London.
Our main office hub is in King’s Cross, London. We are part of the vibrant HKX community; all of Havas Group’s creative agencies together in one building, united by a shared creative philosophy to create meaningful brands and brand experiences.
FIND OUT MORE:
01. Meet the team
02. Latest work
03. Our global locations
Meet the team.
Thom Newton
CEO
Thom is responsible for the overall leadership of Conran Design Group across all of our regional operations; UK, US and India. He works closely with both clients and internal teams and provides brand and communications advice at leadership level on key global accounts.
Thom works with our clients to ensure their business objectives are met through the implementation of effective brand strategy. He led the recent global rebrand of Reckitt, the launch, renaming and repositioning of Clario and a range of other client assignments across multiple business sectors.
Thom is inspired by the transformative effect that great design can have on business and society and is focused on continuing the growth and development of Conran to attract great talent, build an open, empowering and supportive culture and deliver world class brand and design work.
Thom works with our clients to ensure their business objectives are met through the implementation of effective brand strategy. He led the recent global rebrand of Reckitt, the launch, renaming and repositioning of Clario and a range of other client assignments across multiple business sectors.
Thom is inspired by the transformative effect that great design can have on business and society and is focused on continuing the growth and development of Conran to attract great talent, build an open, empowering and supportive culture and deliver world class brand and design work.
Lee Hoddy
Executive Creative Director
Responsible for creative standards at Conran, Lee is passionate about solving problems through powerful, communication-driven design. He has held the role of design and creative director at many of the UK’s leading branding agencies including Brand Union, Bamber Forsyth and Fitch.
Lee has extensive experience across a broad range of design disciplines, enabling him to inspire and build a multi-disciplinary team of designers to maintain the highest levels of creativity across the agency. More recently Lee has led the creative team to deliver major rebranding programmes for clients such as Reckitt, Danone and Clario.
Lee believes that the best brands are created through a close working partnership with clients – fostering a collaborative approach that delivers authentic creative ideas that are strategically grounded, encourage participation and make a meaningful difference to people's lives.
Lee has extensive experience across a broad range of design disciplines, enabling him to inspire and build a multi-disciplinary team of designers to maintain the highest levels of creativity across the agency. More recently Lee has led the creative team to deliver major rebranding programmes for clients such as Reckitt, Danone and Clario.
Lee believes that the best brands are created through a close working partnership with clients – fostering a collaborative approach that delivers authentic creative ideas that are strategically grounded, encourage participation and make a meaningful difference to people's lives.
Victoria Wright
Business Director
Victoria is responsible for making sure our clients' brand objectives are met, developing approaches for the implementation of strategy and creative that align to their budgetary and timing considerations. As a leader of our client services team, she makes sure we deliver with a proactive and collaborative approach.
Since joining Conran in 2009 Victoria has played a key role in the creation and management of our in-house design team at Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer, brand creation and support for Phoenix Group, annual and sustainability reports, and the repositioning and rebrand of Railsbank.
Victoria is passionate about delivering world class work for our clients and is a strong believer in the power that positive and open collaboration has to deliver both positive results for clients, and a rewarding and empowering experience for our people.
Since joining Conran in 2009 Victoria has played a key role in the creation and management of our in-house design team at Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer, brand creation and support for Phoenix Group, annual and sustainability reports, and the repositioning and rebrand of Railsbank.
Victoria is passionate about delivering world class work for our clients and is a strong believer in the power that positive and open collaboration has to deliver both positive results for clients, and a rewarding and empowering experience for our people.
Elena Zayakova
Sustainability Lead
Elena leads the sustainability offer at Conran, working with our team and clients to unpack the complexities around the rapidly evolving sustainability and ESG agenda, shaping strategic direction and delivering impactful communications.
Elena has worked with a number of clients including Phoenix Group and Spectris on their net zero and TCFD communication plans, development of the visual identity and narrative for the Spirax-Sarco Engineering sustainability strategy, and has provided insight across a wide range of ESG publications for FTSE100 clients.
Sustainability poses enormous questions to us all and choices we need to make as a society, Elena is inspired by the transformative power and potential of creativity and design to help solve these challenges and make a meaningful difference to the way we live, think, act, and communicate.
Elena has worked with a number of clients including Phoenix Group and Spectris on their net zero and TCFD communication plans, development of the visual identity and narrative for the Spirax-Sarco Engineering sustainability strategy, and has provided insight across a wide range of ESG publications for FTSE100 clients.
Sustainability poses enormous questions to us all and choices we need to make as a society, Elena is inspired by the transformative power and potential of creativity and design to help solve these challenges and make a meaningful difference to the way we live, think, act, and communicate.
James March
Category Director, Health
A healthcare brand, strategy and communications specialist, James is responsible for managing our Conran Design Group healthcare unit.
James has 20 years experience working client and agency side. His background is a mixture of brand, advertising, digital and PR, with a track record of growing health brands. James has extensive experience working with GSK, Sanofi, Pfizer, Novartis, AbbVie, J&J, ViiV, Gilead, AZ, Teva, BI, Unilever and Reckitt, amongst others.
James is inspired by the transformative role that great design can play in healthcare.
James has 20 years experience working client and agency side. His background is a mixture of brand, advertising, digital and PR, with a track record of growing health brands. James has extensive experience working with GSK, Sanofi, Pfizer, Novartis, AbbVie, J&J, ViiV, Gilead, AZ, Teva, BI, Unilever and Reckitt, amongst others.
James is inspired by the transformative role that great design can play in healthcare.
Maren Steffens
Creative Director
Maren is a conceptual thinker and a creative leader helping brands to transform on a global and local scale as well as launching new products through innovative, strategic design solutions.
Maren works with clients to make sure their objectives are met through effective, strategic design thinking. She leads the global rebrand and portfolio harmonisations of various high-profile brands such as Danone, Nutricia, Teva and Sandoz alongside other international high profile clients.
Maren has a passion for brands and storytelling through innovative design thinking. With an eye for design excellence, her pragmatic approach ensures the delivery of effective outcomes. She also enjoys inspiring and nurturing diverse talent to their next level of growth.
Maren works with clients to make sure their objectives are met through effective, strategic design thinking. She leads the global rebrand and portfolio harmonisations of various high-profile brands such as Danone, Nutricia, Teva and Sandoz alongside other international high profile clients.
Maren has a passion for brands and storytelling through innovative design thinking. With an eye for design excellence, her pragmatic approach ensures the delivery of effective outcomes. She also enjoys inspiring and nurturing diverse talent to their next level of growth.
Ian Howlett
Head of Digital
Ian is responsible for both managing key client relationships within Conran Design Group, as well as defining digital strategy for all of our clients, drawing on his 20+ years of experience of managing and developing digital agencies.
Ian is a highly experienced brand and digital professional with experience across a broad range of sectors including financial services, publishing, media, charity and corporate. Ian leads our relationship with key clients such as Shell, Coca-Cola Europacific Partners and Tesco.
Ian is inspired by the opportunity to combine design and technology to deliver outstanding brand experiences for audiences that result in measurable change.
Ian is a highly experienced brand and digital professional with experience across a broad range of sectors including financial services, publishing, media, charity and corporate. Ian leads our relationship with key clients such as Shell, Coca-Cola Europacific Partners and Tesco.
Ian is inspired by the opportunity to combine design and technology to deliver outstanding brand experiences for audiences that result in measurable change.
Gauri Mahtani
Strategy Director
Gauri is responsible for providing strategic insight and advice to clients, helping them to develop clear brand positions and deliver compelling brand experiences that support business ambitions and create meaningful impact.
With over 15 years’ experience in branding, corporate communications and stakeholder engagement, Gauri enjoys injecting fresh thinking into established practices, and is constantly searching for better ways to respond to challenges old and new. She has worked with global businesses across different sectors, including Ericsson, Heineken, Pfizer and Visa.
Gauri strongly believes in the power of creativity, collaboration and co-creation to solve complex challenges. Brand, when used as a strategic business asset, can be a powerful lever for positive change, and Gauri is focused on helping her clients maximise the impact of their brands to drive both their businesses and society forward.
With over 15 years’ experience in branding, corporate communications and stakeholder engagement, Gauri enjoys injecting fresh thinking into established practices, and is constantly searching for better ways to respond to challenges old and new. She has worked with global businesses across different sectors, including Ericsson, Heineken, Pfizer and Visa.
Gauri strongly believes in the power of creativity, collaboration and co-creation to solve complex challenges. Brand, when used as a strategic business asset, can be a powerful lever for positive change, and Gauri is focused on helping her clients maximise the impact of their brands to drive both their businesses and society forward.
Kieron Molloy
Creative Director
Working across brand and communications projects, Kieron ensures our creative solutions deliver against the commercial and strategic challenges of the brief, forging strong working relationships with our clients in the process.
Kieron has recently led the creative teams on a number of high-profile projects, including a brand refresh for GSK’s investor audience; a compelling new think tank for Phoenix Group; and a campaign brand for the launch of Sport England’s radical new 10-year vision.
Kieron believes it’s important we use design to make a more meaningful connection with our audiences. Design may only be one part of the output, but it’s the fundamental driver of the piece – it sets the tone, it engages the audience on an emotional level, and it’s the key ingredient in making any experience memorable.
Kieron has recently led the creative teams on a number of high-profile projects, including a brand refresh for GSK’s investor audience; a compelling new think tank for Phoenix Group; and a campaign brand for the launch of Sport England’s radical new 10-year vision.
Kieron believes it’s important we use design to make a more meaningful connection with our audiences. Design may only be one part of the output, but it’s the fundamental driver of the piece – it sets the tone, it engages the audience on an emotional level, and it’s the key ingredient in making any experience memorable.
Karen Almeida
Head of Reporting
Karen heads up our corporate reporting practice. With over 25 years’ experience, both client and agency side, she advises companies on developing informative and engaging reporting and communications and navigating an increasingly complex regulatory framework.
Karen has worked extensively client side – she was Head of European Investor Relations at Reuters for 5 years – and agency side for leading communications consultancies. Karen has led over 200 FTSE and international annual reporting projects for clients including: Rolls-Royce, Phoenix Group, Nokia, AstraZeneca, ITV, National Grid, Croda and Shell.
Karen loves working for Conran because of the pride the agency takes in delivering thought-provoking insight, creative excellence and collaborative relationships. She enjoys working with our clients because they value our expertise, creative challenge and problem-solving approach.
Karen has worked extensively client side – she was Head of European Investor Relations at Reuters for 5 years – and agency side for leading communications consultancies. Karen has led over 200 FTSE and international annual reporting projects for clients including: Rolls-Royce, Phoenix Group, Nokia, AstraZeneca, ITV, National Grid, Croda and Shell.
Karen loves working for Conran because of the pride the agency takes in delivering thought-provoking insight, creative excellence and collaborative relationships. She enjoys working with our clients because they value our expertise, creative challenge and problem-solving approach.
Christopher Penny
Financial Controller
Chris is the financial lead at Conran, managing financial planning, reporting and controls. He supports the company in achieving its financial objectives by overseeing commercial and operational initiatives.
Chris has over 15 years’ experience in advertising and design playing a key role in the setup and operation of Conran’s in-house and dedicated client teams.
Chris is a qualified accountant who likes working in the fast-moving world of design.
Chris has over 15 years’ experience in advertising and design playing a key role in the setup and operation of Conran’s in-house and dedicated client teams.
Chris is a qualified accountant who likes working in the fast-moving world of design.
Alfie Boyle
Senior Strategist
Alfie specialises in brand planning and digital activations, working with businesses to optimise their digital channels and drive them closer to delivering on a valuable future vision.
Alfie has been working in brand and digital roles for over 10 years, across both agency and client-side positions. In that time he has worked on brand and digital communication projects for an array of B2B and consumer companies, across a diverse range of sectors including retail, fintech, FMCG and health.
Alfie has a proven track record of helping businesses find creative solutions that deliver against commercial and strategic objectives.
Alfie has been working in brand and digital roles for over 10 years, across both agency and client-side positions. In that time he has worked on brand and digital communication projects for an array of B2B and consumer companies, across a diverse range of sectors including retail, fintech, FMCG and health.
Alfie has a proven track record of helping businesses find creative solutions that deliver against commercial and strategic objectives.
Juan Pedraza
Creative Director
As Creative Director, Juan leads a multi-disciplined creative team in the generation and delivery of meaningful and impactful creative solutions for our clients. Juan has over 20 years' experience in the industry, specialising in branding and corporate communications.
A highly motivated and passionate strategic creative thinker, Juan has recently worked with clients such as Teva Pharmaceuticals, Merck, Sanofi and Coca-Cola Europacific Partners, building compelling brand identities and powerful communication solutions that effectively deliver against the strategic vision and commercial ambition of our clients.
Juan is inspired by collaboration with other creative minds, striving to challenge conventions and explore opportunities to solve problems in novel and imaginative ways. He believes this is the key to delivering creative solutions that engage and delight audiences.
A highly motivated and passionate strategic creative thinker, Juan has recently worked with clients such as Teva Pharmaceuticals, Merck, Sanofi and Coca-Cola Europacific Partners, building compelling brand identities and powerful communication solutions that effectively deliver against the strategic vision and commercial ambition of our clients.
Juan is inspired by collaboration with other creative minds, striving to challenge conventions and explore opportunities to solve problems in novel and imaginative ways. He believes this is the key to delivering creative solutions that engage and delight audiences.
Neil Matthews
Production Director
Neil is responsible for leading our production team. He supports in all areas of the business, collaborating with creative and client services teams to ensure that we are delivering the best solutions to the highest standard for our clients. He has a broad range of experience managing production teams working within the design and print industries.
Neil has a very hands-on approach and a strong command of the latest techniques in the production process. Recent work includes the implementation of rebrands such as Reckitt, Railsbank and Nykode.
Neil enjoys being part of one of the country’s leading multi-disciplinary design agencies as it affords the luxury of working on some of the world’s leading brands. The opportunity of working with such high-profile clients means that we get to work at the highest level in the industry.
Neil has a very hands-on approach and a strong command of the latest techniques in the production process. Recent work includes the implementation of rebrands such as Reckitt, Railsbank and Nykode.
Neil enjoys being part of one of the country’s leading multi-disciplinary design agencies as it affords the luxury of working on some of the world’s leading brands. The opportunity of working with such high-profile clients means that we get to work at the highest level in the industry.
Charlie Skinner
Strategy Director
Charlie is responsible for understanding the business context and brand challenges of our clients. He provides clear recommendations supported by solid insight to make sure the brand strategy supports clients' business and marketing objectives. He helps guide the branding process with planning, development and delivery of creative solutions, ensuring a consistent narrative.
As a seasoned brand strategist with a background in insight, Charlie has worked all over the world on projects involving corporate rebrand, purpose, brand architecture, positioning, naming, visual identity and messaging.
Charlie studied psychology and always enjoys getting to the heart of a brand or a company – understanding its psychology, including all the tensions and contradictions – discovering why it exists and what it really means to people. Then distilling this into a clear brand strategy which inspires creative and amplifies this out to the world.
As a seasoned brand strategist with a background in insight, Charlie has worked all over the world on projects involving corporate rebrand, purpose, brand architecture, positioning, naming, visual identity and messaging.
Charlie studied psychology and always enjoys getting to the heart of a brand or a company – understanding its psychology, including all the tensions and contradictions – discovering why it exists and what it really means to people. Then distilling this into a clear brand strategy which inspires creative and amplifies this out to the world.
Tim Parker
Strategy Director
Tim helps ensure everything we do is rooted in and guided by strategy. From the framing of challenges to the development and delivery of creative solutions. Ensuring the work creates commercial impact and drives desired business outcomes.
Tim has a background in insight and strategy, having spent over 17 years advising global brands across geographies and sectors, from Mars Petcare and Colgate Palmolive, to Warner Media, Visa and IG. He thrives on tackling thorny challenges, distilling complexity into simple narratives, and delivering impactful strategies fuelled by rich insight.
Tim enjoys working at Conran as he is constantly stimulated. He enjoys working with great people who inspire him to do work that he is proud of, adds value, and has impact.
Tim has a background in insight and strategy, having spent over 17 years advising global brands across geographies and sectors, from Mars Petcare and Colgate Palmolive, to Warner Media, Visa and IG. He thrives on tackling thorny challenges, distilling complexity into simple narratives, and delivering impactful strategies fuelled by rich insight.
Tim enjoys working at Conran as he is constantly stimulated. He enjoys working with great people who inspire him to do work that he is proud of, adds value, and has impact.
Latest work.
Reckitt
Driven by its purpose, the bold and confident new brand is a visible symbol of the next stage in the Reckitt’s transformation. It marks a significant step-change and confident forward momentum.
Phoenix Group
Supporting the launch of a new think tank ‘Phoenix Insights’, sparking debate and inspiring the action needed to tackle one of the UK’s biggest challenges – with life expectancy having risen significantly, how can we make sure longer better lives can be a reality for everyone?
TooA
Developing a brand for a revolutionary gelato technology from inception, through launch and into its exciting future.
Nykode
Introducing an impactful new name, identity and website for a game-changing biotech platform.
Our global locations.
Our business in New York is a partnership with Havas Health & You. Housed in Midtown, we partner with colleagues from across the network to create and deliver global branding and design solutions for multiple industry sectors.
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