Brand strategy and marketing direction for founder-led food, drink & lifestyle brands
Brand and marketing strategy for founder-led businesses
I work with founder-led food, drink, hospitality and lifestyle brands to strengthen their positioning, sharpen their storytelling and create more cohesive brand direction as they grow.
With experience spanning both global consumer brands and independent businesses, I bring strategic thinking, commercial perspective and hands-on leadership - helping founders build brands with greater clarity, consistency and customer connection.
Many of the businesses I support are rooted in quality, experience and provenance, including farms and brands with a strong sense of product, place or craftmanship.
When you’re growing a brand, marketing can quickly become overwhelming
Many growing businesses reach a point where:
the brand no longer feels clear or consistent
marketing activity lacks direction
agencies need managing
ideas aren’t translating into sales
there’s no senior marketing lead driving things forward
That’s where I come in.
I’ve worked with a range of founder-led brands across food, drink and lifestyle - from early stage businesses to established premium brands.
Recent projects have included brand repositioning, packaging development, launch strategy, ecommerce direction, campaign planning and customer experience development.
I’ve spent over 25 years building brands across London agencies, major FMCG businesses and independent consultancy. These brands include Doritos, Danone and Budweiser, alongside many founder-led challenger and artisan brands.
Today, I specialise in working with food, drink and lifestyle businesses who want thoughtful, commercially grounded marketing support that flexes around their stage of growth.
I’m equally comfortable:
shaping long-term brand strategy
launching new products
leading creative projects
managing agencies and freelancers
developing marketing plans that are realistic as well as inspiring
My approach is collaborative, pragmatic and tailored - combing strategic thinking with real-world implementation experience.
A senior strategic partner with hands-on experience
Why clients choose to work with me
Clients often come to me when they have a strong product or vision but need clearer strategic direction, more cohesive brand thinking or experienced support navigating the next stage of growth.
I combine big brand experience with the agility and closeness of working directly with founders - bringing both strategic perspective AND practical implementation where needed.
My role is often part strategic sounding board, part brand partner and part marketing lead; helping businesses step back, see the bigger picture and move forward with greater clarity and confidence.
Looking for strategic marketing support that feels practical, collaborative and commercially focused?
Whether you need help refining your brand, launching something new or bringing structure to your marketing, I’d love to hear more about your business.