MY JOURNEY

Since 1988 I have worked in three agencies. One I joined on the bottom rung when it was independent and left 17 years later as Managing Partner after we sold to a global superpower. One I helped create as a start-up within a major communications group and had a very enjoyable and fruitful 4 years. And more recently i joined a start-up in its infancy and over a decade helped grow it in to a very profitable player that always punched above its weight. In all three I worked with some remarkable people. In my time I’ve managed over 140 different creative people and nothing gives more pleasure than seeing them grow, develop and flourish. Here’s a little more detail…

TRIANGLE/STORM
PART OF THE TRIANGLE GROUP

January 1988 - May 2005 (17 years 4 months)
From Junior Art Director to Creative Partner and
Group Creative Director

Joined as a creative adolescent, left as an agency man. Within two years of joining I was appointed Creative Director of Triangle and 3 years later Group Creative Director. We developed a number of subsidiary companies, including specialist Shopper agency Storm, which I helped create with the main founding partners.

I experienced every high and low a large agency group can, winning over 130 awards along the way including Agency of the year twice and 4 MAA/IMP Grand Prix. I helped grow the Triangle creative department from 7 at its smallest, to 40 at its height and as well as sitting on the boards of the four main group companies, becoming one of three Managing Partners for my last four years there.

In 2001 we sold Triangle to the Publicis Groupe. In my final year I was seconded to Sydney for a short period and was part of the team that won the $33m Nescafé account, above and below-the-line.

One of my biggest achievements at Triangle was that in the 15 years I ran the department, we saw over 100 creatives develop their careers there - we forged strong links with two colleges that saw the entry of over 30 young creatives in to the industry, many of whom have gone on to be hugely successful creative directors elsewhere.

Key Accounts: Alfa Romeo, Arjo Wiggins, BAA, Barclays, BBC Magazines, Birds Eye, BP, Braun, British Airways, Britvic (Tango), BSM, BT, Cadbury, Caradon Mira, CCSB, Citroën UK, Courage Brewing, Diet-Coke, Elida Fabergé, The Famous Grouse, Fiat, Filofax, Golden Wonder, Guinness Brewing, Guinness World Records, Imperial Tobacco, Lloyds TSB, Nescafé, Pickfords Travel, Presto, RJ Reynolds, Safeway, Schweppes GB, Strongbow, St Ivel,
Transport For London, Woolworths. 

WOO COMMUNICATIONS
part of engine

May 2005 - October 2008 (3 years 6 months)
Founder and Creative Partner

I was head hunted in to set up a specialist below-the-line agency for Engine, hired by Stephen Woodford and Peter Scott. I set up with two partners and on day one we had no clients. By the end of year 2 we had worked for over 30 brands, less than half of which had come from within the Engine Group.

We built the company from the ground to about 20 people, then acquired, through Engine, Liquid Communications, a complementary business that doubled us in size over night.

18 months after launch we won MCCA Best Newcomer Agency and by the time I left we had won 12 other industry awards. 

Other highlights included winning the Beck’s business after a 7-way pitch; helping BMW run one of their first fully integrated test-drive sales promotions; winning The Famous Grouse and Highland Park accounts after an intensive three-month, 4-way pitch against three top premiership agencies; and delivering over £1 million income in the first 15 months.  

Key Accounts: Abbey (then Santander), Accantia (Lil-lets),
Actimel, Badenoch & Clark, Beck’s Bier, BMW, Boddingtons, Bulldog, Capita, Castlemain XXXX, Coty Lancaster, The Famous Grouse, Ferrero Rocher, Highland Park Whisky, Levis Strauss, Nectar Card, Swapits,
Three Mobile, Vertu

INITIALS

October 2008 - December 2019  (11 years)
Executive Creative Director and Partner

In early 2008 two previous colleagues came calling and persuaded me to join Initials. It was a small company then (15 people) with big ambition and opportunity. Working again with Jamie Matthews (now CEO, previously at Triangle) was a big pull, and together with Richard Barrett, the MD, we set about building a fully integrated, channel agnostic agency fit for 21st century purpose.

From a loss making position when I joined, after a lot of graft we were in profit within 12 months. In 2011 we focused a lot of effort on setting out a strong mission and vision, and developed a clear set of four values which we made sure every decision we took, every hire we made, laddered up to. We hired some great people, won some brilliant clients and over the next 8 years produced some outstanding work. We won over 30 awards including Agency of the Year and we made sure we developed an agency that not only had a reputation for great work, but had a sound ethic as to the welfare of its staff.

My proudest moments at Initials included being part of the team that delivered Pandamonium in the Park for Sainsbury’s, being part of the team that persuaded Beyoncé to sing for a chewing gum and winning the 2018 award for Best Commercial  Film at the International Motor Film Awards for our film to launch the McLaren Senna.

Key Accounts: AkzoNobel (Armstead, Dulux, Ronseal), BBC Children in Need, Bovril, Cadbury, Carlsberg,
Club Med, Club Wembley, The Famous Grouse, Fiat,
Fit Kit, Glenmorangie, Harley Davidson, Heineken, Jeep, Lactalis, McLaren Automotive, Nestlé, Paddy Power, PepsiCo (Walkers, Tropicana, Doritos, Naked Juice), Peugeot, Pernod Ricard, Philips, Quorn, Royal Mail,  Sainsbury’s, SAB Miller, Samsung, Starbucks, Strongbow, Trebor, Trident, UK TV