I’m from a place where the sun never shines – unlike the music scene. I grew up in Manchester during the halcyon (or should I say Haçienda) days of Madchester. The city's vibrant culture and rebellious spirit have stuck with me ever since and influenced everything I've ever done.
And it's led me to some exciting places. I've created global campaigns for the world's biggest brands, won pitches for household names like Victoria's Secret and Lucozade, redesigned agencies from the ground up, built award-winning creative departments and enjoyed successful stints in Copenhagen and Amsterdam. I've worked at startups, in-house TV broadcasters and global creative agencies, writing ideas for every conceivable channel: TV, radio, experiential, digital and social. You name it, I've made it!
Most recently, I was ECD at The Croc, where I spearheaded an award-winning agency rebrand and introduced Fierce Thinking – a philosophy we put to work across global campaigns and a seriously impressive run of pitch wins, bringing in brands like Adobe, AWS, Cisco Security, Sky Business, BetterHelp Business, BASF, Vertex and more. Backed by future-facing AI workflows, it paid off big time – with over 50 award wins and shortlists, often standing shoulder-to-shoulder with the world’s most prestigious agencies.
When I’m not writing ads or managing the creative team, you’ll find me slipping into Lycra (not in an OnlyFans way) and hitting the road on my bike. It’s turned into a bit of an obsession – so far, I’ve conquered the North Downs and ridden from London to Paris for Charity. Oh, and London to Manchester – just for the hell of it!
If you want to know what two decades in advertising have taught me, I’ve helpfully summarised it into a few articles so you needn’t go through the bother yourself. Now, on yer bike! From me, that’s a compliment.
Talking a lot and writing fun stuff (6-min read)
This is Where Fierce Thinking Lives (4-min read)
Make Yourself Uncomfortable (3-min read)
The Business of Lion Taming (2-min read)
Key skills
Creative direction, leadership, strategy, concept development, copywriting, scriptwriting, art direction, design direction, digital, social, film, TV, radio, OOH, experiential, integrated campaigns, brand development, pitch lead, B2C, B2B, and team management.
Awards
ARF Ogilvy: Silver
B2B Marketing Awards: Gold x 3 & Bronze x 2
Berlin Commercial: Top 10 Campaigns (Craft) & Finalist x 5
BIMA: Finalist x 3
Campaign Digital Awards: Winner x 2
Cannes Lions: Finalist x 3
Cannes Cyber Lion: Silver
Caples International: Finalist
Communication Arts: Award of Excellence
Creative Moment: Finalist
Cresta Advertising Awards: Finalist
D&AD: Wood Pencil x 2 & In Book
DADI Awards: Winner x 4
Design Week Benchmark: Winner
DMA: Silver x 2, Bronze & Finalist x 3
Drum Awards: Gold x 5, Silver x 2 & Finalist x 2
Drum Business: Strategy of the Year
Drum Chip Shop Awards: Finalist
Drum PR: Gold
Eurobest: Gold & Finalist
Global ACE Awards NYC: Gold x 4 & Silver x 7
Graphis: Gold & Silver
IAB Creative Showcase: 2nd Place
IVCA: 2 x Winner
Lovies: People’s Award, Bronze & 3 x Finalist
New York Festivals: International Winner
Revolution Awards: Winner
Shorty Awards: Finalist
Social Buzz: Winner x 3
Summit Creative Awards: Gold & Bronze
Summit International: Platinum
W3 Awards: Silver
Webby Awards: Honoree x 2
–
DMA LinkedIn Live speaker
A prolific writer of thought leadership articles
Member of the New York Festivals Grand Jury
D&AD New Blood portfolio review sessions
Google Creative Academy winner
SCA student mentor