Meet the Thinkers

Liam is a founding Director of The Think Tank and has worked in marketing for more than 25 years. Starting his career as an Account Executive in one of the UK’s leading Sales Promotion Agencies, Liam has worked in above-the-line and research agencies before setting up The Think Tank with his business partner, Shaun, in 1993.

Gaining a wide range of experience across many marketing disciplines, Liam has worked with a variety of leading brands including Kodak, British Midland, WorldPay, Hertz, Woolworths, Kwik Save, Castlemaine XXXX, Formica, OKI Printing Solutions, Nespresso, Asendia and AkzoNobel.

Liam heads up the Client Services team at The Think Tank delivering the strategic direction for our clients and managing the development of existing and new business.

Email Liam: liamb@thinktank.org.uk

Shaun Madle founded The Think Tank in 1993 with Liam Bateman and is a Non-Executive Director of the agency. He began his career as a designer/typographer and went on to lead creative teams in several large London advertising agencies. He has worked in the creative industry for almost 35 years, across a diverse range of sectors.

Previous clients have included the Orient Express, DAKS, Russell & Bromley, Perpetual Unit Trusts, Alitalia Airways, Data General, Alderwick Peachell, Simpsons of Piccadilly and Robert Walters.

Since joining The Think Tank in 2008 Dragana has worked on a number of key accounts across the technology, logistics and built environment sectors.

Her skills and knowledge are rooted in business to business communications and she has extensive experience in delivering complex integrated marketing campaigns. Supporting the marketing needs of a wide range of clients, Dragana has planned and implemented many online and offline strategies both in the UK and across the EMEA region.

Away from work she mostly spends time with her little boy, getting to know the world of superheroes and Lego creations (something that comes in handy at work from time to time…).

Jo is a media relations specialist with extensive B2B and consumer experience.

Having worked with a number of large retail clients and global multinationals, as well as advertising and media agencies, Jo now leads The Think Tank PR team.

When she’s not on the phone to various publications around the world, you’ll find Jo honing her Fine Art skills and exhibiting paintings across London, Europe and the US.

With a MediaLab Arts BSc, Paul is responsible for growing the digital side of the business.

He initially designed and developed Flash websites and CD-ROMs in the early years, before becoming the Digital Director and overseeing all the digital projects The Think Tank produces, from Parallax websites to After Effects Video Production.

Paul has two beautiful young children, so his spare time is mostly consumed by them. However, if he does get a minute to himself, he loves to play football (well) and golf (badly).

Ros has been working in client services for over 20 years. For the last 5 years she has helped clients succeed in bringing in conversions from their paid search and paid social campaigns, hand in hand with identifying and driving their SEO programmes.

When Ros isn’t at work she still enjoys making dough, for Friday night pizzas or the odd sourdough loaf. Ros tries to burn off all the carbs as a (fair-weather) park runner, a volunteer with the Scout Association and long rambles with her family and their cute cocker spaniel Luna.

After a misspent youth as a bard, Sam wheedled his way into the world of advertising where he swapped song writing for ad writing. He cut his teeth as a copywriter on brands like Marston’s, Vanarama, Ladbrokes and Cafédirect.

When he’s not writing copy, Sam spends most of his spare time herding his rabble of young children. Occasionally he finds time to read a good book or watch his beloved Aston Villa.

Kelly-Anne started as a Senior Account Manager at The Think Tank in 2005 and has since taken on the role of Account Director, managing major B2B accounts, offering bright ideas and pearls of wisdom to clients and colleagues alike.

Away from her desk, Kelly-Anne’s two little ones keep her busy – but she still finds time to make the office’s favourite banana cake every now and then.

Henry works across B2B accounts in the manufacturing and construction industry, with a focus on associations and trade bodies. From his background in hospitality and events PR, Henry introduced The Think Tank’s first-ever craft brewing client.

A University of Leeds graduate, Henry’s previous experience includes working for the Conservative Party, under the formidable presence of the Rt. Hon. Eric Pickles MP, and a publishing house. A native Londoner, Henry enjoys the finer things in life, in particular good food, fine wine and Havana cigars.

Magda is responsible for the day-to-day operation and management of the office.

Her main responsibilities within The Think Tank cover HR and financial management functions, including invoicing, supplier controlling and space and facilities management, along with providing administrative leadership to the Directors.

She has more than 15 years of professional experience in administration, with an emphasis on sales support, finance, and facility management.

In the past, Magda studied Accountancy and Financial Advisory, and has a Master’s Degree in Marketing and Management from Koszalin University of Technology.

Chloe is a PR Account Director, running client accounts for Avery Dennison Apparel Solutions, Embelex, Jacksons Fencing Residential and Commercial units and Zeroignition. Starting her PR career in fashion and fine jewellery, Chloe made the leap to B2B PR in 2019 and brings creative flair to the team.

In her spare time Chloe can be found at the gym, exercising her PT qualification and putting herself, friends and family through their paces. Coming from a farming family, Chloe is a country girl at heart. She loves nothing more than escaping the city to enjoy the great outdoors in her home county of Essex.

Georgina is a senior comms professional with over 6 years’ experience in B2B and corporate communications. Her experience includes a mix of start-ups and established brands, with a particular focus on technology, creative and sustainability-focused businesses.

Outside of the office you can find Georgina at the theatre, on the netball court, or expanding her global awareness by travelling to interesting locations across the world.

Justina – or Juste, for short – is happiest when juggling large-scale integrated projects for top-notch software and technology brands. With 10 years’ experience at localization and marketing agencies, she enjoys finding creative, practical solutions to her clients’ communications challenges.

Juste is also a part-time student at the Open University where she is learning the secrets of technology management and innovation.

When she’s not in the office or the library, Juste spends her time exploring heritage sites, avidly devouring audiobooks and attending to her beloved collection of indoor plants.

As PR copywriter at The Think Tank Alison works closely with the PR team, producing thought-provoking press articles, deep-dive reports and white papers for clients.

An experienced business journalist, Alison has been Features Editor at Retail Week, Editor at eDelivery, and as a freelancer wrote extensively across many B2B titles including The Grocer, HR Magazine, Design Week and Drapers.

When the weekend comes Alison gets stuck into beautifying her Brighton garden, cycling on the South Downs and knotting herself up in adventurous yoga poses.

After completing her BSc honours degree in Sociology and Criminology, Faye decided to take a somewhat different career route, finding herself working in a variety of creative marketing agencies. At The Think Tank, Faye works on a range of projects across our key accounts, with expertise in everything from planning and budget management to full campaign delivery.

In her spare time, Faye is a keen musician, playing grade 8 piano and even dusting off her drum kit from time to time. Faye also spent 15 months working and travelling around the world after graduating before adult responsibilities and the prospect of a career in marketing came a-calling.

Having spent most of her career either agency-side or as part of in-house marketing teams, Kate is passionate about partnering with clients to deliver amazing campaigns (and amazing results). Her broad range of experience in the sector has seen her work across multiple channels, both online and offline.
When her hands aren’t full looking after her two children, two cats and a dog, Kate plays netball as the captain of her team. She’s also currently renovating her house and learning how to grow apple trees in her garden – so if our office starts to look greener, you’ll know why!

Alex joined The Think Tank with over 12-years’ experience in the creative field working for an array of business all over the globe. With a Degree in Graphic Design and a Masters in Illustration, Alex places conceptual thinking at the heart of everything he does.

Outside The Think Tank, Alex can be found perusing one of London’s many art galleries or watching live music with friends.

Laura arrived at The Think Tank in spring 2023 with a broad range of B2B and B2C experience. Over the course of a decade in the leisure and entertainment industry Laura developed her skills in strategies, sales and brand building before jumping into the agency game to work across tech, software and fintech.

Laura loves kayaking, hiking and cliff diving – but she can be tempted indoors by the promise of a good cheese and wine combo.

Jay is a Graphic Designer with over 15 years of experience and a BA (HONS) in Graphic Design. He has worked for a wide range of clients from smaller startups to some of the biggest global brands. Whether it be print or digital, conceptual thinking is always at the forefront of his mind.

When he’s not in work mode, as well as spending time with his two children, Jay enjoys star gazing, photography, cooking and cheering on Chelsea FC.

Karen brings over 10 years’ experience as an ideas-led, award-winning creative in Art Direction and Graphic Design.

From concept to creation, Karen has worked on fully integrated ad campaigns; photo shoots (in both Art Director and photographer roles); branding and identities; direct marketing; branding communications and corporate literature; digital online ads; film editing for TV ads and short films; and direction of VOs and sound dubs.

Previous clients include Ford Direct, Citi Bank, BBC Motion Gallery, MSN and Hewlett Packard, to name but a few.

After several lost years at school drawing arcade logos and characters from Sonic to Street Fighter 2, David finally listened to his art teacher and got himself to art college to do something productive.

After graduating with a BA in Graphic Design, he started his career at a magazine in Birmingham, before moving to Melbourne and taking the plunge going freelance and combining his love for travel with design.

In 2010, David decided to move to London and worked independently on clients from Warner Brothers, Harry Potter, City Airport to The Times Travel magazine – and he’s been in London ever since!

David is a long suffering Birmingham City fan who loves experimenting in the kitchen and riding the motorbike that his girlfriend affectionately calls his ‘mistress’. At least he thinks it’s affectionate…

Jasmine is an Account Manager at The Think Tank, working across multiple accounts.

After graduating with a BA Honors in History, Jasmine kickstarted her career at a marketing agency. Prior to joining The Think Tank, Jasmine managed clients within the financial services industry covering areas including branding, campaigns and bespoke collateral creation.

In her spare time, she enjoys long walks with her labradoodle, Millie (especially ones that end in a pub…). She can also be found in London’s many museums, getting her history fill!

Tyler graduated from Kingston University with First-Class Honours in Software Engineering. As The Think Tank’s dedicated WordPress Developer, he brings a host of technical capabilities to the company, including expertise in WordPress, SASS, CSS and JavaScript. Involved in all aspects of web development from front-end styling to database management and APIs, Tyler is currently honing his skills in disruptive JS frameworks such as React, NextJS and Express.

If all that jargon has your head spinning, then all you really need to know is that Tyler is a dab hand on a computer. His favourite TV show is Breaking Bad and his football team (for better or worse) is Manchester United.

Becky originally joined The Think Tank back in 2016, before taking a year off to complete a Masters. Naturally, she couldn’t resist the call of B2B marketing and has now returned to her role as copywriter, working alongside Sam, Fred and Jesper. With 7 years of experience creating content for both B2C and B2B audiences, Becky helps write, plan and post content on behalf of a wide range of clients.

When she’s not on East Midlands trains to London, Becky is either climbing, playing PS4 or eating blue cheese.

Charlie joined The Think Tank with over 6 years of experience in Paid Media roles working with both B2B and B2C clients. Now he’s taking the chance to double down on his B2B focus as part of the digital team.
When he’s away from the office there’s a good chance you’ll find history buff Charlie exploring London’s hidden walks and, inevitably, taking shelter from the rain in one of the city’s many old-timey pubs.

Keen for new challenges and adventures, Samantha left her Canadian hometown to move to London and join The Think Tank in late 2021. Before crossing the pond, she spent 5 years in a fast-growing agency where she had the opportunity to lead exciting, national and international campaigns involving social media, influencer marketing and PR. As a passionate advocate, notably for Women’s rights and LGBTQ+ issues, Sam thrives by working on projects with a meaningful cause.

When not at work, you can find Sam making her way through her bucket list of London restaurants, Facetiming her cat back in Canada or planning her next holiday (she is the queen of budget travel, after all!).

Dale has a wealth of experience working within the B2B built environment sector and has worked on a wide range of clients over the years – anything from off-grid energy to luxury skylights.

With his background as a journalist, having spent three years at a national news agency, Dale has fine-tuned his story-telling skills and has a sharp eye for news. When he’s not drafting top-notch copy for clients, he enjoys getting to know the movers and shakers within the industry and developing relationships with trade journalists.

In his downtime, Dale enjoys indoor rock climbing (bouldering to be specific), and is partial to a scenic walk with his trusty camera.

Although she started out on the PR team as an intern, Paula is now one of our account managers putting the knowledge she learned in her Events Design & Management MA to good use for our clients around the world.

Paula spends all her free time playing, watching or thinking about basketball – and her team Cobham Cobras is sponsored by The Think Tank! You’ll always find her on the court – or showing off her latest basketball-related injury in the office…

Tai graduated in Ecology with a desire to put those green fingers to the keyboard and combine a love for writing and communication with all things eco-friendly. Lessons in blogging and social media management were to prove handy as the pursuit of a career in marketing brought Tai to The Think Tank.

In his spare time, you’ll find Tai relaxing with a good book and a cuppa.

After moving to London from Derby with a Digital Marketing Apprenticeship under her belt, Ailish joined The Think Tank team.

Twitter-loving Ailish manages social media for a range of clients across multiple platforms as well as running digital advertising campaigns.

When not at work, you’ll either find Ailish in her local Wetherspoons developing her newfound love of gin or, if she’s at home, she’ll be following all things ice hockey and binging the latest series on Netflix.

Philippa is a creative and collaborative graphic designer with over 15 years experience in delivering digital and print materials for a variety of clients and campaigns.

She is always keen to expand her experience within the industry and enjoys learning new skills.

Philippa’s interests include travelling, hiking, tennis and it’ll come as no surprise to learn that as a creative, she loves different types of arts and crafts.

Keen for new challenges and adventures, Marc left Amsterdam mid-pandemic to further his motion graphics career in London. That journey eventually led him to join The Think Tank in 2023. Before heading to the UK, he spent seven years as a creative and UX designer working with B2B and B2C clients on everything from office supplies to music festivals and video games.

Outside work, Marc can typically be found honing his ‘geekery skills’ including visual effects and keeping up with the latest AI developments. To unwind, Marc enjoys playing videogames as well as practicing Muay Thai and other martial arts.

Jesper joined The Think Tank in January 2022 after a move from Los Angeles. His background is in music and fiction writing. He earned his Master’s in Writing and Literature from Bennington College, and his poetry and short stories have appeared in a broad range of publications. He enjoys museums, Denmark Street’s guitar shops and London’s bookstores.

Hailing from South Wales, Meg left home to study History at Loughborough University before completing a Master’s degree in the same subject at the University of Leicester. Stepping away from the past and into the here and now, Meg joined The Think Tank’s PR team in September 2021 as a Junior Account Executive.

When she’s not at work, Meg enjoys exploring London’s abundant sites of historical interest, its vintage shops and its gin bars (plural).

Niamh joined The Think Tank in April 2022 after finishing a Masters degree in Modern Literature & Culture at King’s College London. Before that, she was in Ireland studying English Literature at Trinity College Dublin.

In her spare time, Niamh can be found getting lost in a good book, eating her way through London’s restaurants and scoring some amazing vintage clothing finds (a secret talent).

After graduating with a degree in Journalism & Media Cultures, Sam’s hunt for a fast-paced, journalism-informed role that would complement his passion for writing brought him to The Think Tank’s PR team. Sam works across a wide range of clients and sectors, putting those writing skills to the test (and against the clock sometimes, too).

When he’s not tapping away at his keyboard, you’ll find Sam with his nose in a good book or soaking up the atmosphere at a football match.

Marketing, rugby, scuba diving, gaming… Mattia has a host of talents and interests that he throws himself into wholeheartedly.

Before joining The Think Tank, Mattia earned an MSc in International Business and Management and worked as a Marketing Comms manager in Italy. He’s got a sharp eye for marketing trends and is particularly enthusiastic about AI’s growing commercial influence.

Away from the office you might find him sampling the musical delights of London’s West End, dining in fancy restaurants or perhaps picking out the design of his next tattoo.

With a master’s degree in Marketing, Alessia began her journey as a marketing coordinator in a consultancy before her passion for agency work led her to client services and TTT.

Driven by her desire to continuously learn and grow, Alessia thrives on managing clients and executing successful marketing campaigns.

When not immersed in marketing strategies, you can bet you’ll find her dancing the night away at a good techno rave – but always ready to play football on Sunday mornings!

Having spent many a happy day of his childhood stuck in a book, writing was a natural calling for Fred. He started his copywriting life by freelancing out of his bedroom in East Sussex, writing blogs, emails and various other bits of content for a range of B2B clients. Now at The Think Tank he’s doing much the same, only in a far tidier office.

When he’s not puzzling over copy Fred enjoys muddy dog walks, recalling obscure The Simpsons’ quotes, ranting and raving about all things football, and, of course, reading.

After completing a degree in English and Philosophy, Sophie felt called to hone her writing skills and analytical brain as part of The Think Tank’s content team. Under the guidance of her fellow copywriters, she enjoys crafting written work of all kinds.

When she’s not musing over copy, she’s combining her love of TV, music and international culture by writing Eurovision news articles and fan blogs. Her other hobbies include crafting, charity shopping and scouring London bakeries for sweet treats.

With a degree in Politics and a Masters in Applied Human Rights from the University of York, Lucy brings a strong grasp of current events to the team as well as some serious critical thinking power.

Hailing from north London, Lucy recently relocated to Manchester where she enjoys checking out everything the city has to offer. This includes the legendary Madchester music scene, a vast array of fine vegan restaurants and – though admittedly, much less – the city’s unbelievably drizzly microclimate.