Welcome Susan, Our Fab New Project Director

I worked on my first website project around 2000, for tween icon Groovy Chick! I collaborated with the designer to bring the website to life in Flash, and I even became Groovy Chick’s voice, writing her online diary and responding to the bags of fan mail that came in each week. You could say I was the real Groovy Chick!

Image copyright Cosmopolitan

After a stint at Rambert Dance Company on another Flash website, I moved agency side. I started at a couple of design agencies in Glasgow, working on packaging and advertising campaigns for brands like B&Q and various whisky labels, it was Scotland after all!

I then moved to a digital agency specialising in cinema websites, and I have been focused on digital projects ever since. You could say websites have changed quite a bit since that first Groovy Chick site!

I’ve worked on a wide range of projects with an equally wide variety of clients, across agencies that were purely digital, design-led, and even webAR-focused. I also began my career client side.

This mix of experience has taught me that no two teams or clients are the same, and that having a flexible, adaptable approach is critical to success.

For me, it’s someone who can hold both the big picture and the finer details simultaneously and isn’t afraid to get stuck in and get their hands dirty when needed.

It’s also about trust: trusting your team, earning their trust, and doing the same with your client.

Finally, I believe a great Project Director brings consistency and structure but without rigidity leaving space for creativity, change, and growth.

I like to start every client relationship by ensuring we’re aligned not just on project deliverables, but also on how we’ll work together, how often we’ll check in, how decisions will be made, and what success looks like.

I keep clients informed with regular, digestible updates and always aim to be transparent, flagging risks early and being upfront when things shift.

Ultimately, it’s about listening and tailoring my approach to each client so that we can work in partnership and succeed together.

Having worked in digital for so long, I think I’ve touched most industries at some point! But the main ones would be food and drink, cinema, charity, the arts, retail, and most recently, property.

I try to create environments where everyone on the team feels safe, respected, and supported to do their best work.

That means fostering open communication, setting clear expectations, and having regular check-ins. At the core, it’s about treating everyone as individuals, not just a resource.

That’s a tough one, but I’m going to go for Botivo, which is one of my favourite food and drinks brands. My tolerance for alcohol is sadly pretty hit and miss these days, so I’m always looking for a great alcoholic free alternative. I’ve tried a lot, but Botivo is one of the best for that post-work treat without the headache! The ingredients are all-natural, the packaging and illustration are beautiful, l and it’s a B Corp too. What’s not to love? 

It’s got to be cold water swimming. Living by the sea, I started all-year-round swimming the year before Covid made it mainstream. I love the buzz you get from even a quick dip and in times of stress it’s a sure fire way to find calm as you can’t focus on anything else other than how cold you are!

I definitely rely on wood-fired saunas to get me through the colder months, and I have been on a Wim Hoff breathing course at the University of Helsinki. Living in Saltdean, when the sea is too rough, I can also mix things up with a swim at the recently renovated modernist Saltdean Lido.

I have two eggs every morning, generally boiled or scrambled with sourdough toast, lots of salted butter, and black coffee. At the weekend, if I have a bit longer, I absolutely love Huevos Rancheros!