Richard is Partner and co-founder of branding agency Whistlejacket, which has been serving clients including Addison Lee, News UK, Crew Clothing, Build Africa and Orbitsound, since 2014. Alongside co-founder Matty Tong, Richard helps clients solve business problems through strategic thinking and creativity. Working for 20 years in advertising at BMP DDB, he started as a graduate trainee in account management and ending up as Regional Director of DDB Europe, for clients such as Sony, Budweiser, Dell and Unilever. During his time, where he was a Business Director and Business Development Director, the agency won agency of the year three times and when he left, DDB was the world’s largest advertising network. Becoming Chief Executive of Identica, one of the most famous agency names in branding and design, Richard grew it four-fold during his tenure; expanding its strategy arm and introducing 3D design into the agency for the first time for brands including Tesco, Which?, Post Office, Britvic and Bacardi Martini. Named by Campaign Magazine as the third nicest person in advertising (don’t ask who the top two are!) Richard has also been elected Chair of the IPA’s new business committee twice by his industry peers, represented DDB on the board of The European Association of Communication Agencies, and has been a Business Leader in the Marketing Society for over 15 years. Outside work Richard is active in politics, writing regularly for the New Statesman and other national titles and appearing on national TV and Radio.