Who we are
Meet some of the people who work at head
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Ramsey Khoury
Founder & CEO
Ramsey was born into a large family of entrepreneurs and innovators who nurtured his passion for creativity and new business ever since he uttered his first word “start-up”. Which is amazing considering it was the 70’s. Ramsey established Head over a decade ago and has built it into a family of its own. It is now one of London’s foremost digital product and service design agencies with world-class clients including Electrolux, British Gas, HTC and RBS. The company has received repeated recognition for innovative design and thought leadership from Channel 4, the International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences and others. Ramsey has a unique talent for discovering ways of inspiring innovation and has brought different companies with complementary services together to create ingenious new products and business models. He is also a sought-after speaker on innovation and design thinking and has directorships in several high-profile Internet start-ups.
Other verifiable truths: Ramsey has a Fashion Design degree from NY’s Parsons School For Design and moonlights as a promising stand-up comedian in some of London’s finer comedy clubs. We can’t believe it either.
Tell us a secret: Rebecca thinks Ramsey would make an excellent ping-pong player if not for a crippling lack of skill.
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Rebecca Simmonds
Managing Director
Rebecca’s blessed arrival at Head in 2008 had an immediate impact on winning new business and raising the company performance bar. We unanimously blame our ever-increasing standards on Rebecca’s unyielding dedication to encouraging excellence and perfection. When she’s not planning pitches and negotiating contracts Rebecca devotes a copious amount of time working directly with clients, ensuring a fluent delivery of commercially successful and socially significant new businesses, products and services. Before Rebecca became Head’s head honcho she helped establish the digital department of Fitch London and oversaw its expansion, building it into a hugely profitable enterprise. She also created the London office of WPP global data marketing company BLUE and worked at international advertising agency Leo Burnett, where she led relationships with clients including Proctor & Gamble. Rebecca has also worked for Stephen Jones Millinery, helping to shape their position as leaders in the fashion world.
Other verifiable truths: Rebecca has a Master’s degree in History from the University of Edinburgh and will dance to 99 Luftballons at the drop of a mixed tape.
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Paul-Jervis Heath
Head of Design
When Paul joined Head in 2009 he brought with him a vital wealth of knowledge and experience that has manifested into a large portion of the heart and soul of Head today. Besides being our design leader and go-to-guy strategist, Paul’s key role lies in acting as client partner for our clients. He works directly with our clients to help them define the vision of their projects and imbed a culture of innovation within their organisations. Paul believes, and we tend to agree, that value can be created for clients from our human-centred design approach to innovation and problem solving.
With 14 years experience helping global clients make fundamental changes through innovation, Paul has been highly influential and effective at Head in defining our process and methods, acquiring new business and planning our long-term future successes.
Before touching down at chez Head, Paul honed his innovation skills on designing digital products and services for Fortune 500 companies all over the world. He has been a guest lecturer at ESIEE (the primary technical university in France), is a sought after industry conference speaker and has chalked up some Air Miles by working throughout Europe, Canada and America.
Other verifiable truths: A bona fide multi-talent, Paul acquired his first patent when he was 21. He’s designed dashboards for a car manufacturer and has dabbled in stand-up comedy. Don’t get him started on the ancient British tradition of queueing for coffee unless you have an hour to spare. Actually, ask him while you’re in a queue.
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David Hrycyszyn
Head of Technology
From a simple Thunder Bay lad to a leader in his profession, Dave guides our technical and design teams through the vision and planning of technically driven products for our clients. He has led major development projects for Microsoft, the British Heart Foundation, Qualcomm, and Oxford University Press, among many others. He is passionate about Agile development and scalable application architectures, currently focusing on message-driven distributed applications as his main area of interest. He has a keen interest in organizations and institutions, and the interplay between social structures and software. His work has won awards including a pile of Webbies, a Eurobest and a bunch of British Interactive Media Awards.
Other verifiable truths: Dave has an extensive knowledge of Napoleonic military history and has even built his own blunderbuss. He is an accomplished guitar player and saxophonist and owns a flattering pair of performance grade lederhosen.
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Penny Andrews
Head of Project Management
Penny delights us with her down to earth pragmatic approach to project management. With over a decade of industry experience, Penny is a natural at all aspects of her role, from helping to drive our sumptuous business record to delivering multiple projects at once. Penny joined Head from advertising communications agency Penna Barkers, where she delivered award-winning websites for leading global names including McDonald’s and Dresdner Kleinwort. Prior to that, she worked at publishing company Centaur Holdings, producing commercially successful digital platforms for large brands including the Creative Review and NMA.
A natural organiser of people, ideas and pub nights, Penny is involved in shaping our planning and management processes, keeping both in focus, and ensuring they make a real difference for our clients and employees.
Other verifiable truths: Penny is a Prince2 practitioner (Prince1 is so 1989) and a certified ScrumMaster. This has nothing to do with rugby but we wish it did.
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Andy Bennett
Design Director
Impeccably dressed Andy is an award-winning and highly respected designer and digital innovator responsible for guiding the creative direction and vision of Head’s most successful endeavours. He is a believer in adopting new technologies and exploring the opportunities they create with clients and consumers. These innovative insights drove our WebCameron project, which brought great success for the Conservative Party and is widely recognised as the defining influence behind Barack Obama’s digital election campaign. Andy has laid claim to a plethora of awards while at Head including a Channel 4 Innovation Award, Webbys and BIMAs.
Despite his enthusiasm for new technology and leading projects for clients such as HTC, Electrolux and Qualcomm, Andy is happiest when he is romancing his first love – design.
Other verifiable truths: Andy was selected by International Life magazine as one of the UK’s Top 40 Creative Thinkers Of 2010. He was the first (and last) person in the office to acquire a Brompton folding bicycle and is renowned for his ‘camping’ exploits in Medal of Honor.
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Stuart Chinery
Senior Developer
Known affectionately to his coworkers as “Stu”, Stuart is a gifted developer with over a decade of experience in building robust systems, large-scale websites and applications to the highest quality. A nimble creative thinker, he can effortlessly move from front-end work to complex database challenges and his tenacious attention to best practices helps form the backbone of our technical department. Stuart’s fluency in HTML, CSS, Javascript, C# and .Net, has made him the ‘go to’ guy for our most high-profile clients including HTC and Oxford University Press. Excitable as a puppy, Stu is always experimenting with new techniques and practices; his current passion is Ruby and iOS development.
Other verifiable truths: There is debate around Stuart’s pseudonym “Sleeping Stu” as to whether it pertains to his ability to fall asleep anywhere anytime or that he hibernates for 5 months every winter.
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Alex Segrove
Project Manager
Alex has been project managing for the last 8 years specializing in bespoke technical builds. She’s successfully made the Agile project approach standard practice at Head and has become an authority on this flexible iterative technique. Alex is hitting a pretty good batting average with most of her projects gobbling up awards left, right and centre. Alex’s digital career started as a Systems Analyst working on the Oracle's PeopleSoft Enterprise System at the University of Auckland before moving to the UK to manage projects at a WPP communications agency handling accounts for Colgate, GroupM, and Pfizer. It’s worth mentioning that the Head ecosystem needs 2 things to function – oxygen and Alex. Alex takes a leading role in evolving our physical and social workspace by nurturing the culture of the team, so we all get to exist in a happy and healthy environment. She also manages a pivotal part of life at Head – The Friday Kitchen Drinks Extravaganza™.
Other verifiable truths: Alex holds a Bachelor’s degree in Fine Art and can be found flying around country lanes in her vintage mini with her beloved Bengal-Burmese cat, Lily.
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Robert McFarlane
Head Labs
After a rather hilarious period of commuting between Canada and the UK just to work at Head, Rob consummated his love of “things British” and moved to London in 2002. Since then he has created award winning and controversial content for Channel4, iTV, The British Heart Foundation, Research Machines and the Conservative Party.
He currently heads up our Labs department focussing on innovation, and creating conceptual products and services for internal development and second party partnerships. The Labs also assists clients like Electrolux by making them aware of the latest advances in digital services and finding connections in seemingly unconnected technologies so clients can think about how to incorporate them into their digital plan.
Other verifiable truths: Rob has appeared on The Graham Norton Show in his pants. He also won the MIP trophy with the Rosslyn Dynamiters Tom Thumb hockey team in 1977.
Tell us a joke: "Twitter makes you love people you’ve never met; Facebook makes you hate people you’ve known your whole life. MySpace makes you… Never mind."
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Sean Eligon
User Experience Architect
Known for his infectious energy, positivity and generally being an all-round nice guy, Sean consistently inspires his colleagues and clients alike to innovate at the early stages of the product design process. Always vigilant, like some vast flightless eagle, Sean’s fascination with design arises from a natural inclination to assess his environment and consider how it can be improved. With expertise across a range of sectors from retail to utilities, he has provided strategic advice and designed a multitude of successful products for high-profile clients looking for business growth. He has extensive experience working for an online healthcare specialist, where he explored the relationship between design and behaviour change for clients including BUPA where he turned insights into tangible product designs. Sean has also structured user journeys for international blue chip companies like Prudential.
Other verifiable truths: Sean is a connoisseur of proper sports and habanero hot sauces. In fact, he was witnessed in the office consuming a cracker covered in sauce registering 2,000,000 Scoville Heat Units. When informed it was the strength of police grade pepper spay, he wept.
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Colette McFadden
Programme Director
Colette’s integral role at Head is to steer new programmes for clients, assemble the right creative teams and select the right processes that will help our clients achieve their own unique vision.
She has a rare talent for understanding client needs and ensuring the right financial strategies are applied to each project so that what looks good on paper can actually be delivered.
Colette has over a decade of experience in digital media, including managing the interactive team at John Brown Media for five years, where she oversaw the creation of commercially successful digital platforms for brands including BSkyB and Disney. Colette’s award-winning creativity provided the concept and content strategy for the British Heart Foundation’s annual Food4Thought campaign, which won the Grand Prix Award at the NMA Effectiveness Awards in 2008.
Other verifiable truths: If you are in need of a bridge or aqueduct Colette has a degree in Structural Engineering from Queen’s University, Belfast. On a biological note, one sip of coffee will turn Colette into a something resembling a perpetually bouncing ball set loose in a mattress shop.
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Leigh Brown
Lead Visual Designer
An influential design talent with over a decade of experience in the digital industry, Leigh takes on some of Head’s most complex design projects, handling everything from visual direction to refining design details. Leigh is a conceptual thinker who came to Head to pursue his interest in human-centred design. Before joining Head, he designed corporate identities and websites for a diverse range of clients including start-ups and international blue-chip companies. Leigh believes that less is more and is an expert in the art of simplicity. His observations and insights on new visual trends are brought to the collaborative table, adding limitless imagination, combined with graphic design mastery, to every project.
Other verifiable truths: Leigh has peerless fruit stacking skills worthy of Britain’s Got Talent or some sort of tax dodging traveling circus. He is also adept at tracking down the last Bakewell tart in the office.
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Jane Gillow
Copywriter
Jane is our resident online copy specialist and editor. Having our own qualified journalist on the team definitely helps keep the quality of our content creative, fresh and professional. Having Jane as that journalist is just plain showing off.
Before joining Head, Jane was a former music writer for Hot Press and Uncut and wrote for women’s magazines Prima and Hot Stars.
When she’s not guarding the wordsmith gates Jane feverishly keeps up with the latest lifestyle trends which gives her work an unparalleled contemporary edge. Whatever client or project she deals with Jane always understands the audience and how to inspire them with her delicious words.
Other verifiable truths: Jane has a First Class Honours degree (MA) in English Literature from Edinburgh University and has recently added Office Space to her list of “movies I have watched this century”.
Tell us a secret: Jane ranks the pug as a real ‘up-and-comer’ in the dog world.
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Shelly Cawood
Lead Experience Designer
Lovely Shelly epitomises what every experience designer strives to be. She is just as passionate observing ordinary people as she is creating unique products. She has successfully led and executed scores of complex design projects for clients across a wide range of sectors, and teaches others how to do the same. Having an inherent fascination with people’s relationships with everyday things, she provides both clients and colleagues with new methods and practices that help move our design output in new directions.
With a strong background in graphic design, Shelly knows that the most simple, elegant and effective designs only come with hard work and an understanding of the end user and the world they inhabit.
Other verifiable truths: Shelly launched her first website in 1994. It wasn’t Yahoo. Shelly will wipe the floor with any man, woman or child at any video game ever.
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Alice Gilbert
Senior Project Manager
Alice originally hails from New Zealand, AKA “Australia’s Canada”, but the lure of mid-sized flightless birds couldn’t suppress her ambition to leave her homeland for the excitement of London living. As a seasoned project manager, Alice is responsible for overseeing complex projects for our most high-profile clients including BG Group and Electrolux. With more than a decade of project management experience, she has worked with multiple premium brands such as Nestlé. She has also worked as a user interface consultant, which helps Alice collaborate effortlessly with our design team on all of her projects. Always positive and energetic in her approach to leadership, she ensures her team members always have the tools they need to deliver successful results for our clients.
Other verifiable truths: Alice is the only member of the Head team to use the word “choice” over 5000 times a day. She has never been to Skegness.
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April Sinn
User Experience Designer
A lady of many talents, one of April’s special abilities lies in helping her colleagues and clients think about the emotional connections people form with the products and services they use. She has an aptitude for relating to people and helping them open up about their latent needs – tapping into real desires that are not openly displayed. April consistently puts herself in the shoes of the consumer to create experiences that speak personally to the user. She holds a Master’s degree in Human Computer Interaction with Ergonomics from UCL and a Bachelor’s degree in Computing with Internet Technologies. April is also an active member of the UK UPA (Usability Professional Association).
Other verifiable truths: A keen photographer, she is drawn to capturing people’s behaviour as well as examples of good and bad design. April is terrible at playing inner-office Nerf war despite making an excellent moving target.
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Dan Littler
User Experience Designer
Imperturbable Dan is an experience designer with an entrepreneurial spirit and an uncanny talent for discovering new research methods. Drawing on his experience of digital product research, he focuses on interviewing customers and understanding the environments where they live and work, using any insights and revelations to develop new products. Before joining Head, Dan worked as a product manager at the BBC, where he oversaw the BBC’s homepage, giving him invaluable understanding of the diversities of a worldwide audience.
Other verifiable truths: Dan has a Master’s in Computing Interaction from UCL and a Bachelor’s degree in German from Leeds University. Dan founded his own successful online community, which connects entrepreneurial individuals worldwide to work collaboratively on creative projects and turn them into exciting, non-profit ventures.
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Jenefer Yeung
User Experience Designer
Jen worked as a UX consultant for a large user research consultancy before we wooed her to join us here at Head. She has extensive experience in global and regional user research, as well as competitive analysis. Jen believes that design doesn’t always need to focus on big ideas to have impact, but instead can focus on the small details that can surprise a user and transform the whole experience. Since joining Head, Jen has carried out rigorous research projects for many of our clients and has excelled at exploring how cultural differences can affect the user experience and the implications on design.
Other verifiable truths: Jen has a Master’s in Human Computer Interaction with Ergonomics from UCL and a Bachelor’s degree in Information Management Systems. She also demonstrates expert skill at manipulating the French press in the kitchen and has an unparalleled appreciation for properly conceived coffee.
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Mairead Buchan
Front End Developer
Mairead is a brilliant developer with front-end coding mastery. Keen on new technologies, she likes to play at the intersection between design and code to produce innovative and usable websites and applications. A natural problem solver, Mairead is an authority on HTML5 and CSS3, with a particular specialism in JavaScript. She also has an in-depth understanding of accessibility and constantly pushes web browsers and mobile enhancements in new, exciting directions. Prior to joining Head, Mairead worked as an in-house front-end developer for The Legal Services Commission for five years. Her past clients include the VW Group and Royal Mail, and she has consulted with blue-chip leaders including BP and TUI Travel PLC to refine development strategies.
Other verifiable truths: Outside Head, Mairead applies her design skills to hosting creative and fun events with a group of talented friends. We have no idea what this means but it sounds intriguing.
Tell us a joke/ secret: You should never drink in a pub with a flat roof.
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Alex Kinnane
Quality Assurance Tester
Wunderkind Alex brings a passion for problem spotting to his role as Quality Assurance Tester. A keen advocate of Linux, he supports our development team in producing exceptional results for our clients through rigorous software testing, eliminating faults and taking the functionality of products to higher levels. Proficient in programming and scripting languages, including bash shell scripting, he ensures quality throughout all aspects of the development journey while offering solutions to any issues that may pop up along the way.
Other verifiable truths: Alex is responsible for maintaining our computers and internal networks – and we’ve never once heard him say, “Just switch it off and on again”. Although it is proven that this professional tip often works.
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Andrew Dowley
Project Manager
Andrew’s life, love and lady is the sea. And project management. A sailing enthusiast, Andrew has participated in competitions all over the world and we believe his boat captaining skills must have transferred to his management style - calm, considered and in safe hands.
He has previous agency experience as an award winning project and account manager, and has also spent two years at recruitment communications agency Penna Barkers, where he drove a worldwide graduate recruitment campaign for HSBC and delivered business results for the careers website of the John Lewis Partnership. A Prince2 practitioner of project management, Andrew has delivered successful results for our most high-profile clients including Electrolux and Withers.
Other verifiable truths: Andrew claims to have never heard Looking Glass’s 1972 maritime themed number one hit Brandy. So haunting.
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Duster
Mascot
Duster is a miniature wirehaired dachshund with a giant cuteness factor. Although she weighs no more than a bucket of KFC, Duster embodies all the majesty and pride of an irascible timberwolf. She can be occasionally spotted ferreting under our desks pretending to hunt or lurking in her bed pretending to sleep.
Other verifiable truths: Duster has fulfilled the dream of many people by growling at Gordon Ramsey.
Tell us a joke: “ What did the dog say when it sat on sandpaper? Ruff!”
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WE ARE HEAD
We’re the people who make digital products for your people. Distinguished by our skills, united by our ideas. We like to think we’ve assembled the best people on the planet all under one roof. Everyone at Head plays an essential role in contributing to our creative and innovative process. Find out who they are, what they do and what makes them tick.
LIFE AT HEAD
You should be able to judge the value of an agency by 2 things – the quality of its work and the diversity of its tea selection. Our work is amazing and we have over 18 varieties of tea. We pride ourselves on nurturing a passionate and creative atmosphere. We think this attitude lets our individual talents shine and makes for a stronger collective. Curious parties can find out what’s going on in-house and what we’re thinking by visiting our Journal.