Nov 2022 – Present · 3 yrs 4 mos

• BLINK Strategic Advisor
• I help agency founders grow by providing strategic direction, ongoing advice, and some much-needed accountability. We take a proven and comprehensive approach, advising on everything from proposition and positioning, marketing, new business and client development, to talent and operational tuning—turning ambition into a realistic, achievable plan for growth.
• Emma’s 28-year career working in agencies, leading in-house creative teams and as an entrepreneur, has given her a unique lens on the business of creativity and growth. In 2013 she launched creative agency Hands Down!® providing strategic brand design for future-focused tech brands, from high-growth start-ups to giants like Google, Snapchat and Silicon Valley Bank. It was also one of the first in the UK to become BCorp.
• As if being a Creative Expert In Residence at the King's College Entrepreneurial Institute and a Designer in Residence at Imperial College London’s Enterprise Lab wasn’t enough, Emma is also the brains behind the Inside Out Awards™ Europe’s only awards for in-house creative teams.
• Emma has advised over 120 start-up ventures, from vegan ice cream to AI, helping them leverage design, creativity and branding to achieve success.

Sep 2022 – Present · 3 yrs 6 mos

• Highly experienced brand advisor and ex-agency founder who has worked with brands such as Google and Snap. Creative Expert in Residence at King’s College, London. Emma knows how to ensure a brand drives the business objectives.

Aug 2018 – Present · 7 yrs 7 mos · London

• Supporting and advising the next generation of innovators and entrepreneurs on design, branding and effective communication.

Sep 2017 – Present · 8 yrs 6 mos · London, United Kingdom

• Advising the King's 20 Ventures at the King’s Entrepreneurship Institute on brand design, design strategy, visual storytelling and creative execution.
• "A master of the branding arts! Emma worked with my co-founder and I to build the foundations for our sports wear brand (www.hard-yards.com) that we are incredibly proud of. Emma is very skilful at communicating complex branding/design theory in a way that was accessible and most importantly practicable for James and I as novices I this area. Emma very much took on the role of our guide in this process, allowing us to lead the development which certainly shines through in the final result. I can't recommend Emma highly enough to anyone looking for similar support!" Harry Carr
• "Emma is a genuine supporter and mentor within the startup space. I met her through Kings20, and has since been inspired and empowered by her work. She single-handedly was able to help us craft our marketing, branding, and communication at Musemio, which helped us gain traction, partners, and grant development. But more importantly, she is able to meet you where you are and push you to the next level in your startup journey." Kaitlin Fritz

Jan 2017 – Mar 2020 · 3 yrs 2 mos · London, United Kingdom

• The Badass Women's Hour is an award winning radio show and podcast reflecting the conversations women have over drinks or across the dinner table.
• As friends we knew these conversations were happening but we didn't see them reflected in the media, so we set out to change that. We want to share insight, opinions and lessons-learnt with as many women as we can (and some men too), bringing a bit of Badass to their daily lives.

Jun 2016 – Jan 2023 · 6 yrs 7 mos · London, United Kingdom

Jan 2015 – Jan 2016 · 1 yr · London

• When it comes to trying new things and being professionally or personally vulnerable, we often prefer to know that there are others on that journey with us - it feels somehow safer and enables us to be more bold and brave. A Herd To Run With is a sociable ‘herd’ where people interested in creating better and new ways of working, can come together to share, collaborate and redesign work as we know it to make it better – for everyone.

Nov 2014 – Dec 2017 · 3 yrs 1 mo · London, United Kingdom

• A curated global network of entrepreneurs built on collaboration. Founded in 2014 by entrepreneurs Emma Sexton and Megan Thomas with the vision of a world where business is done entirely collaboratively, where giving and taking is equal, where people don’t seek to compete and there is room for all.

Jan 2013 – Present · 13 yrs 2 mos · London, United Kingdom

• Join the professional home for in-house creative leaders.
• Creating a space for the latest thinking, deep insights and diverse perspectives on in-house creative leadership. Learn from other successful in-house creative leaders and the industry experts working alongside them.
• Membership | Awards | Training | Jobs Board
• www.theinsideout.community
• “Being part of the Inside Out Community is vital in many levels, but simply connecting with like minded folk who all share your passion, your pain and your value on gathering valuable insights and experiences is the reason I came in the first place”
• Andy Huns, Head of Creative Services, Chelsea FC
• “It’s been great learning from peers and other senior leaders in the field. Sharing challenges and learnings with the community has been essential to my own professional development.”
• Harshil Varsani, Head of Creative, TotallyMoney
• “Breakfast Club - I am your biggest fan! With a bunch of super smart and interesting in-house leaders providing each other with peer to peer support, the conversation and advice is second to none. I have seen the immediate added value the sessions bring to me, and subsequently my team.  I am so happy to have discovered this wonderful community.”
• Emma Baines, Global Head of Creative, Tony's Chocolonely
• I created the awards in 2013 after being so frustrated at the lack of representation and opportunities to celebrate the in-house creative teams I had been leading before I set up my own agency.
• Fast forward ten years later and we accidentally built a wonderful, highly collaborative and engaged community of house creative leaders at some top brands such as LEGO, what3words, Waitrose & Partners, Deliveroo, Gymshark, Shelter, Gousto, PwC, to name just a handful.
• I am seeing some tectonic shifts happening in business and branding. I am betting my money on in-house creative leaders finally getting design and creativity into the board room.

Jan 2013 – Present · 13 yrs 2 mos

• I 'sunset' the business in June 2022 (have a listen to the Secret Leaders Podcast for the full story), Formally a remote first strategic B2B brand design agency and one of the first creative agency in the UK to become a BCorp. Some of our clients included Google, Snapchat, and Silicon Valley Bank.
• 👏 One of the first BCorp creative agencies in the UK (certified in 2020)
• 👏 One of the only pre-pandemic remote first agencies in the UK (built that way from 2013)
• “Conversations with Emma are exciting and energising. While her experience and insights are razor-sharp it is her ability to practically apply them to different problems, organisations and people which is most remarkable. If you need a nudge (or something more substantial) to focus your activities or clear the fog of uncertainty that surrounds creative and entrepreneurial endeavours there's no one else I'd want to talk to.” Devraj Joshi
• “Emma is a phenomenal entrepreneur, bad ass, visionary, branding genius and much more. She built a fully remote agency before such a thing existed. She is a top class design thinker and strategist and one of the smartest, commercial people I know.” Crystal Eisinger

Oct 2011 – Dec 2012 · 1 yr 2 mos · London

• Strategically leading the design team, developing their capabilities and ensuring they became an inspiration within the business. Enabling the team to grow from 3 to 13 with in 12 months with the capability to deliver globally.
• Whilst heading up the design team I led the Creative Direction of the Mind Gym's new brand identity and ensuring the internal design team played a key part in the concept development and final execution of all materials.

Aug 2010 – Oct 2011 · 1 yr 2 mos · London, United Kingdom

• Head of Expression at Added Value, WPP’s leading and most established Brand development and Insight consultancy. The source of Marketing Inspiration. I headed up the creative team of five enabling them to deliver great creative impact and inspire a more creative culture. The team became the catalysts for creativity in the business, increasing their pitch conversion rate by 25%, and kickstarting an internal initiative that was rolled out to all the global offices.

Jan 2010 – Oct 2012 · 2 yrs 9 mos · London, United Kingdom

• Opnuu was a business idea born after two friends said "wouldn't it be great if we could share our wardrobes with our friends online". I was involved in the start up team and came up with the name and logo. Opnuu was closed down in October 2012 due to lack of funding.

May 2007 – Dec 2014 · 7 yrs 7 mos

• SheSays is an award-winning global organisation running free mentorship and networking events to over 3000 women in the creative business. Why? Because we want to see more women at the top. And since we are all about doing we also offer courses, career management and a collaboration platform called shout.

Jan 2007 – Aug 2010 · 3 yrs 7 mos

• Over my four years at Lexis PR I successfully transformed their in-house design team into Exo - a highly profitable integrated design agency.
• I increased turnover by 143% and profit by 40% by generating an external client base. I leave behind a team that still has the potential to go on achieving much more.

Aug 2006 – Jan 2007 · 5 mos

Jan 2002 – Jan 2006 · 4 yrs

Jan 2000 – Jan 2001 · 1 yr