After my children, the things in life that I’ve always loved are words, pictures, music and the natural world. Helping my clients to build strong brands, which I’ve been doing since 1987, exercises at least three of them. Perhaps this explains my undimmed enthusiasm for our stimulating, creative and increasingly evidence-based profession of brand design.

I’ve always been drawn to working abroad – I’d make a great diplomat if I knew how to be diplomatic – so I feel privileged to have spent 7 years living and working in The Netherlands, as Founder and Managing Director of Design Bridge Nederland. There I learned a whole new language, and a different business culture: one where partnerships matter and clients don’t swop agencies when the wind changes direction. That’s why, 19 years after returning to the UK, I still get the chance to practice my ‘redelijk’ Dutch with OP’s many clients there.

Branding is a global language with local dialects, and I love working with brands around the world to improve their connection, and value, to the people who buy them.

I believe that everyone has the right to thrive at work: to be listened to and heard, to be respected and valued, recognised and appreciated; to be yourself whilst fitting in, to learn and progress, to be supported and feel safe. These principles sit at the heart of our working practices and business culture, extending to our clients and suppliers too.

My role at Osborne Pike over the last 5 years has been to build these principles and values into our daily operations through relevant, meaningful and responsible procedures and policies. We pride ourselves on the flexibility and consideration we give our staff to ensure that they have a work life balance, which benefits them as individuals and within their families; this in turn benefits our business.

Valuing and investing in people has never been more important and this is at the forefront of our business strategy as we grow and build our team, and confidently adapt to a fast-changing world.

My LinkedIn profile describes me as ‘a veteran builder of close client partnerships and an experienced manager of complex branding and marketing comms projects’. But if you asked me in the pub, I’d tell you that I am someone who likes people, solving challenges, being involved in creative projects, building teams and having fun while doing it!

I started my career with a bit of of a bang, co-ordinating marketing and publicity campaigns at Sony Music for some of the world’s biggest artists. I then transferred the skills I’d learned to my other big love, movies, where I was fortunate to come face to face with the creators of Finding Nemo, The Incredibles and Kill Bill, amongst others. Branding, however, was always a secret passion, so after finding my popcorn tub empty I moved into strategic branding and design, working for respected agencies in London and the South West, finally alighting here at Osborne Pike.

I still can’t get enough of movies and discovering new music, both live and recorded. I collect vinyl like it’s going out of fashion (again), and I’m looking forward to travelling to see our clients again…

I believe creative thinking should be at the heart of all business conversations which is why I am as passionate about the inner workings of businesses as I am about the creative ideas that we develop in the studio. Long-standing clients often comment that I don’t fit the usual mould of a creative director and I happily embrace this. Thinking differently helps me to deliver unexpected solutions, tackling the unique business and brand challenges of our clients.

15 years living and working in Asia, partnering with some of the best client and agency minds, taught me the art of humility: to keep listening and learning, immersing myself as fully as possible into local cultures, getting to understand their relationships with brands and taking nothing for granted.

After 5 years as Creative Director and partner at Design Bridge Asia, working with Unilever, Diageo and Carlsberg amongst others, my wife and I started our own creative agency, Glassick Brands. With key clients such as Heineken and ThaiBev propelling our growth, we quickly established a strong reputation and we were subsequently acquired by Jones Knowles Ritchie (jkr), where I was invited to become a member of the global board. These experiences have given me unique insight into the inner workings of agencies, from start-ups to global players, which I’m using to help OP become truly a ‘big agency in a small package’.

Outside of agency life my other passions are architecture (having spent the last 3 years building our own low energy family home… not for the faint hearted!) and Muay Thai (Thai boxing). I try to make time for these when not being a taxi driver for my two children, who clearly have a busier social life than me!

In my career I’ve trained in graphic design, business management and more recently art psychotherapy, and also worked in various roles at creative agencies in the UK and Asia. Now I’m really enjoying putting this cumulative experience to work at OP, leading both business development and marketing.

For me business development is first and foremost about understanding our current and prospective clients’ business and brand challenges; only then can we work out how to bring fresh thinking and effective solutions, using our process of visualising brand value.

On the marketing side I’m loving the opportunity to bring our brand alive in as many ways as possible, from the (new) website to credentials, social media, thought leadership and more. There’s a lot of great stuff at OP that people don’t know about, and it’s my job to change that.

Away from agency life I have my own studio, where amongst other projects I repurpose botanical mandalas, recycling decaying bouquets to give them a second life as a piece of ephemeral art. Supporting my two kids at the weekend across their multifarious activities also keeps me very busy!

Furniture restorer & Salsa dancer

Likes: sunshine, Sangria

Dislikes: rainy days, litterbugs

Jumped out of a tiny plane to conquer her fear of heights

Yorkshire girl and soprano singer

Likes: Cadbury Twirls and grim British crime dramas

Dislikes: tardy trains and mardy bums

Once joined a pop/punk band and performed at Tramlines festival

Drift car driver & downhill biker

Likes: walking Lozzy at the beach, knocking down walls

Dislikes: onions

Has never watched Star Wars, Harry Potter or Friends

Cross-trail cyclist & born‑again photographer

Likes: Strava, camping, Paddy the Labrador

Dislikes: peanut butter & parsnips

Once presented a design for ‘genital wash’ instead of ‘gentle wash’

Vegan gig‑goer (so doesn’t eat at gigs)

Likes: Instagram, baking, travelling

Dislikes: Bristol Rovers

Proven cat whisperer

Adventure seeking, California dreaming

Likes: beaches, carrots, The Killers

Dislikes: spiders, cauliflower cheese

Sam’s Happy Rebel branding has been used as a real tattoo

Gadget addict, bandit golfer & floss dancer

Likes: chocolate (all cacao levels)

Dislikes: mushrooms, bin day

Quite good at kick‑flipping a skateboard

Sailor, skier, Europhile, amateur builder

Likes: living several months a year in the Languedoc, taking pictures

Dislikes: Brexit, arrogance, falling off boats

Once turned down James Dyson for a job

Audiophile and avid comic collector

Likes: Jeremy Vine, antique books, big black frisbees (vinyl records)

Dislikes: the texture of meringue

Mistaken for Marcus Mumford backstage at Reading Festival twice

AKA Captain Longbones; seeker of treasure, drawer of robots

Likes: anchors, vintage tools, Ragga Jungle

Dislikes: coriander – it’s far too presumptuous

Designed the set for (and appears in) Martin Solveig’s ‘Hey Now’ music video

Cycles, runs and golfs (the gentleman’s triathlon)

Likes: cricket, holidays, more cricket

Dislikes: tomato ketchup

Once hit England fast bowler Andrew Caddick all around the park

Devon-raised, FMCG-fanatic and veg-pickler

Likes: coffee, geocaching, difficult recipes

Dislikes: true crime, bad food

Spent most of Lockdown camping on a vineyard