BM Mentors

The Mentors

Stuart Avery

Stuart Avery is co-founder and managing director of digital agency e3.

Stuart co-founded e3 in Bristol after graduating from UWE in 1997. Since then he has overseen e3's development from a start-up to one of the UK's leading digital agencies (named Digital Agency of the Year” 2009/10) with a team of 50 working across Bristol and London studios.

In 1999, Stuart and a small team of entrepreneurs started the first regional internet incubator, offering VC finance and executive support to a variety of internet start-ups and dot coms.

Since those early days, Stuart has diversified his business interests, co founding Goldbrick house, an award winning Bristol café, champagne bar, and 150 seater restaurant and was named “Bristol Business Person Of The Year” in 2007.

Stuart has been an advisor, executive and non-exec director of multiple offline and digital businesses. He is a visiting lecturer at Bristol University speaking on a variety of subjects including entrepreneurship and business start-up.

Stuart is a self confessed geek, lover of all things digital, Liverpool fan and Twitter addict. He has a dog named Molly and two goldfish named Stevie and Fernando.

Fraser Bradshaw

Fraser Bradshaw is Managing Director of McCann Erickson in Bristol and a Board Director of the McCann Erickson Central Group, with offices in Bristol, Birmingham, Dublin and London.

Fraser has a strong strategic background and was formerly Head of Planning for McCann Erickson in Bristol. He established McCann-i as a digital division in Bristol six years ago and developed the agency’s digital offering across the Bristol and Birmingham sites, now forming part of the EMEA digital network within McCann World Group. The agency has grown significantly as an integrated business and was named Regional Agency of the Year and is currently Agency Network of the Year.

A marketing graduate, Fraser started his career with ICI in 1987 and moved agency side in 1990. Fraser has extensive experience of working within owner-managed agencies, as well as network agencies. Having worked for twenty years in account management and in planning, he has very real and direct experience to draw on. In addition, with experience in managing agency P&L and developing new business, Fraser is willing to advise any of the members wherever possible. He is proud to be a Board Director of Bristol Media and to represent the interests of agency business within the regions.

Darren Clare

Darren Clare is Managing Director of Stratton Craig Ltd and Create Marketing Ltd and has other business interests.

Having studied for a BA in Business at Bristol and before setting up Create he developed his career in Sales and Business Development and was previously Head of Sales and Business Development for Swatch UK, BT and Philips Consumer Electronics.

Create was started in 2008 the and now turns over in excess of £1m per annum – this has been achieved through a concentrated focus on business development and client services. The company also provides extensive Business Development and Brand building services to its clients.

Clients include Sky, BMI, Nuffield, Cabletime, Impey and The FA

He is passionate about creating tangible capital value for his clients and believes that the current economic climate will see the rise in importance of Sales and Selling in all sectors of business.

John Durrant

John Durrant is a multiple award winning Designer, Director and BDH Company Director at BDH / Burrell Durrant Hifle Design & Direction.

BDH are a BAFTA, D&AD, Royal Television Society Awarded company with Grammy and Emmy nominated work.

John directs commercials, graphics and documentary projects and brand management design work. Work can involve live action direction, art direction, scripting, editing, animation, storyboarding, ideas, managing design teams and running a small business.

TV design work ranges from Top Gear and BBC 2 Idents, to blue-chip Natural History series and factual documentaries like Seven Ages of Rock, British Style Genius and the more recent fast paced The Noughties: A History of Now.

Personal highlights of John’s career include directing the documentary series Predictions for the BBC, a Grammy nominated documentary film for the band Coldplay / EMI Music and commercials for Sony Playstation and The Guardian. Work that can be seen on www.bdh.net

John has been a BAFTA judge, an Ambassador for the RTS, and a (former) panellist and advisor for Wildscreen.

Previously John was Head of Department and Design Manager at the BBC and founded BDH Design 15 years ago.

John is a fan of innovative radical live theatre, pervasive media, Tumblr, Twitter and his two teenage children.

Mark Fielder

Mark Fielder is managing director of Quickfire Media, Bristol-based TV, DVD and web-based production company. He worked at the BBC and Granada as a series producer and executive producer before founding Quickfire in 2003. Twice BAFTA nominated, he specialises in making current affairs, history, science and documentary projects for major UK and international channels. Quickfire has produced BBC1 series such as the Last Tommy, internationally-screened history documentaries such as The Wave that Destroyed Atlantis, and 90’ dramas such as In love with Barbara. Recently the company has diversified into producing high-quality, narrative driven films for major charities such as the Royal National Lifeboat Institution and Guide Dogs for the Blind. The company is also developing web-based products with DVD sales potential, and is currently producing a film about the Arabian Nights presented by Richard E Grant.

Gina Fucci

Gina Fucci is Managing Director of Films at 59, one of the South West’s leading post-production companies. Twice nominated for Broadcast Award’s Best UK Post Production House, Films at 59 specialise in supplying technology to video and film-makers throughout the world.

Gina came to the UK from America in 1988, after gaining a Bachelor of Science degree in Communications from Cornell University (USA) – studying in Manchester University (England) for her junior year. She joined Films at 59 in 1989 and, in 1994 her considerable experience and knowledge of the media industry, on both sides of the Atlantic, made her a natural choice to join Jeanne Thomson as a company director.

Gina’s passion for the film and television industry, together with her enthusiasm and dedication to the day to day running of the company, has greatly assisted its expansion into sites at ITV, Bath Road and Cotham Hill. Over the last 20 years, the company has tripled in size, whilst holding onto its core values: “clients, quality, expertise handled with care and respect”.

The company now owns over 40 cameras (most Standard and High definition formats), runs over 40 x editing suites and 7 x Dolby Surround sound dubbing theatres and is building a strong reputation in 3D production support and post production.

"People are our business. We are focused on the needs of our customers, the information they require to do their jobs well and the systems that need to be in place to make projects run smoothly."

Caroline Hagen

Caroline co-founded Reach in 1998, since when the company has grown to 17 people with a £1.25m fee turnover.

She spent the 80s working in the “golden age” of design and advertising in London with the likes of Terence Conran, returning to her family roots in Bristol in 1995 having spent the early 90s working at Brandhouse.

Reach was launched as a packaging and branding consultancy, a specialism it retains today. However, over the 11 years of the company’s life Caroline has steered Reach to a more strategic consultancy positioning. This has involved negotiating the buyout of her original business partner; developing a new management team; creating a unique process to support the strategic positioning; re-structuring, recruiting and training the rest of the client service, design and support teams.

Reach currently undertakes strategic projects for multi-nationals such as General Mills (both UK, US and Geneva offices), Reckitt Benckiser and Mars confectionary; larger companies closer to home such as The Royal Mint and Wickes; as well as start up businesses.

Caroline’s current responsibilities are as managing director, as well as to drive new business for the company and deliver excellence in client service.

Ben Heald

Ben Heald is the CEO of digital media experts Sift. Sift has 110 staff, is based in Bristol and had revenues in 2009 of £7m.

Ben was one of the founders of Sift in 1996. He launched AccountingWEB in May 1997, which is now one of the largest online professional publishing businesses in the UK. He also took responsibility for the subsequent launch of AccountingWEB US, BusinessZone, TrainingZone and TravelMole; all similar online publishing businesses. He acted as the first editor, then Community Director of AccountingWEB, then Director of Communities for Sift. He also took the lead in raising Sift's two rounds of external finance in 1999 and 2000. In 1999 he formed PracticeWEB, Sift’s Software as a Service (SaaS) business for the UK accountancy market. He was appointed CEO of Sift in September 2002.

Having studied psychology at Bristol University, Ben trained as an accountant with KPMG, spending six years in their London office, and then 3 years running his own accounting and consulting practice.

His fourteen years at Sift has given him a wide range of experience building and launching products within the technical sector and running online businesses. He is a regular speaker at industry events on online business.

He is married with two children and lives in Bristol.

Felicity Kelly

Felicity Kelly is Managing Director of Duttons Design, a brand led design agency.

Felicity is an entrepreneur at heart, having been Owner/Director of three successful agencies. She has first hand experience of the many ups and downs of owner managed businesses: start up, growth, consolidation, crisis, acquisition and sale – and has the scars to prove it!

An Economics graduate from UCL, she started her marketing career client-side, at British Airways, before making the move into consultancy, joining brand consultancy Brand Union (then Enterprise IG) as a senior consultant, specialising in Brand Identity and Corporate Change programmes.

A few years later Felicity jumped off the career ladder, setting up her own agency at 29 and making the Design Week Top Thirty within four years. Following a strategic merger and four years of rapid growth the combined company was eventually sold to the WPP Group, and she retired to the calm of the Somerset levels. After a breather, she joined Dutton Merrifield as caretaker Managing Director in 2004, went through a sale, short lived merger, and subsequent management buy out, to form Duttons in January 2008.

Duttons is one of the South West’s leading brand agencies, a new start-up, but with a 20 year track record of effectiveness. The company is run by an experienced team of Directors, and we’re always delighted to pass on the lessons we’ve learned - from our mistakes as much as our successes.

Mark Mason

Mark’s background is firmly entrenched in technology marketing. He set up and ran the digital marketing agency, Mason Zimbler, which specialised in working with technology companies such as Microsoft, Toshiba, Google, EMC, Seagate and SAS. Mark sold Mason Zimbler to Harte-Hanks, a large US Marketing Services company, in January 2008. At this time it was clear to Mark that the smartphone market was going to become one of the fastest growing marketing sectors over the next decade. In late 2008 he set up Mubaloo to offer businesses strategic consultancy in mobile, as well as developing smartphone applications for their businesses. Mubaloo currently works for The AA, AXA Insurance, Experian, Sophos and William Hill. Mark is also heavily involved with the Prince’s Trust and does non-executive consultancy for several marketing agencies.

Mark is 44 but looks way younger!

Ian Noble

Ian began his career in media sales in London working for leading Business Magazine publisher VNU before commencing a career defining 4 year stint at The Guardian. On his return from a year travelling he moved West and undertook a number of business development roles at high profile Direct Marketing Agencies including Colleagues and DMP.

He moved to BCLO and was appointed MD as the business set about a 5 year strategy to deliver a trade sale. This was achieved in 2005 as BCLO was merged into Bray Leino. Ian remained as part of the Senior Management Team as Bray Leino became part of Aim listed Mission Marketing Group.

Ian qualified as a Coach/Mentor through the CIPD in 2007 and is currently Managing Director of Bray Leino Bristol. As well as his financial, management and personnel responsibilities Ian is ‘Project Director’ on two of the agencies leading accounts; WIRSPA (West Indies Rum & Spirit Producers Association) and Census 2011.

Roger Proctor

Roger founded Proctor & Stevenson in 1979, just before graduating in Graphics at Bristol Polytechnic. Other companies in the group now include Proctor & Stevenson International and Intimis.

Roger specialises in brand definition and building, alongside communication and campaign planning.

Proctor & Stevenson have an international client list across a broad spectrum of industries, from IT and financial services to engineering and the professions. Current clients include AXA, Panasonic, South West RDA, BMW and Mini, Open University, Eurogeographics, Xenel and Kcom. Projects cover corporate and product branding, marketing communications and direct marketing, both online and offline.

Proctor & Stevenson has also developed a patented one to one direct marketing solution, Intimis. It has won the national CRM award for best campaign and in 2008 B2B Marketing Magazine New Product of the Year.

Roger is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts and the Chartered Society of Designers, and is Chair of the South West Design Forum.

Recently he was awarded an Honorary Degree by the University of the West of England in recognition of his services to and the promotion of the design industry in the South West of England and his ongoing commitment to design education.

David Sproxton

Executive Chairman/Founder Aardman Animations Ltd
David is the co-founder and Executive Chairman of Aardman. Together with co-founder Peter Lord, he has overseen the development of the company from a two- man partnership to one of the pre-eminent animation houses in the industry. David has served as a producer, director or cinematographer on a number of animated projects at Aardman.

In 1972, Sproxton and Lord formed Aardman. Their first professional creation was the character Morph, who went on to star in the BBC series The Amazing Adventures of Morph. During this period, the duo made two short animated films, Down and Out and Confessions of a Foyer Girl, to which they applied the groundbreaking technique of using recorded conversations “Vox pop” of real people as the basis for the script. “Vox pop” was also utilized in Aardman’s Lip Synch series for Channel 4 which included Nick Park’s Oscar®-winning short Creature Comforts.

David co-produced Aardman’s first feature film Chicken Run (2000), the Wallace and Gromit feature The Curse of the Wererabbit (2005), and the CGI feature Flushed Away (2006), made in association with DreamWorks. David is currently involved in the development of further feature films in association with Sony Pictures. He is also involved in the many TV projects the studio is developing.

David Sproxton spent 9 years on the board of the Bristol Old Vic Theatre Trust and three years on the Board of the UK Film Council.  He is now chairman of Encounters Festivals (Bristol’s celebration of the Short film) and a board member of At-Bristol and the National Film Television School.

In 2006, Aardman’s 30th year, David and Peter Lord celebrated being awarded CBEs in the Queen’s Birthday Honours list.

Niki Webb

Niki Webb is CEO of Specialist - a content and publishing company, part of the Omicom group, the largest media company in the world.

Niki ensures the smooth running of the business with insightful and inspiring thinking at all levels of the editorial, design, online and magazine production.

Prior to Specialist Niki was agency-building in London. At Redwood she was both Executive Publishing Director and MD of RedCat, the in-house catalogue branding agency.

Niki is a publisher, a practitioner of content and customer engagement - she has worked with consumer and business brands including; (B2B) Reuters, Sage, The Co-operative Group, npower and Government. (B2C) M&S, Laura Ashley, Boots, Specsavers, BMW, Peugeot and UBS.

She has other business interests including digital and property and sits on the board of the APA.