Our resident retail trade expert and former BBC journalist. Neil is a passionate food and drink marketer who has delivered award-winning integrated campaigns for a heap of leading household brands. Not to mention he’s a hockey player extraordinaire with international honours representing Wales in the Masters European and World Cup competitions.

What was your favourite subject at school?
Latin. Forgotten most of it.

What was your best subject at school?
Media studies.

What was your first ever job?
A video games expert at Toys R Us back in the days of the Sega Mega Drive and Sonic the Hedgehog. I may have dressed up as a giraffe too.

What was your worst ever job?
As a student, doing a night shift in a cold warehouse packing frozen melon balls. I haven’t been able to look at a melon ball since.

What was the first music single you bought?
I so wish it was cooler, but it’s not. Kylie Minogue, The Locomotion. You’ve got the tune in your head now haven’t you!

Most entrepreneurial thing you have ever done?
Set up a part-time gardening business age 13.

What is the funniest thing you have done to a work colleague?
I wrote a fake radio news story on April Fools Day about endangered beavers. My colleague read it out live on air to the whole of Nottinghamshire. We were all in fits of laughter by the end of the bulletin.

What is your motto in life?
Carpe diem, carpe noctem. Seize the day, seize the night.

Perhaps I didn’t forget all the Latin I learnt.

If you were allowed one dream perk what would it be?
Personal chauffeur.

What’s your favourite movie and why?
Eddie the Eagle. Love all movies about sporting underdogs following their dream.

If you could pick a celebrity to join the agency who would it be and why?
Body Coach, Joe Wicks. He could help us work out and cook great tasting healthy food for lunch.

What luxury would you have on your desert island?
A Waitrose.

What animal best reflects your personality and why?
A meerkat. Hard working and loves being part of a team. Great awareness and always on the look-out .They are clearly the best marketers too or should I say meerkaters, just look at what they’ve done for Compare the Market. Simples!

If you could be anybody dead or alive who would that be?
Sean Kerly, captained England to hockey Olympic Gold in Seoul in 1988.


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