I realised I’d become the mentor I once needed

I grew up in Sussex in a family that believed in hard work, independence and a healthy dose of curiosity. My dad ran his own small business and while I didn’t realise it then, watching him tackle the rollercoaster of entrepreneurship planted a seed that would shape my path.

Surprisingly, I started in banking. It didn’t take long to realise the corporate world wasn’t for me - I needed something faster, more creative, and a little less… grey. So, I pivoted, studied Business and Marketing and found myself in an ad agency in Boston, where I fell in love with the energy, pace, and controlled chaos of agency life.

Back in the UK, I joined Ogilvy - the only non-Oxbridge grad in my intake - which sharpened my ability to think differently, trust my instincts, and prove that talent isn’t defined by a university badge. When redundancy hit, I had my first real taste of uncertainty. A week later, they asked me back as a freelancer, but the experience planted an idea: why rely on someone else when I could build something myself?

That mindset led me to co-found Tequila in Singapore, their first international office - it was a dress rehearsal for what came next. Back in the UK, I founded Cognito, grew it to £2m in revenue, and worked with brands like Nivea and Holsten Pils, including some brilliant B2B clients. Scaling an agency from scratch taught me what works, what doesn’t, and what keeps founders up at night.

After exiting, I realised agency founders don’t need just another consultant - they need someone who’s been in the trenches, and who truly gets it. So, I became the mentor I once needed.

Now, I coach and advise agency founders, helping them scale smarter, lead with confidence and exit on their terms - without burning out or losing sight of why they started in the first place.