I believe my work – and the results I have achieved for my clients over the years – should tell you what you need to know about me. The conviction that my work must speak for itself is at the heart of my creative values and the core of my professional brand.

I started my career in direct marketing in 1977 when I joined an independent and pioneering agency based in Richmond-Upon-Thames called Halsey Leigh & Young. In my time there the company grew from 20 staff to over 180.

I progressed from paste-up artist to Executive Creative Director in 12 years.

The creative head of the agency

Bryan Halsey was a copywriter and passionate about the persuasive power of direct marketing. He became my mentor and often my creative partner.

As the agency grew I worked on a very wide variety of accounts and was fortunate to nearly always be involved in pitching for new business. It proved to be an extraordinary education and the basis for a perpetually rewarding career.

HLY established an association with Grey London which gave me the opportunity to work with the agency on through-the-line promotions and integrated advertising projects.

Working with Grey gave me first hand experience of the above-the-line agency processes and introduced me to planning. My agency then allowed me to work with complete autonomy on big budget and high profile projects for Emirates Airlines, Midland Bank, Royal Insurance and Whitbread.

These successes meant I became involved at a senior management level with Grey Direct New York and their international agency network into which HLY was soon merged.

After winning several direct marketing creative and business performance awards, I traded my role of Executive Creative Director at the agency in Richmond for a roving role working across the Grey network companies.

In 1994 I set up on my own and I have been freelance ever since. In 2007 I decided to specialise more and devised the name Brandgarden .