Brand Man
I co-founded The Brand Company in 2002. It was one of the pioneer specialist brand consulting firms that defined a new category.
We developed the philosophy and process trademarked Brand Centered Management™ that included the concept of Brand DNA. The company grew into Hong Kong’s leading Brand Management Consulting firm consulting to clients such as: AIG, Hong Kong Trade Development Council, Lane Crawford, Maxim’s, Pure International, Shangri-La Hotels and Sun Hung Kai Properties. It was acquired in 2006 by a London-based consulting group.
I provide brand and strategic planning services to a small group of clients through my company Dolphin.
Madman
Have you seen Mad Men? I was part of the tail-end of that golden era of advertising. I ran agencies for Ogilvy, Leo Burnett and BBDO, working in places such as London, Singapore, Manila and Kuala Lumpur.
I ended up as Head of BBDO Asia Pacific, based in Hong Kong and overseeing offices in 14 markets across the region. BBDO was then the No.1 creative agency in the world – it still is, having been voted the top creative agency for the last 13 consecutive years. The advertising world provided a unique perspective into creative thinking across a spectrum of clients and cultures. I had the privilege to work with brands such as Coca-Cola, BMW, Disney, FedEx, IBM, Kodak, McDonalds, PepsiCo, Proctor & Gamble, Seagram’s, Shangri-La, Shell, SONY, Unilever, and Visa International.
Are the stories true? That, and some!
I'm a speaker, author, brand specialist, and entrepreneur who helps unleash the inherent creative thinking powers in individuals and organizations.
Dad-man
I’m dad to three wonderful sons; the eldest is in the auto industry, the middle an aspiring actor and the youngest a hockey player now at the University in Edinburgh. My wife Regina is the Executive Director of I’m a Hippy, a charitable foundation she co-founded that advocates for children’s hip health. We live in Vancouver with our psycho-beagle Hugo.
Together, we are ‘Mima’ and ‘Lolo’ to two grandchildren Abby and Luca. I’m a global citizen having lived in Edinburgh, Southampton, Jackson Mississippi, Honiara in the Solomon Islands, London, Singapore, Manila, Kuala Lumpur and Hong Kong before Vancouver.
Work and play have taken me to over 50 countries across every continent. My interests include fly-fishing, scuba-diving (been a while), Scotch, The Telegraph crossword and footie…Southampton and Hearts are my teams for my sins…and I still play old-man soccer. I love animals. My favourites are otters, tigers, the occasional psycho-beagle – and, of course, dolphins.
Hugo Elvis El Chapo, aka the psycho-beagle
Why Dolphin?
I was inspired by a book called ‘The Strategy of the Dolphin’ written by Dudley Lynch and Paul Kordis.
The gist of it is this: You can divide the world of individuals and companies into three basic types: carp, shark, and dolphin. Organizations need all three types to function.
No one type is necessarily more intelligent or desirable than another, although each species has clearly distinguishable traits…
It is the name of my company for a reason and why I’m known by some as the ‘Dolphin Brand Man’.
I hope to share it with you at one of my talks.
