About me
I have worked in marketing for 26 years with some of the most admired brands in the world – Guinness, Volvo, PlayStation, Pepsi, FedEx, Toyota, P&G, Bacardi, O2 and many more.
I have been been the Chief Marketing Officer of Paddy Power & Yopa and the Chief Customer Officer of Boden.
I spent 7 years at O2 and Telefonica as Director of Brand Strategy and then Global Director of Brand Innovation.
I am also the founder of giffgaff, the ground-breaking digital-first customer-centric mobile phone brand.
And I spent the first 13 years of my career as a suit and a planner making (mostly) famous ad campaigns in London, New York & Sydney at AMV, BBDO NY and PublicisMojo.
2020
Left Boden. Covid Came. Enjoying being a better dad.
2019
At Boden, running a team of over 300 people, with a budget in excess of £85m, to help Boden become more customer driven, with a push to become more digital.
2018
Asked by Johnnie Boden to help him drive a more customer-centric omni-channel agenda as Chief Customer Officer for Boden
2017
Joined the technology-enabled estate agency start-up Yopa as CMO.
2016
As CMO, relaunched the Paddy Power brand with new 360 degree platform ‘You’re Welcome”
2015
Joined the leading gaming and FTSE 250 company Paddy Power as Global Chief Marketing Officer.
2014
Promoted to Director of Customer Innovation for Telefonica globally. Led major project on how to re-invent the concept of the mega-byte into more customer friendly terms.
2013
Promoted to Director of Customer Innovation for Telefonica O2 Europe
2012
Moved across to newly created role for me as “Director of Customer Innovation” for O2, ie starting all innovation with a customer insight,
2011
Founder of another new enterprise, O2 Learn. A lesson video-sharing website for teachers to share their best lessons with any pupil. Wins many awards and quickly becomes the largest bespoke lesson sharing website in the world.
2010
Dual roles as founder and CMO of giffgaff, whilst also still looking after the O2 brand strategy and the O2 brand push into many adjacent areas (including O2 Money, O2 Health, O2 Wi-Fi, O2 Media etc). Wrote the customer promise for O2 which centred on showing customers some LOVE - “When we become fans of our customers, they will become fans of us”
2009
Wrote the 5 year business vision for O2, called “O2Ville”. I was the founder of giffgaff, which we launched in November this year. Right in the midst of the recession.
2008
Wrote O2’s “Helping Customers Connect” strategy, which we launched to customers as “O2. You’re better, connected”.
2007
Joined O2 as Director of Brand Strategy.
2006
Campbell Doyle Dye become the second most awarded ad agency in the world.
2005
Back in London, as Managing partner and co-owner of our own small agency, Campbell Doyle Dye.
2004
As regional planning director of Publicis Mojo in Sydney, I worked on Toyota, P&G, Nescafe, Coca-Cola and many others.
2003
Moved to Australia, and became the regional strategic planning director at Publicis Mojo, the winner of the Australian agency of the year in 2003 and 2004.
2002
Whilst at TBWA, I ran the account for the launch of mobile brand ‘three’, the largest ever UK consumer brand launch.
2001
Appointed Managing Partner of the Top 10 London agency, TBWA, aged 30. Running their biggest business group, including the flagship global PlayStation account.
2000
Moved to the New York BBDO office to become their strategic planning director for the Pepsi, Mountain Dew and Fed Ex accounts.
1999
Made Guinness Surfer. Still voted as the best UK TV ad of all time. Was also the most awarded account director in the world that year in the D&AD annual.
1998
Account Director for the pitch for the highly coveted Guinness Account, which we won
1997
Promoted to Account Director at AMV. Apparently breaking some kind of record in the process.
1996
Was asked by Volvo to move across and cover a maternity leave for 8 months as the Marketing manager for Volvo UK.
1995
Promoted to Account Manager on the Volvo account
1994
Got a highly cherished place on the graduate training program at the leading London ad agency, Abbott Mead Vickers BBDO
1993
Graduated from Cambridge University with a 2.1 (Honours) degree in Drama and Education, having been the youngest ever director of The Cambridge Footlights.