Why I Joined Marketing 101 (And Why It Feels Like the Right Moment)

Joining Marketing 101 as Head of Content & Strategy doesn’t feel like a reinvention. It feels like alignment. After more than 25 years working at senior level across brand, communications and strategy, I’ve learned that the work that lasts is rooted in clear thinking, honest messaging and strong relationships. Marketing 101 is built on those foundations, and that’s what made this move feel considered and exciting, rather than risky.

The agency is in a period of rapid growth, but what stood out to me was not the speed, it was the intent. There is clarity about where the business is going and why. Strategy leads before activity and decisions are discussed openly. Creativity is taken seriously, but not treated as theatre. There is a strong ethos of radical transparency, coupled with a belief that work can be ambitious, effective and still fun. That combination is rarer than it should be.

I first worked with Alex six years ago when we were both serving on the National Committee for the Giftware Association. At the time, we were both involved in sector-level thinking: governance, reputation, growth and how organisations communicate with credibility. We shared a belief in straight-talking strategy and in building things properly, not performatively. I also thoroughly enjoyed being interviewed on Alex’s podcast for the GA, and was inspired to start my own when I was running my own agency. Reconnecting now feels like picking up a conversation that never really ended.

My own career has spanned senior leadership and advisory roles, including Director of External Relations at Wrekin Old Hall Trust, where I led strategy across admissions, marketing, alumni relations and community engagement. I continue to support the Wrekin Business Network, connecting leaders and organisations to encourage collaboration and long-term thinking. Alongside this, I founded Buy-From, a creative agency built on the belief that strong brands are shaped by clarity, trust and relationships, not noise. I am also a former Chair of a national trade association, working at board level on strategy, governance and sector growth.

Across all of this, the thread has always been the same. Helping organisations articulate who they are, what they stand for, and how they show up in the world in a way that feels confident, coherent and human. That is exactly the work I am doing at Marketing 101: shaping thinking, sharpening messaging, and creating content that connects because it is grounded in real strategy.

At heart, this move is about connection. Between people, ideas and ambition. Between strategy and creativity. And, if I’m honest, between work and life too. This new chapter also brings me closer to the seaside, to space to breathe between moments, and to love in its many forms. Being part of a leadership team that is thoughtful, open and forward-looking, in an agency that values clarity, trust and fun, feels exactly right. I’m excited about what we’re building together, and very glad to be doing it here.