Northern & Shell
Junior Designer
1991 to 1995 · 4 yrs
London, United Kingdom
John began his career journey in 1991 at N&S as a Junior designer. Over the next four years, he immersed himself in mastering the skills essential for a successful career in publishing. The early 1990s witnessed a significant transition from traditional design and print methods to the desktop publishing revolution, catalysed by the emergence of the Apple Macintosh computer. This period marked a revolutionary shift in the industry, offering an exciting opportunity to embrace a new approach to designing and printing publications. Within the marketing department, John collaborated with the team to craft visually compelling designs aimed at enhancing the sales, profile, and visibility of Northern & Shell's lifestyle titles. These publications include: Rock CD, Soul CD, Pop CD, Green, OK! and PC News Weekly.

Absolute Sports Publications
Art Director
1995 to 1999 · 4 years
London, United Kingdom
In 1995, John was invited to join the start-up publishing companies Absolute Sports Publications Ltd and Arena Publishing Ltd as Art Director. Initially focusing on consumer publishing, both companies later ventured into the lucrative inflight market. Here, business and first-class passengers were presented with a variety of magazines to peruse during their long-haul flights. Leading the design and print management for both companies provided John with valuable knowledge and skills, laying the foundation for his future business endeavors. Projects include: R&A Open Guide, BT Global Challenge, Classic Sports Series Guides and monthly football magazine The Game.

Arena Publishing
Art Director
1995 to 1999 · 4 years
London, United Kingdom
Projects include: Managing Your Business, Elite Pursuits, Unique, European Businessman, CIS Today, Classic Travel, and A Year in Perspective.

EMAP ELAN
Senior Marketing Designer
June 1999 to September 1999 · 4 months
London, United Kingdom
John worked for the international publishing house EMAP Elan during the summer of 1999. He contributed to prestigious magazine titles such as Elle and Elle Decoration, collaborating closely with the sales and marketing team to create advertisements and advertorials for luxury fashion and high-end furniture brands. Publications include: Red, Elle, and Elle Decoration.

TouchIine
Founder & Creative Director
August 1999 to April 2020 · 21 years
London, United Kingdom, Doha, Qatar and Abu Dhabi & Dubai, United Arab Emirates

After launching TouchIine in 1999, the company embarked on 21 years of extraordinary growth, building a solid base of blue chip clients. John led a talented team of designers across all major projects. Between 2010 and 2015, TouchIine expanded operations into Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Geneva rapidly expanding its portfolio of clients and services across sport governance, city branding and not-for-profit. For three years between 2015 and 2018, John lead business development across the Middle East securing clients across Philanthropy, healthcare and tourism delivering advisory, content and communications strategies, production and cross channel delivery. He had a pivotal role in TouchIine's launch of Philanthropy Age, which seeks to encourage and inspire planned giving and The Arab Giving Survey which was produced with YouGov and UK Aid and polls Arabs across the GCC to gauge their giving behaviours. From April 2018 to April 2020, John lead TouchIine's sustainable development and corporate responsibility division, acquiring and delivering key cross channel communications for both corporate and sports governance sectors.

Projects and clients include: Olympic Review, NADFAS Review, Rexam, British & Irish Lions Guide, BCME Can Marketing Report, ICC Cricket World Cup Guide, Saatchi & Saatchi, National Geographic Go-Green, ITV Sport Guide to the Rugby World Cup, Classic Travel, RBS 6 Nations Guide, IRB Guide to the Rugby World Cup, Cushman & Wakefield, Classic Sports Series Guides, Reader’s Digest, Climate Change - The New Economy, ERC Rugby, Hamad Medical Corporation, IRB World of Rugby, GB Airways Medlife. BT Group Connected Worlds, Philanthropy Age, Vision, Olympic Review, Expo 2020 Dubai Bid City, Transport Systems Catapult, FIE, FIS, FIVB, BCME Can Marketing Report and Skydive Dubai’s Dropzone Magazine.

Just Reports
Founder & Creative Director
October 2020 to date
Amsterdam, the Netherlands

John launched Just Reports B.V., a leading editorial and design agency based in Amsterdam, the Netherlands in 2020. We support clients including Interfood, PPDS, AOC, Philips TV and Sound, NN Bank, Booking Holdings and Liberty Global in creating clear, compelling annual, integrated, impact and sustainability reports.

Our work combines creative excellence with editorial precision, delivering reports that not only meet regulatory requirements but also engage stakeholders and celebrate achievement. Whether digital-first or in carefully selected sustainable print, our designs elevate key messages and strengthen brand credibility. With deep experience and a flexible, hands-on approach, we collaborate seamlessly with in-house teams and external consultants to bring corporate stories to life — with clarity, consistency and confidence.