New Adventures
Honest, I don’t dress to match the furniture… I was just passing through the showroom when a colleague told me to jump in and I’d get lost in matchy-matchness. Great color, great suit. Happy Days.
Two and half years ago, I joined a team of 18 bright people at Maker&Son ready to jump (literally) into the most comfortable furniture in the world and poised for growth. Grow we did and have, and I’m immensely proud to have been a part of it all.
I’ve woken up from a dream, what took place?
We grew a brand, we launched many incredible products… upholstered comfy ones, hand-crafted homeware ones, not-too-soon-to-say-heirloom accessories, the most incredible natural mattress and topper ever experienced… and even luxury super cosy beds for four-legged friends. Working at Maker&Son - for me - has been the luxury interiors version of the movie, ‘Mr Magorium’s Wonder Emporium’ (look it up).
Much of my time with the marketing team at Maker&Son was spent in collaboration with bright leaders of brands and businesses, journalists and tastemakers. I’m proud to say, with the drive and support of the clever teams at both Lucy Irby PR and the Re:Agency, we hosted interviews, set up and styled the most beautiful of shoots and locations, loaned product for shoots, for TV shows and even a movie (releasing very soon). I also clocked up many glorious miles driving Mobile Showrooms (yes, driving vans!) to meet said bright leaders at their homes and offices across the glorious countryside of England, Scotland and Ireland.
For the stat-followers out there, during my time at Maker&Son:
£4m annual global revenue in my first year… to £24m this year, 300% YOY growth - what a ride.
I remember being excited when we reached 50k followers on Instagram - currently over 330k.
400m+ global media impressions with top tier international, national, regional and local press in the UK, US and Australia.
Countless memories with the smartest group of colleagues I’ve ever worked alongside.
Features & extensive coverage (my favorites) :
Wall Street Journal, New York Times T Magazine, Domino, Martha Stewart, Business of Home podcast, The Sunday Times, Vogue (the US launch one), The Telegraph, FT, House & Garden, Homes & Gardens, Architectural Digest, Vanity Fair, Country Life, Vogue (the ‘cult sofa’ one) The English Home, House Beautiful, Evening Standard, The Irish Times, Rév enVert, The Haines Collection (sustainable interiors), AD Clever, The Wealden Times (yes, regional press matters too!) Country Homes & Interiors, … oh, and there was the Troye Sivan AD Open Door smash hit that sadly I had nothing to do with, but love him for freely confirming our ‘most comfortable sofa’ claim.
Some not-so-distant, proud moments at Pantone EMEA:
Led brand collaborations including: Coca-Cola, BASF, CP Company, Manner, Tanqueray (“Sevilla tiene un Color Especial"), Piper-Heidsieck champagne, British Fashion Council (Richard Nicoll Blue), Dove, L’Oreal, Twinings Tea (colour of Optimism), and standardisation of Royal Mail Red...
Who am I?
My LinkedIn profile and work experience speak for themselves, I hope. I’ve lived and worked in and around London, Paris and Manchester (and other amazing cities, towns villages and hamlets that potentially fall on deaf ears in this environment but are no less significant in their populations of innovative, creative, dynamic people that have impressed the heck outta me).
My insights are based on a lifetime of change. That is built into the way I do business. My vantage point is unique. I start by seeing all business from a global perspective. From this bird’s eye view, I know anything is possible.
Welcome to my blog.