enthusiastically taking responsibility for my contribution. Reliability is very important to me, and I do what it takes to make sure promises are kept. This isn't as boring as it may sound!

As a creative director, my job is about the bigger picture: How can we use strategy, copy, design and technology to create a customer experience that gets you the Yes? And how can we honouring the complex web of people — planet — profit through our work?

This often means challenging the status quo. "We've never done it this way" is exactly where we tend to go.

That's where my analytical skills and my preference for clear, articulate communication come in to make solutions approachable and transparent for everyone on the project.

- PKM – Personal Knowledge Management. Sense-making and keeping records of what I read grounds me. I also love love love the software, devices and communities in this space.

- Crafts — I've always got a few knitting, crochet or subversive cross-stitch projects under way. No surprise there: Stephen West is my favourite designer.

- Cats & Dogs — we've got 2 rescue cats and 2 rescue Galgos. They're like little furry children.

- Poetry. It's often said that nobody reads poetry... well, I do. Occasionally I also write some.

- Politics. Everything is political, and if we spend any length of time together you'll find me breaking out into spontaneous politico-philosophical musings.

- Nia — this movement technique incorporates dance, martial arts and the healing arts. As an Nia Blue Belt, I'm trained in body-centred communication. Because part of our malaise is that we emphasise the mind too much over our bodies.

a collaborative atmosphere and a good mix of skills and abilities. People who are strong in historical context and who like thinking about the past can really complement my drive to innovate.

purpose. They're about making the world a better place, not just making money. Ideally with science, technology, innovative approaches. I love diving into your company, products and services. The research and learning component really excites me: interpreting data, interviewing customers, reading up on the latest psychological studies.

No matter how difficult the problem we're solving for you, I strive to keep things playful. After all, we're all about exploring better, more creative and more beautiful ways of communicating. Measurable goals have their place, but too strong a focus on KPIs and OKRs can stifle learning.

a good mix of quiet, solitary hours so I can go really deep into the subject matter and get sh*t done — and sociable meetings on video or face to face. Meetings are for exploring the work we're doing together or coming up with new ideas on the spot. I don't need that much to do good work: natural light, strong WiFi, electricity and coffee. Bonus points for a nearby bakery where I can pick up a mid-afternoon treat.

a lack of trust and communication. My work is designed to reduce your workload and make life easier for you, but I can only do this with your support: supplying information, giving me the opportunity to explain promising approaches, agreeing a course of action before any copy or design goes live. I can achieve the best outcomes when I understand your goals so I can find the best way to achieve them through my craft – and that of my team.

Analytical skills — Communication — Challenging the status quo — Creating value for others — Creativity — Enthusiasm — Explaining — Keeping the customer in mind — Organisation — Reliability — Vocalising my thoughts — Welcoming others

Before the project has really started — when you're still planning. This is when I can add insight into time requirements, different stages and setting realistic goals so we can measure the project's success.

But I also like to be involved in the execution phase. A huge part of any project's success depends on the finer details of execution, and this is where my attention for detail, organisation skills and my enthusiasm for getting sh*t done can really make a difference.

Finally, to mis-quote a German football saying: after the project is before the project. I see projects as cycles of work, so the testing, learning & evaluation afterwards are very important to me. I like to learn what went well and what can be improved — and fix anything I can optimise easily.