Who I am
I’m a non-executive director, consultant and commercial trainer. I make growing a marketing agency feel easier.
I founded SEARCH-FIRST creative agency Rise at Seven and exited 3 years later, when we had:
- Billed in the UK, US and around Europe, working with brands like Boohoo, Klarna, PlayStation, GAME, Interflora, MADE.com, Confused.com, House of Fraser, PrettyLittleThing, Xbox, Magnet, MuscleFood, GoCompare, ODEON, Missguided, Roche, HubSpot, Oh Polly, Lloyds Pharmacy, Holland & Barrett, University of Derby, Flannels, Hendricks, Monzo, IG, Money.co.uk, Student Beans, Cath Kidston, OVO Energy, Parkdean Resorts, uSwitch, Club Med, UKTV, Halfords and Matalan.
- £0M
- Brilliant people hired and onboarded most of them remotely during a pandemic, receiving more than 3,000 job applications in a single year.
- 0
- Awards added to the cabinet roll top bath, simultaneously holding the title of Agency of the Year/Best Large Agency at the DADIs, UK Search Awards, PRmoment Awards, UK Digital PR Awards, International Content Marketing Awards and UK, European and Global Content Awards.
- 0
- Offices (Sheffield, Manchester, London and New York) opened on 2 continents.
- 0
I’ve been responsible for strategy, marketing, new business development, client services and operations in board positions for both independent and publicly traded creative and digital agencies. I’ve also hired and managed agencies for some of the UK’s biggest brands, so I know what life is like on the other side of the table.
I’m an experienced keynote speaker. I’ve presented at more than 100 events in the UK, US and around Europe. I also founded SearchLeeds, a conference series that brought 3,000 marketers to Leeds’ first direct arena in its most recent edition.
…and I’ve been a judge for The Drum Awards; BIMA; the PRCA Dare Awards; the International Content Marketing Awards; the UK, US and European Search Awards, and more besides.
My agency board career
| Agency | Ownership | Headcount | Annual revenue | Geography | Primary service |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Independent → acquired/merged | 33 → 250 | £3m → £22m | UK | Digital marketing and development |
 | PLC | 250 | £22m | UK, US | CRM, data and media |
 | Independent (co-founder, exited) | 2 → 110 | 0 → £7.3m | UK, US | Public relations and digital marketing |
 | Independent (acquiring business) | 200 | £15m | UK, US | Creative and production |