Global
Executive Creative Director

Dual Irish/Australian citizen | US O1B Agent work visa

I hate ads.

Truth is, most people hate ads. Half of us actively avoid them, and when it comes to Gen Z, 69% use adblockers.

I love ads.

Rather, I love ads that don’t look like advertising. Ads that are pure entertainment. Or have been reimagined as a computer game, wearable tech, a sporting event or a Netflix series – advertising that connects with fans in the culture they love.

Over the past 20 years (most recently as EVP, ECD, New York at McCann Worldgroup), I’ve launched and scaled global brands (Reckitt, Johnson & Johnson, American Express, HSBC, Dove, Avon, L’Oréal, Kelloggs, Subway, KFC, Coke, to name just a few), and have led large multi-disciplinary teams in the US, UK, Brazil and APAC. I’ve managed my love/hate relationship of advertising by creating campaigns that live in culture, from music videos to feature docos, virtual reality social protests to a bra made from skin-like fabric. My work has won over 80 global creative and effectiveness awards, while the I Touch Myself Project was ranked the 7th most awarded campaign in the world according to the Gunn Report (WARC Rankings). I've served on juries for Cannes Lions, New York Festivals, CLIO, LIA, Young Lions and Gerety, been a guest lecturer, spoken at talkfests, chatted on podcasts, coached with LIAisons twice over and advised CEOs and boards of nonprofits and start-ups. I hold post-graduate degrees in creative writing and graphic design and have a PhD in communications.

With Gen AI,, new media and cool tech at our disposal, we are entering a brave new world of experimentation and engagement. That’s where I like to play.

My CV can be found here: LinkedIn
Short fiction and essays here: Words
PhD soundwork: On the Edge