A beautifully coordinated team of individuals
Since 1995, we’ve expanded well beyond our origins as a brand strategy consultancy to include insights, experience, employer and consumer brand alongside design and voice.
Today there’s over 80 of us working across three studios, and numerous locations further afield, so our weekly all-hands meetings are pretty lively. And that’s just how we like it – different perspectives keep us sharp.
Our hybrid workplace helps everyone fit work into their lives, with our studios providing essential hives of connection and play, along with great vibes, snacks, and maybe a dog or two.
Moensie Rossier
Strategy Director
Principal
Moensie loves talking about ideas. Thinks she’s learned as much from fiction as business books. Won Brand Strategist of the Year at Transform Awards ANZ. And her name? It’s easy to say if you happen to speak Dutch or Afrikaans.
Simon Wright
Executive Creative Director
Principal
Simon believes brand ideas can change the world, try and tell him otherwise. He loves simplicity, Star Trek, Duran Duran and Aston Villa. Communicate, communicate, communicate is his most used saying. He is rumoured to be sponsored by Paul Smith. And he once spent an afternoon in the Arizona desert in a Jacuzzi drinking beer with Boris Becker.
Tim Riches
Chief Strategy Officer
Principal
Tim is a pickle lover, sometime pickler and occasional smoker. Finds Zomato an invaluable antidote to restaurant indecision. He’s a small time gardener with a thing for bonsai and terrariums and a believer in the predictive power of science fiction.
Tui Horo
Group Operations Director
Principal
Tui used to race off-road rally cars (holding the map, not the wheel). Is a closet gaming nerd at home (competing with like-minded souls nationally). Dream of undertaking her own Grand Designs project. Loves her two dogs (will show photos).
Tom Brigstocke
Chairman
Principal
Tom’s weekend relaxations include chopping wood and looking after cattle. He gets goosebumps from Elgar. Born in the USA. Still owns a Triumph 900 (his guilty pleasure). Dislikes tofu, likes steak tartare. And contends we have an apostrophe surplus.
Wayde Bull
Strategy Director
Principal
Wayde worked on Margaret Thatcher’s re-election campaign (in short trousers). Has a collection of TinTin comics in mint condition. Runs long distances when his knees agree. Is a sucker for new apps, a good historic novel and West Wing repeats.
Renée Stekel
Director of Account Management
Renee loves the ocean. And never regrets getting up for a sunrise. She’s most alive when exploring new places. Which partly explains 14 moves in the past decade. Keep cup in hand, she’s all about protecting the environment. And autumn is her favourite season for obvious reasons – the fashion.
Sophie Evans
Account Director
Sophie is happiest around good food and good company. As a seasoned foodie, she’s perfected a small plate ordering strategy. Just don’t ask for cheese. Her party trick? She can make a one-pot meal anywhere (thanks to three months of van life). When she’s not in pursuit of a new food spot, you’ll find her travelling, hiking, swimming or paddle boarding. But never wakeboarding, despite being the social secretary for her Uni wakeboarding society.
Naomi Landau Eglick
Director Consumer Brands
Naomi has flown faster than the speed of sound on Concorde. She’s also half Transylvanian (but swears she doesn’t sleep in a coffin) and has a very sweet tooth, thanks to growing up in the chocolate business. Naomi lives for musical theatre, a perfectly timed standing ovation, a drama series with subtitles and the fact that her 12 year old thinks she still has ‘Rizz’. A die-hard Demons fan, Naomi’s red and blue, through and through. And after a long stint living and working in London, Naomi had the privilege of having Warren Buffett as a client.
Claire Gallagher
Employer Brand Director
Claire loves suprises (mostly), talking, Ireland and being a mum. Has a fear of fish. Danced with Salman Rushdie to ‘I Will Survive’.
Martin Hopkins
Creative Director
Martin was once strangled by Darth Vader. He fears leaving the house in mismatched shoes. He’s got a twin brother back in Essex. He once scaled six mountains in three days. Can sometimes be found photographing empty streets. And he occasionally dines on Thai food for breakfast.
Rachel Terkelsen
Creative Director
Rachel cannot sing. Not one note. In fact, just the mention of karaoke makes parts of her body shake that shouldn’t. As does Melbourne’s weather. Local here for 40 years, she’s still waiting to acclimatise thanks to a sunny upbringing spent in Brissy. In the meantime, she’s keeping warm with a trusty foot heater, a few competitive runs here and there, and a scotch or four.
Dean Varndell
Head of Motion Graphics
Dean is not a big fan of the courgette. Admires the aesthetics of numbers. Was a DJ in a past life. Has a weakness for treacle.
Cera O’Grady
Senior Account Director
Cera is a trained chef with her own kitchen nightmares – getting first degree chilli burns and spilling red wine all over Nick Cave. In front of Kylie Minogue. Ouch. Never one to shy away from danger, she surrounds herself with cats despite being allergic. Loves fiery volcanoes. And fiery food.
Andrew Thompson
Design Director
Andrew once walked nearly three kilometres carrying 30kg above his head in the name of art. Is an avid collector of historic artefacts. His oldest item is 4.6 billion years old. Has busted Banksy in action. But won’t tell you who he is.
Ashling Withers
Associate Strategy Director and Employer Brand specialist
Ashling’s lived in seven countries. Still can’t shake that British accent. She once lost her shoe crowd surfing at a Beastie Boys concert. But found herself featured in a song by a famous Belgian singer. She’s a firm believer in effort over talent (on the dance floor). And dreams of one day completing an ocean swim.
Carly Holland
Senior Account Director
Carly moved to Australia in search of the sun and is an avid foodie. Although is yet to find a Sunday roast up to her London standards. She enjoys reformer Pilates, hot yoga and never setting foot in a traditional gym. Has an overly affectionate French Bulldog named Delboy, who is passionate about the Melbourne office bins.
Marcelo Palmeira
Account Director
Marcelo has lived in Rio, Buenos Aires, Munich and now Sydney. So he knows his way around a suitcase. A former musician (he swears he was cool), he’s now addicted to food, films, sport and the beach. Brazilian to the core, Marcelo is passionate about people, culture and life’s good things. That includes his dog, who he insists is the world’s best looking. His brightest achievement? Becoming a very proud first-time dad to Juju.
Jess Leech
Associate Director, XXVI
Jess is indecisive. She also has coeliac, which helps her narrow down the menu (GF) when she orders. Hunting for old books in op shops and collecting vintage clothing is a big passion. Ironing is not. Singing makes Jess very happy (and yet, no one else in earshot).
Mike Callan
Creative Director
Mike rides bikes in all weather and loves to cook up a storm. He once lived in a storage unit, but it was art. And less terrifying for him than karaoke or missing a flight. Despite brushes with Sir Paul Smith and Brian Eno, and a soft spot for Brutalism, he dreams of owning a big red toolbox on wheels.
Mary Winter
Insights Director
Mary likes crocheting, spinning wool and having early morning coffee by the sea with retired farmers. A nature lover, she’ll gladly spend hours spying Goshawks above treetops and deeply envies a friend’s critically endangered species of black swamp gum. But let’s keep that between us.
Luke Jenkins
Design Director
Luke is a triple threat: millennial, vegan, morning person. Spends his house deposit on avocado toast and wastes any spare time folding everything he owns really, really, really small (because Marie Kondo said so). Is a strong believer in dressing for the job you want, not the one you have — in his case, a Miami retiree.
Jordan Demetriou
Senior Designer
Jordan is a Designer with a strange connection to numbers. She’s a triplet who’s known to break three bones at a time and once memorised the first 100 decimals of Pi just because. She loves crime podcasts – particularly about cult leaders – and heavy metal. And although a former cheerleader, the only move she does these days is the worm. But only after a whisky (or two).
Darren Swain
Design Director
Darren has trouble sitting still. Regularly cleans light switches and electrical cables. Will do anything for a back scratch.
Natalie Kules
Finance Director
Music plays a big part in Natalie’s life. So does her big family. She’s writing 20 songs all at once (one for each family member?), but right now she’s singing the praises of her new Keto lifestyle.
Charlie Rose
Strategy Director
Charlie once acted in a Colombian soap opera called ‘Bad Girls’. He's an Essendon football tragic, who can’t say no to liquorice. He’s ridden a bike across Argentina. And loves sci-fi and fantasy. Unashamedly.
Emma Saunders
Senior Writer, XXVI
Emma loves swimming in the ocean but has a fear of aquariums. Weirdly good at remembering and recognising faces. Big fan of short books. And South London. Enjoys long, meandering walks with friends, kimchi and cheese toasties, and natural wine.
Yolanda Koning
Design Director
Yolanda is a Kiwi with Dutch parents. She still says chilly bin. And jandals. She goes a little crazy on Sake. Knocks over a glass of water daily. And once wore two different shoes to work. (It was an accident).
Min Ker
Design Director
Min’s favourite 80s dystopian sci-fi comedy is Brazil. But Turkey is the most exotic country he’s visited that’s not a movie. He loves pulling Temperance from a tarot deck and dreams of seeing the Northern Lights in Finland. He’s a big fan of crisp design and KFC, but fried cricket is not his favourite.
Kristen Cetrulo
Studio Director, XXVI
Kristen secretly loves putting IKEA furniture together. She invents a new business idea daily. And has lost count of how many DIY projects she’s started. She’s terrible at ironing. But once steamed Eric Clapton’s shirt.
Hayden Mathys
Motion Graphics Designer
Hayden gets extremely frustrated if he doesn’t play football once a week. Had dreadlocks for 16 years. Loves cooking (signature dish is Thai green curry).
Chris Morse
Senior Account Director
Chris has a completely normal interest in British crime dramas. He covers long distances when he’s on the run. Uses golf clubs just for golf. And sometimes digs giant holes at the beach with his kids. He once holed up in Fiji for a year and now dreams of escaping to a reasonably priced European villa. He has been known to target pizza with anchovies.
Karen Adriano
Senior Designer
Karen is a foodie in search of Sydney’s best ramen after moving here from Manila. When not noodling, other interests include stalking cute doggos at the park. Backstreet Boys sing-alongs. Avoiding nuts in chocolate. And ordering adventurously off the menu - usually to her regret, as there’s nothing like ramen. (Amen.)
Hayley Read
Senior Strategy Consultant
Hayley believes comedians are half strategists. But not the other way around. Would win (and has won) a fight against a boxer. Or anyone with hot chips. Her Achilles heel? A standard piece of bread. Enjoys diagrams, cat-dog friendships, Simpsons quotes (strictly seasons 1–10) and the kind of thrilling rainy weather they didn’t have in Perth.
Jodi Cohen
Office Coordinator
Jodi can do just about everything, except cut onions without goggles. She sings (sometimes to 30,000 people), writes music, is a published author, and once escaped flash floods in the desert. Whatever quest she’s on, Khruangbin is guaranteed to be playing in the background.
Isabelle Pennell
Account Manager
Isabella insists she would be a millennial if it wasn’t for the fact she was born after 1996. She thinks that a bit of sun and saltwater can fix anything. Except for her DOB. And fear of creepy crawlies. She’s all about exploring the outdoors, is on a mission to build her capsule wardrobe, and has a rubber arm when it comes to checking out a pasta and wine bar.
Min Shim
Senior Designer
Min was born in Seoul, South Korea. But has already lived or worked in 5 countries. Here in Melbourne, she enjoys eating brunch. And cake. Especially chocolate mousse cake. She likes yoga too. And right now, is trying to master the side crow.
Veronica Brzozowska
Senior Account Manager
Veronica was born in Poland. So naturally loves pickles and vodka. She was raised in London but is now settled in Sydney with her Ragdoll named Zippy. Hates flat whites but is happiest with a mug of tea in hand. Loves boardgames. And Korean skincare. But most of all – Taylor Swift.
James Welch
Design Director
James feels like a father of 10. (Is only a father of three.) He runs marathons for charity. Wants to surf. Won’t, because: sharks. He’s half American. Half English. And entirely incapable of taking himself too seriously.
Lisa Wilson
Associate Director, XXVI
Lisa wasn’t allowed to eat sugar or watch TV as a child, but has made up for it ever since. Loves animals and once owned eleven Dalmations. Has now scaled back to one ninja-like Chihuahua. Wants to exhibit at the Chelsea Flower Show but so far has only managed to grow some beautifully healthy weeds.
Mark Adams
Senior Account Manager
Mark likes to punish himself in the name of health. Like getting up at the crack of dawn, running long distances, and drinking salt water. But sleeping in a tent is a step too far, even for him. He thought getting a tattoo of his fiancée’s name was a big move. So he got her face instead. Based on a photo he took. Isn’t that sweet?
Elmira Gaynullina
Insights Consultant
A lover of nature, Elmira can be found waiting for flowers to blossom, bees to buzz by and snowflakes to form. (That’s what you get from someone who believes that if we resist change, we resist life.) When she’s not outdoors, she’s renovating furniture, admiring Wes Anderson and Almodóvar’s use of colour or possibly challenging you to a dance off.
Akshita Gopinath
Account Director
Akshi is a lifelong globe-trotter. She has scuba dived in 5 countries, speaks 4 languages (reads 3) and owns 2 cats. An avid alliteration admirer, she uses hugs as a judge of character and likes making up secret nicknames for people. Once played in a teen band, but that name remains a secret, too.
Nick Ryan
Associate Director, XXVI
Nick is a writer who dreams of living in a tiny house one day, despite being 6’3". Once rode a brakeless bike around Portugal, wearing shorts and jandals. He has many passions outside of writing - including cryptozoology, 80s Rub-A-Dub, swimming in rivers, bioluminescence, wood fires, Spanish nights, and comfortable chairs.
Anna Kan
Senior Account Manager
Anna makes a mean coffee. Her latte art is horribly good. She can walk five dogs at once but won’t eat a banana. She will however drink one. Born in Hong Kong, Anna’s been roaming the world since she was 12. She was lured to Australia by the beach and trapped here by coffee and croissants. Now she spends weekends hunting buttery baked goods. But only the good ones.
Ben Williams
Senior Creative Artworker
Ben once lived in a house full of monkeys. Voluntarily. And hitched a ride down the Amazon on a cargo boat, just because he could. A big fan of British comedy, lesser fan of people who prefer The Office US. He’s very good at memorising useless facts. Which is very useful at trivia nights.
Jean O'Sullivan
Senior Designer
Jean has an unhealthy interest in American politics. And puns. She loves garlic and bright clothes. Hates olives and horror movies. Thinks her toddler son is the toughest negotiator she’s ever met. And vows never to watch Edward Scissorhands again (too many nightmares). She’ll challenge anyone to a burpee-off.
Alex Moore
Associate Director, XXVI
Alex’s entire personality can be found in his luscious beard, loud shirts, dependability on filter coffee, and desire to sneak a wee bit of irreverence into important things like application forms, surveys, and bios. Which makes sense, given his steady diet of Monty Python as a child. He was big in a little part of Japan, for a day. Made a career out of making up Scottish history during his stint as a tour guide in Edinburgh. And he finds delight in dappled sunshine beneath large trees in grassy parks.
Bella Luke
Studio Manager
Bella hails from Ballina and has a BFA in painting, a bartending boyfriend and a cat called Bug. She winds down with horror movies and loves making wonderfully macabre art in her home studio. Bella will take a mojito if you’re pouring. Pink hair looks natural on her and self-expression will always be important. Just don’t mention her septum piercing. She knows.
Marty Zablocki
Senior Writer & Naming Specialist, XXVI
Marty likes all kinds of music, but not all music. He once started a French rock band called The Escargo-go’s that sadly didn’t go on to global domination – crushing his rock star dreams. Cooking makes him happy. Especially when narrating his own cooking show (to himself). Although he trained as a designer, nowadays he prefers pushing words around, not pantones.
Priyanka Pullela
Client Manager, XXVI
Priyanka is really into animals, cold weather and K-dramas. She’s volunteered with pandas in China, starred in Bollywood, and can quote Empire Records in German. Mostly vegetarian, Pri abhors custom number plates but adores her bowtie-sporting cat Atticus.
Kylie Christabelle
Designer
Kylie can’t keep up with Aussie drinking culture, but she makes up for it with a constant flow of caffeine. Such is the dynamic designer life. She’s still figuring out the age-old balance between work and play, and always finding places to direct her creative energy. In high school, it was her burning passion for K-pop. In adulthood, it’s learning how to swim. Better late than never.
James Morgan
Senior Account Manager
James can’t get enough of Peaky Blinders. But he’d rather finish off a Melbourne coffee than a professional rival. He’s a proud Brummie who calls soccer football and thinks classic British Sunday roasts have had their day. Passionate and loyal, he’s held a season ticket for West Bromwich Albion for 20 years. He also cooks.
Hollie Johnson
New Business Marketing Manager
Hollie grew up around all kinds of animals. Probably explains her irrational desire to adopt an army of dogs. And why she spent an entire wedding befriending a Frenchie named Treacle. And maybe that tattoo of her first cat? Furry friends aside, Hollie’s an amateur illustrator. Gets way too excited about costume parties. And dreams of catching the Aurora Borealis one day. Ideally from an igloo in Northern Iceland.
Simon Gross
Senior Writer, XXVI
Simon likes the way a blank page listens. Finds supermarkets grounding. Always grabs the third pack from the front. Created an entirely new category of moving product. Has moved house 40 times. Loves the life-dampening density of a library and finds the immutability of a book reassuring.
Neha Pindoria
Accountant
Neha’s been on more wildlife safaris than she can count. Born and raised in Kenya, she moved to Sydney to study. Loved it so much she never left. Can speak four languages (still working on Swahili). Certified foodie. And might be shy at first – but get to know her and she’s as fun as they come.
Dane Collins
Senior Presentation Designer
Dane doesn’t tan well. Burns to a crisp in 5 minutes flat. But thinks his red hair gives him a high threshold for pain. He’s obsessed by stuff made from stainless steel. Avoids olives. And thinks life’s not worth living without soccer.
Niamh Slevin
Associate Director, XXVI
Niamh, pronounced Neeve, has a name as Irish as they come. Something of a world traveller, she’s gazed up at the stars from the Sahara, and been blindsided by a blizzard in Canada. Loves yoga, guitar and baking chocolate chip cookies. And if she’s ever looking a little blue, don’t worry. Those are just the organic blueberries she regularly smooshes onto her face (anything for a youthful glow).
Sam O'Brien
Senior Creative Artworker
Sam was once held hostage in Sumatra by an orangutan. Worked as a pirate DJ. And got told he looked hungry by Amy Winehouse in a London pub. Hates wasabi – but is easily talked into trying it again. Wasabi, Sam?
Amy Cameron
Senior Digital Writer, XXVI
Amy lives on a farm with a rooster called Tupac and a goat called Uncle Frank. She’s very proud of her moonwalk. And hates every single thing about bananas. Mostly the smell. And the colour. And the taste.
Tom Law
Writer, XXVI
Tom’s a bit of a fiend for history. Originally from the U.K., he spent his childhood gazing at Stonehenge from his bedroom window. Little did he know, it was a mystical gateway that transported him to Australia in 2009. He also lived in Germany for a couple of years and studied in Italy, where he once accidentally stumbled upon Michelangelo’s tomb while looking for a chemist.
Kristan Nair
Studio Manager, XXVI
Kristan’s a Canadian from Hollywood North (Toronto) so it only makes sense that she’s a film buff. Her love for horror movies inspires her love for painting ¬– but feels most passionate about putting ketchup on absolutely everything. A regular at Comic-Con, she collects 90s X-Men comics. Her kryptonite? The Real Housewives franchise.
Supriya Shetty
Account Manager
Supriya's a brown belt in karate. Still, she’s got no chance against spiders. Big on ambition and persistence, she’s obviously mastered reverse parallel parking. Can speak three and half languages too. And loves to travel. Take her back to Cappadocia to watch the hot air balloons at sunrise any day.
Ben Ashley
Ben is a human guinea pig who was donated to science as a baby. He was a zombie in a TV commercial and once sat inside an amplifier stack to keep it upright during a punk show. Likes snowboarding, except that time he lost his atop a mountain and had to walk down (slowly).
Lucy Brigstocke
Junior Designer
As a long-time Nike Air Jordan lover turned Adidas enthusiast, Lucy prefers not to think about how much she’s spent on sneakers. Or the time she narrowly escaped London at the start of Covid. You can hear her laugh before you see her. If you’re lucky, you’ll spot her riding a tractor. Or performing cello. Or drums. Always available for brunch, if she can bring her three labs (lined up, they look like an Oreo).
Jay Gupta
Mid-Weight Designer
Jay traded her childhood dream of drawing comic books for a career in design after discovering Batman doesn't contribute to super. She was also a semi-pro CS:GO player, which means she peaked at 19 and now casually brings it up whenever someone questions her reaction time. These days she's powered by controllers, comic books and an absolutely unhinged obsession with symbolism. Don’t even get her started on triangles.
Barry Rochford
Senior Finished Artist
Barry has a habit of getting lost in both supermarket aisles, and the aisles of his family’s wholefoods store. Not because he’s indecisive, but because he’s too busy admiring the packaging (especially the stuff he’s worked on). Once, he spent a little too long inspecting a pack of Razzamatazz stockings he had worked on, which led to an awkward chat with a concerned store owner. Now working remotely in Tasmania, Barry’s only distractions are Skittles (the cat) and Obi (the dog, not theJedi….although he does sometimes wonder).
Susan Austin
Accountant
Susan doubles as a cookbook author. Once cooked Sang Choy Bow with Kerri-Anne Kennerly. Also cooked pasta with a Duchess in her palazzo in Palermo. Food highlights aside, she used to live in Singapore. Will read or watch anything about Roman times. And can’t get enough of jigsaw puzzles.
Kai Barlow
Design Intern
Kai loves to move. It all began as a childhood hip-hop dance sensation, as seen in Disneyland and Universal Studios. Yes, really. These days he moves around the world, from the beaches of Thailand to the snowy peaks of Japan. Next stop, Europe. But where does he get all that energy? Iced coffee. Definitely the iced coffee.