Stephen Halpin, founding director of The Curious Group, has left to launch his own marketing services agency, Merchant Soul.

Halpin is understood to have tendered his resignation in October and to have departed at the end of January to launch his own company Merchant Soul.

The company is already ‘approaching’ 10 staff and, once its office is ready, will move into Glasgow’s Merchant City.

“The primary reason for me leaving was that I wanted to create a smaller, more intimate agency where the emphasis is back on the people rather than being a big machine,” Halpin explained.

He continued to explain that while the company was operational he was not yet in a position to name either his staff or his clients, but said that he had worked with both over ‘a number of years’.

The company will offer multiple services such as graphic design, design, interior design and advertising.

Joe Blake, director at The Curious Group, said that there were no plans to replace Halpin at the agency.