Aycliffe Today Business Aycliffe Today Business Issue 42 | Page 33

The magazine for Aycliffe Business Park | 33
10.
1.

15. 19.
What do you do?
My official role at Lemon Top is
business development, trying to grow
and expand the business as well as our
client base but I still like to get involved
in the creative process and coming up
with ideas for our clients.
“Look outwards not inwards so find out
what your customers want and deliver it.”
2. Who have you worked for in the 8.

past?
I worked at Charles Hollywood
Advertising for 19 years, one of the
North East’s leading ad agencies.
Before that, I used to support/sell Apple
Mac kit in the era of grey importers.
3. Best part of your job?

4.

5.

Being part of a creative team and
thinking creatively as there isn’t
anything quite like it. What other way of
life allows you to take people’s dreams
and turn them into a reality that they
can see visually. ‘Show don’t tell’ is
what we live by.
Is there anything about your job that
you really don’t like?
Paperwork. I have always been into
technology and would love a paperless
office for admin and accounts.
Favourite thing about working on
Aycliffe Business Park?
The community feeling. We have been
welcomed from our first day on Aycliffe
Business Park but the ambition and
growth of the park is something special.
6. Which company/individual on the

7.

park do you do the most work with?
Discover Brightwater. They are one of
the few companies who are actively
making a difference to our environment,
working tirelessly to achieve the
cleaning of the Skerne with some
ambitious projects on the go.
Who’s your tip for future success?
Our most recent employee Amba
Bradbury is set to become a star in
the social media world. She is already
breaking new ground by using sign
language in her social media posts.
Within the next couple of years, we
hope to build a team around her that
will take social media for business to a
whole new level.
9.

Four famous people you’d love to
have round for dinner and why?
Steve Jobs would be the first. It would
be fascinating to hear from someone
who had the vision to go from building
computers in his garage to creating
one of the biggest companies in
the world. Second would be David
Ogilvy. To be known as “The father
of advertising” is a testament to his
meticulous way of thinking. John
Richardson, special effects designer
from Lawrence of Arabia to Harry
Potter as he would have so many
stories to tell. Jo Pavey for never
giving up and at 40 years winning
the European gold medal for 10,000
metres, proving that age doesn’t
matter and had me screaming at the
TV.
If you could do something else in
business, what would it be?
I would probably be running a cattery
as we do love cats at home. Either that
or a games developer as I was hooked
on my first computer, an Oric Atmos
48k back in 1984.
10. Who’s your favourite Tweeter?

@GrantCardone he has such a great life
story and explains why it is okay to be
obsessed and not be average and this
is how I try to live every day.
13. If money was no object, what would

14. Money no object, your dream holiday

daring?
Karaoke (unintentionally). I have a
morbid fear of singing in public but
had to take up the microphone in
front of a whole audience of friends
and business colleagues when I won
a fancy dress competition as Freddie
Mercury.
12. What’s the best piece of business

advice you’ve been given?
Look outwards not inwards so find out
what your customers want and deliver
it.
would be?
A holiday to Walt Disney World Star
Wars Galaxy’s Edge Theme Park.
15. Do you have a favourite band or type

of music?
Ethan Stark, Fleetwood Mac and The
Eagles because if it wasn’t for them I
would have never bought my guitar and
learnt to play.
16. What is your greatest achievement?

Running the Redcar Half Marathon and
hopefully one day I will better my result.
17. How would you best describe

yourself in four words?
Meticulous, demanding, creative,
talkative.
18. Where do you see yourself in five

11. Have you ever done anything really

be your ideal car?
Volkswagen ID.Buzz Campervan. It’s
at concept stage at the moment and
won’t be on sale until 2020, but keep
a lookout for this one, it’s going to
revolutionise the campervan market.
years?
To open our first Lemon Top academy
for creative minds. This would be a
place that explored creative freedom
in the arts and a platform for students
to excel and employers to find the best
talent anywhere.
19. Who’s the most famous person
you’ve ever met?
Meeting Gareth Southgate at
Middlesbrough Football Club (now the
England manager).
20. Do you have any guilty pleasures?

I’m a complete geek when it comes to
Sci-Fi. I grew up in an era where films
like Star Wars, 2001 A Space Odyssey
and Close Encounters were enthralling
cinemagoers worldwide and it has really
stuck with me.