Studio Hearst is the commercial studio within Hearst UK. We create innovative partnership solutions for advertisers, as well as brand and subscription marketing campaigns for Hearst's magazines in the luxury, women’s lifestyle, health & wellness, homes and entertainment sectors.

HIGHBEAM helps shape brands and build businesses:1) BRAND STRATEGY. Working with clients to clearly position their brands. Articulating purpose, values, behaviours and writing the brand story that pulls it all together.2) NEW PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT & NAMING. Creating compelling propositions and names for new products and services.3) MARKETING STRATEGY FACILITATION. Working with CMOs and their teams to solve tough marketing problems in collaborative workshops.I've worked across a range of sectors including FMCG, banking, retail, utilities, sports, telco, media & tech. Clients include Amazon, MTV, Penguin, Immediate Media, Kingfisher Plc, Hearst UK, Roche, Danone, Virgin Money and more.“Ben has a beautiful way of cutting straight to the heart of the matter and delivering stunningly simple, insightful and creative solutions to complex strategic problems.” Gerry Magee, Head of Brand & Marketing, Virgin Money

I am an investor and adviser to Claudi & Fin. Their delicious Greek-style frozen yoghurt lollies are available in the UK and in major grocery chains across Europe.

WPP's mFUSE is a modern, full-service comms agency creating dynamic ideas for clients. Media, advertising and design, working together to drive growth for scale-up brands.I led the brand strategy for Virgin Money, helping successfully reposition the brand following the merger with Clydesdale and Yorkshire banks.

Bow & Arrow is a growth consultancy that develops clear growth strategies and profitable propositions for clients. The consultancy designs, commercialises and delivers new products, services and experiences.During my year and a half at Bow & Arrow we doubled in size and produced some incredible work for clients including Google and Barclays.I was responsible for talent management of the 15 strong strategy department and also ran the consultancy's News UK (formerly News International) and O2 business.

During a decade at CHI I helped grow the business from 5 of us playing ping pong (a lot), to a 200+ employee full-service communications agency. We created an integrated offering that included ATL advertising, DM, design, digital, social and media planning/buying. I was a shareholder in the business, a partner and the joint planning director running a department of 14. During that time I led the strategy on a diverse range of brands, from FMCGs (Tango, Drench, Loyd Grossman Sauces, Anchor), through to big blue chip brands like British Gas, National Express and The Times & Sunday Times newspapers.

I left TBWA during the first dotcom boom and joined a digital media agency called media21 (who were then acquired and rebranded as 'Beyond Interactive'). I was brought in to take the agency full service - offering brand planning and digital creative, in addition to digital media planning/buying. We grew from a dozen people to over 40 over the course of a year. Then the bubble burst. The majority of our client base were pure play dotcoms, many of whom no longer exist. After the crash the business was merged into Medicom's digital department and I left. It was a lot of fun, while it lasted.

I was hired as a planner by Simons Palmer Denton Clemmow & Johnson just as they were merging with TBWA London. I spent 3 years learning my trade from a planning legend - Simon Clemmow (founder of CHI & Partners). Client experience included PlayStation, Absolut, Chivas Regal, AXA, Green Flag and Michelin.