Many people say teenagers these days leave school unable to hold down a serious job and waste their life playing computer games.

Last week, a teenage entrepreneur defied the stereotype of his generation after he agreed a multi-million pound merger for his design agency seven years after he launched the company from his bedroom, aged 11.

Ben Towers, 18, will join the board of Chatham-based communications and marketing firm Zest after agreeing to hand over his Maidstone-based business Towers Design.

The teenager, who lives in Gillingham, has a long list of achievements in his career and has been described by Sir Richard Branson as “one of the UK’s most exciting entrepreneurs”.

He was named 2016 KEiBA young entrepreneur of the year and topped the KM Group’s Top 30 Under 30 list and The Times Super Teen Power List.

He also made his TV debut as an advisor on CBBC show Pocket Money Pitch, a children’s version of Dragon’s Den.

He grew Towers Design from a way to top up his pocket money into a digital marketing agency employing 22 people in Manchester, London and Kent, with clients including Pot Noodle, Mazars LLP, Twitter and Wolters Kluwer.

His company had been working in partnership with Zest since last summer and the merger is forecast to double the combined firms’ turnover to £3.5 million by the end of the year.

Mr Towers, who will become managing director of the Zest Live division, said: “This merger paves the way in offering clients the next evolution in communications.

“It brings together traditional marketing, digital and social strategy, layering it with targeted, content and influencer driven marketing.

“I’m really excited to be joining Zest to lead the content, influencer and social team to creating successful worldwide campaigns for clients.”

Zest managing director Belinda Collins said: “I believe that Ben will bring the expertise to push client campaigns that inch further, only continuing our trajectory to be the most disruptive agency in the UK.

“I’m determined to create an agency that continually innovates to delight and surprise clients with jaw-dropping creativity and incisive strategy.”

The expansion of the Zest follows its appointment of former Sun royal editor Duncan Larcombe as director of PR last year.