About me
I help creative businesses diagnose what's blocking growth, then build the operating models that turn ambition into reality.
The companies that win aren't the ones with the most strategies or the biggest budgets. They're the ones that can transform their business models while keeping their people engaged and their clients obsessed.
I've scaled agencies toward half-billion pound acquisitions while maintaining margins that others couldn't protect. I've taken VC funds to IPO. I've embedded AI at scale and delivered better quality, faster, at lower cost. And I've personally driven over £100M in new business wins by solving client problems others couldn't see.
Highlights
Scaled AKQA to 2,500 people as part of the exec team → £540M acquisition
Took BlackRock-backed VC fund to IPO (one of three UK funds to successfully IPO in past decade)
Drove £100M+ in new business wins through a consultative approach
Saved £30M+ deal during live negotiations, when people were ready to walk away, whilst increasing margins
Led AI transformation, training thousands of people and maintaining 40% gross margin under intense pricing pressure
Turned around failing offices across three continents on commercial, culture & product performance
Sat on the investment committee selecting 8-10 from 4,000+ companies annually
Continue board work across startups, fledgling and established creative and technology businesses
My Journey
AKQA
Joined when we were 80 people. By the time I left, we were 2,500 across the globe, heading toward a $540M acquisition.
Part of the executive team during the most successful period in AKQA’s history. We were the agency everyone wanted to work at, the one that consistently pushed boundaries and achieved what clients said was impossible.
But scale breaks things. Processes that worked for 80 people suffocate 2,500. Culture becomes fragile. Margins come under pressure if you don't redesign how you operate.
I turned around offices across three continents. One with a 40% attrition rate decreased to 5% in under a year, while winning clients everyone wanted. Another was scheduled for closure after years of losses turned profitable within six months.
In Asia, I launched offices and built teams from nothing. I won business by understanding problems deeply enough to solve things clients didn't know they had.
The pattern was consistent. Create cultures where teams believed they could figure anything out. That's what's needed to win consistently.
Forward Partners
After 13 years at AKQA, I deliberately positioned myself at the innovation edge. Wanted to understand how investors think, how startups move, and whether you could combine venture pace with enterprise scale.
Became COO and board director at Forward Partners, a BlackRock-backed AI-first VC fund. Sat on the investment committee selecting only the most promising 10 companies from over 4,000 annually. Served on the boards of multiple portfolio companies at their request. Ran the OKR and innovation frameworks that gave the fund clarity and rigour.
Led the internal studio delivering brand, product, talent and growth strategy directly with founders.
As part of the core leadership team, we took the fund through one of only three UK VC fund IPOs in the past decade. The education was learning what drives value vs looks good in board decks.
Oliver/Brandtech Group
Returned to agency life to prove you can fundamentally change how people work without destroying the creative magic that makes work valuable.
Led global operations, designing AI-first operating models that changed how work gets done across thousands of people. The challenge wasn't the technology. It was protecting what made us special while evolving fast enough to stay relevant.
Maintained 40% gross margins under pricing pressure that breaks most agencies.
Built systems connecting data across regions to flag challenges before they became problems.
Worked directly with CMOs to redesign marketing models where humans and AI work side by side.
The transformation is working because we redesigned the system, not just optimised the old one.
What I bring
I don't just advise. I roll up my sleeves and do the work. I've designed operating models and led their implementation. I've diagnosed culture problems and fixed them. I've built teams and rebuilt them while protecting commercial performance throughout.
I understand both creative ambition and commercial discipline because I've worked both sides. I've pitched clients and pitched investors. I've negotiated deals others walked away from. I know what makes agencies special, what makes clients tick, and how to protect margins while delivering how work gets done.
I've built offices across the world, lived internationally, led teams across 15 countries. Cultural intelligence creates trust, and trust wins business. I prepared teams in Japanese business etiquette before key meetings, which led to new business wins. I convinced Chinese markets to collaborate with Global for the first time.
I started as a developer. I understand technology and product experience deeply enough to know when it serves creativity, when it constrains it, and when it can fundamentally change unit economics.
Working both sides gives me a rare perspective on what blocks growth and what drives value in creative partnerships.
Random fact: I once orchestrated a film production in India with a crew of over 700 people. And two elephants. Because why not.
Get in touch…
The problems worth solving rarely fit neatly into categories.
Maybe you're a founder trying to get your story right for investors. Maybe you're a leader or leadership team stuck on what should be an obvious decision. Maybe you're a brand leader figuring out the right agency model for an AI-first world.
Maybe you just want to think through a challenge with someone who's seen a lot of different angles.
Either way, let's talk 🤙.