With roots in Sheffield their reputation for stability, smart engineering and long-term client relationships makes them the ideal cultural and strategic fit.
This acquisition is about combining outstanding technical delivery with revenue-driving marketing execution, and then adding a layer of AI intelligence to connect the dots and multiply results.
“We’re not here to change what makes Quba great - we’re here to elevate and scale together,” said Reece Matthews. “For 25 years, they’ve built some of the most impressive digital systems, quietly in the background. Now, we’re bringing that technical brilliance to the forefront and pairing it with strategic thinking, user experience, and performance marketing to drive even greater impact.”
Matthew Williams from Quba said “Quba has built a reputation for delivering cutting-edge digital solutions and support services for our clients. Some of our blue-chip clients have been with us for over 18 years. The acquisition by HMG is the perfect evolution for the business, providing an expanded set of digital services and a layer of marketing expertise that perfectly complements our technical foundations.”
North Meets South - And Beyond
HMG will operate primarily from Portsmouth and Sheffield, reflecting its ambition to break away from the London-centric agency mould and build a national business with global plans. With further acquisitions already being scoped including specialist influencer and data-led agencies, HMG has taken the first major step on an ambitious growth journey over the next 5 years.
