I’ve been in advertising and design all my adult life. In that time I’ve created or looked after dozens of big projects and campaigns. Work created or overseen by me has won awards at D&AD, Cannes, the One Show, Creative Circle, British Arrows and the Marketing Society to name just a few. I’ve been creative director on some of the industry’s biggest accounts, overseeing everything from high-profile TV commercials and fast-moving retail press to innovative cross-platform and digital projects.

Here are some of the things I believe in:

I believe there’s never been a more exciting time to be a creative.

Boundaries are breaking down and possibilities are opening up. To take just one example, ‘Mog’s Christmas Calamity’ wasn’t just the most-viewed digital content of the 2015 Christmas season, it was the number five bestselling book of the entire year. Projects like that can’t be categorised – but they still require traditional smarts and craft skills to make them work.

I believe in building creative partnerships.

‘Mog’ was a partnership with Harper Collins; ‘1914’ was a partnership with the Royal British Legion; ‘Christmas in a Day’ was a partnership with Oscar-winning director Kevin Macdonald. The best ideas evolve by connecting the best people.

I like problems.

Awards are nice, but solving business problems is just as big a kick. ‘Try something new today’ was a simple set of words that turned around a supermarket’s fortunes.

I like working with clients.

When I run an account, I present the work myself whenever possible. Clients and creatives working together, trusting each other, talking face to face, builds the arena in which great work happens.

I collaborate.

I collaborate internally – and externally. Whether it’s working with a specialist design agency to overhaul Sainsbury’s retail brand identity, or a specialist tech agency to make a ‘spooky voices’ app the centrepiece of a Halloween campaign, I believe teamwork leads to better work.

I’m digital.

As well as overseeing numerous digital-led campaigns, such as the long-running Sainsbury’s ‘Food bloggers’ cooking tips campaign, I’ve created several of my own. See the Aviva ‘Big Picture’ case history for just one example – a digital and experiential campaign that ran in six countries round the world – and the Galaxy ‘Duets’ case history for a small-budget example that created a hit music single.

I’m nice.

Making great work is hard enough without being unpleasant. I believe in being courteous, friendly, approachable, open and easy-going. I don’t shout – ever. I truly believe it makes the work better. But even if it didn’t, I’d still be the same.