Independent Creative Advisor to CMOs and founders.
Refined creative judgement. Right where you want it.
I help CMOs and founders make sharper creative decisions at critical inflection points - a rebrand, a big campaign, a resource rethink, or a high-value special project.
Increasingly, the most valuable work sits where creativity, technology and business change collide - from defining how a brand can build trust in the age of AI, to designing a better in-house creative process with the most appropriate platforms, to ensuring a new brand proposition has the depth to drive GEO success.
AI can make creativity faster, broader and more efficient. But without judgement, it can just as easily make it lazier, flatter and less distinctive. I help my clients get the benefits without losing the quality.
I’ve moved between client-side and agency-side, global brands and startups, B2B and B2C - across branding, advertising, film, digital, social, partnerships, PR, experiential and culture. That breadth gives me a wide frame of reference, a strong instinct for what matters, and the experience to know when to push, simplify or change direction.
Today, I work mainly across technology & engineering, sport & wellness, and lifestyle & entertainment.
I’m an independent consultant, with a trusted network, so there are no layers, no big-agency machinery and no unnecessary overheads. Just commercially sharp creative support, exactly where and when it’s useful.
“Josh’s creative input and advisory capability is exceptional and always remains fresh. He challenges my thinking in a respectful way and encourages me to take risks.”
— Zara Bahrololoumi. CEO, Salesforce UK&I. Formerly Accenture Tech.I’m senior enough to know what matters. Hands-on enough to shape the work. And independent enough to say what I really think.
Different ways I can help.
I work as a trusted partner for leaders who want senior creative input - without having to bring in an agency or ‘go public’ every time something important comes up.
Sometimes the most useful thing I provide is creative clarity and confidence. My clients often say how helpful it is to have someone independent to quietly talk to about their creative challenges.
Quiet Creative Counsel
Helpful when:
A CMO is stretched. A founder needs a sounding board. Senior stakeholders need an external expert to guide them on a creative journey.
In a Creative Director role I lead and lift the creative quality of business-critical creative projects like proposition development, rebranding, launches, campaigns and pitches.
I can work directly with an internal team, lead an incumbent agency, or bring a ‘Hot Team’ of specialists together around a creative challenge. My branding agency, 17days, sometimes helps here.
Sharp Creative Direction
Helpful when:
The value proposition needs sharpening up. A new brand needs building from scratch. A CMO wants world class creative ideas without agency complexity and cost.
I help businesses improve how creativity actually happens - from integrating AI thoughtfully into a creative process to energising creative culture to connecting clients with other specialists from my network.
My impact isn’t simply greater efficiency. It is a creative operation that understands how to bring people and technology together to produce better work, more consistently.
Intelligent Creative Operations
Helpful when:
The quality of creativity is not where it needs to be. Creative teams need help exploring AI’s value. Specialist capabilities are needed, but without adding permanent headcount.
“Josh is an incredible strategist and writer, and brought our vision to life in a way that authentically represents who we are and why we do what we do.”
— Rudi Rankin. Head of Marketing, Wayve.Commercial Creativity in action.
Wayve - Autonomous Driving.
The UK’s greatest AI success story needed someone to lead the rebrand ahead of a $1.5 billon funding round.
I was introduced to Wayve’s CMO by Firstminute Capital - Brent Hoberman’s investment company, for which I had just completed a rebrand. I brought in design agency, Crush, and led a complete rebrand, including website design and build, content production and the development of an internal values system.
Creative Direction.
F-Secure - Cybersecurity.
Creative Counsel , Creative Direction.
The Finland-based global cybersecurity company gets my senior creative input across a wide range of projects.
I maintain a close consultative relationship with the CMO, bringing creative guidance and direction to ‘special projects’ such as a creative perspective on ‘trust in the age of AI’, brand identities for new products, and campaign concepts for F-Secure partners in the U.S. including Verizon, T-Mobile and AT&T.
Creative Direction.
F1 brought me in to develop the narrative and creative ideas for partner pitches including brands as diverse as BAT and Prada.
I worked with the CMO and partnership leads to build out succinct pitch decks that teased what a global sponsorship activation could look like, and where the commercial value would lie for the partner brands. Other rights holder clients include UEFA, European Rugby, the FA, Team Cadillac F1.
Aily - Decision Intelligence.
Creative Direction, Creative Operations.
The enterprise Decision Intelligence startup wanted to sharpen its value proposition, brand and campaigns, post $80m series B.
I work closely with communications specialist, Louise Everett, in an Exec Creative Director role. We interface directly with Aily CEO, Bianca Anghelina, bringing flair and rigour to how Aily ‘shows up’ in the enterprise AI marketplace. We’re also guiding how Aily’s in-house teams use A.I. to drive creative production efficiency.
Accenture - Technology Division.
Creative Counsel. Creative Direction.
Former Technology Lead, Zahra Bahrololoumi, invited me to help create and evolve the division’s event program over three years.
Zahra wanted to create a technology event that would draw Accenture, their partners and customers together around cutting edge debate and solutions. I created and led ‘Kaleidoscope’ - a live event that drove millions in pipeline, and became an annual feature on the tech ecosystem calendar. Zahra is now CEO of Salesforce UK&I.
FLOWBIO - Hydration Tech.
Creative Counsel. Creative Direction.
I led the proposition development and full rebrand for FLOWBIO as it moved into its next growth phase, post-investment round.
I worked closely with the founder, tightening the value proposition and bringing more impact to the intellectual property at the heart of the brand. Central to this was the establishment of FLOWBIO’s ‘Advanced Hydration Intelligence’ data engine - something that future investors could buy into as a long term value stream, beyond sport.
“Working with Josh is a masterclass in problem solving, creativity and clear communications.”
— Niall Coen. Former Owner & CEO, Snack Media Group.A career spent building creative intuition.
I haven’t spent my career going deeper into one discipline, one channel or one type of business. I’ve moved across client-side and agency-side, global brands and startups, B2B and B2C - working through periods of major change in branding, advertising, digital, social, partnerships, content, experience and culture.
That range has given me a broad frame of reference, strong pattern recognition and a clear sense of what good looks like in very different contexts. It means I can bring perspective from outside the immediate problem, spot opportunities others might miss, and make quicker decisions about what really matters.
June 2020-Present
Independent Creative Advisor
Creative Office of Josh Robinson
Senior creative guidance for CMOs and founders. Google, Amazon Ads, F-Secure, Virgin Active, F1, Aily.
June 2020-Present
Founder & Creative Director
17days (Brand Consultancy)
Brand development for startups and SMEs including Wayve, FLOWBIO, Muuvr, Amigo, Inspired, Corvera.
October 2013 - May 2020
Creative Director, Sport & Brand Exp.
ENGINE Group (Integrated)
Partner - Accenture, Google, Under Armour, Bose, Vitality, Mitsubishi, Jägermeister, IOC.
June 2011 - September 2013
Director of Creative & Integration
Sports Revolution (Mediatech)
Leading the evolution of StadiumLive with Cisco, and campaigns for Heineken, BP, UEFA.
February 2010 - June 2011
Co-Founder & Creative Director
Robinson Pincus (Social Media)
Established the first ever sponsorship x social media agency - MacDonalds, UEFA, WWE.
September 2009 - February 2010
Director
Brandnew (Design and Internal Comms)
Brought in to redefine the agency’s proposition.
May 2006 - August 2009
Head of Strategy & Creative
Experience Worldwide (Integrated)
Leading Omnicom’s European experiential and partnerships - SAP, Heineken, Grey Goose.
April 2001 - May 2006
Creative Director
The Works (Partnerships & Events)
First Creative Director role leading work for Coca-Cola portfolio, Canon, Sun Microsystems, WWF.
January 1999 - December 2000
Head of Sports Marketing M.E.
Oakley Inc. (Eyewear)
First ever ‘proper job’, based in Dubai, establishing Oakley’s sports marketing operation for the Middle East. What a ride!