Born and bred in the glorious town of High Wycombe, I grew up as a crazy seventies child, loving anything arty and colourful. My grandad was a passionate artist and I used to love to sit and paint with him for hours.
Throughout school, art was my favourite subject. I talked way too much and art was the only thing that kept me quiet, although I doubt my fellow students would agree.
On completing school, I went to art college where I did a 2 year GNVQ Level 3 course in Art & Design. I passed this with distinction and went on to complete a 2-year Higher National Diploma and a further 2 year BA Hons degree in Graphic Design with a 2.1 grade.
A friend of the family ran a local print business and suggested I join him for a couple of weeks' work experience. I jumped at the opportunity as I realised I needed to know printing processes if I was to pursue a successful career as a graphic designer.
During this short stint, we were out visiting a small design agency in Henley-on-Thames, and this led to my first job.
Kendall Clarke was a friendly little agency in a beautiful part of the world, close to the River Thames. My boss was as mad as a hatter. I worked for an impressive list of clients including Autobar, Eagle Star Zurich, Leapfrog, Sun Microsystems, Pretty Polly, Weight Watchers and Stringfellows (designing, not lap dancing).
After 5 years, Kendall Clarke was acquired by HPS Group in High Wycombe. We were suddenly part of something bigger, with more clients and a chance to learn more skills. I was now working on Esporta Fitness, Kia, Woburn Safari, Discovery Foods, Cushman & Wakefield, Harley Davidson and Mazda.
In my first month at HPS, I even ended up naming one of the new Mazda models. It was a limited edition Mazda MX-5 Euphonic, targeted at a younger market with its sporty look and upgraded sound system (hence the name 'Euphonic').
In 2007, HPS won the BMW Group account and virtually quadrupled in size overnight. We moved to the beautiful town of Marlow, again just a stone's throw from the River Thames. We were rapidly becoming one of the leading automotive agencies in the UK, with a client list that included BMW, MINI, Rolls-Royce, Motorrad, Porsche and McLaren.
I soon became known as the Rolls-Royce queen, after consistently winning a series of pitches for this illustrious brand. I loved the simplicity and bespoke nature of designing for Rolls-Royce, but sadly I never managed to secure one as a company car.
The work I do is a genuine labour of love, but it's always heart-warming to receive recognition for one's efforts. I'm proud to say my work at HPS Group has achieved various nominations and won two Silver awards at the Manchester Fresh Awards.
With dogs regularly in and out of the agency, it was no surprise when we pitched for the Hearing Dogs for the Deaf account. I won the pitch for its rebranding in 2011 and have continued to design brochures and help with fundraising events ever since.
My love for animals extends beyond dogs and I learnt to ride horses when I was just five years old. I used to own my own horse, but now just have two beautiful cats (Inka and Sambuca).
What else do you need to know? I'm a bit of an exercise fanatic, regularly doing pilates, walking, running, mountain biking and cross training. I am always up for new challenges, my next ultimate challenge being the monumental climb to the Kilimanjaro summit.