Digital Creative Director, Jan 2025-Present
NZME, Visual Storytelling & Audience Experience

In 2025 I stepped away from my long-standing print Creative Director role to focus on developing new ways of telling stories for digital audiences across NZME’s platforms.

Working closely with editorial and product teams, my role centres on translating complex information into clear, engaging visual experiences designed specifically for mobile and cross-platform consumption. This has included the design and prototyping of interactive tools, motion explainers and data-led visualisations that help audiences better understand fast-moving news events and specialist subject matter.

Recent projects have explored ways to make traditionally text-heavy or abstract information — such as election results, player performance analysis and long-form investigative reporting — more intuitive and accessible through audience participation, real-time data visualisation and narrative-led interaction.

In addition to leading the visual direction of these experiences, I have also been responsible for developing production-ready prototypes for integration within NZME’s CMS environment, working across Figma, HTML and motion design tools to bridge the gap between editorial concept and working digital output.

This role reflects an ongoing shift towards experience-led storytelling within the newsroom, with a particular focus on:

• mobile-first audience engagement

• interactive and participatory content

• motion-based explanation

• and the visual communication of complex ideas at scale

Creative Director, Nov 2017-Jan 2025
NZME Editorial

This role is significant step up in responsibility for me. It gives me the design lead across all of the newspapers in the NZME stable.

• I spearheaded the design department’s operations, overseeing all newspapers within the NZME portfolio.
• Assumed responsibility for design leadership across key publications, including the Herald on Sunday, Weekend Herald, weekday Herald, Herald inserted magazines, Herald Online and NZME’s regional newspapers.
• Led a comprehensive redesign and revitalisation initiative for NZME’s five regional papers: Wanganui Daily Chronicle, Northern Advocate, Rotorua Daily Post, Bay of Plenty Times and Hawkes Bay Today, resulting in enhanced visual appeal and reader engagement.
• Demonstrated exceptional project management skills, driving the successful completion of the regional newspaper redesign project within set timelines and resource allocations.
• Enhanced the Herald on Sunday through a comprehensive redesign, driving its ascent to become the nation’s premier Sunday newspaper.
• Revitalised multiple magazines, notably Canvas, Living, Reset, and Essence, through innovative design and redesign approaches.

Key Achievements:

• Orchestrated the redesign of NZME’s regional newspapers in June 2018 and the Herald on Sunday in late 2022, contributing to a refreshed visual identity and improved readership experience.
• Played a pivotal role in expanding design responsibilities to encompass a wide range of publications, positioning myself as a central figure in design leadership within NZME’s newspaper division.
• For the past few years I have been pioneering dynamic, long-form digital story telling for the New Zealand Herald using Shorthand (Shorthand is an online application used to produce captivating, multi-media stories that work across all modern browsers and devices).

Please click here to go to view my Shorthand projects.

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Art Director, 2011-Nov 2017
Herald on Sunday / Weekend Herald

I held the pivotal role of catering to the design requirements of these distinguished, multi-award-winning publications, alongside their corresponding magazines.

Within this capacity, I meticulously crafted layouts for numerous pages in both newspapers and magazines, encompassing impactful features and captivating front page designs.

Duties include

• Team leadership
• Design/redesign and layout
• Directing photographers
• Attending news/planning meetings
• Working closely with editors, journalists, graphic artists and the picture desk

Courses recently completed

• Leading teams through clarity and involvement
• Recruiting
• Managing disciplinary procedures
• Introduction to HTML and CSS HTML and CSS Front End Foundations (online code course)

Art Director, Feb-Oct 2017
Rugby News

In February 2017, I assumed the position of Art Director for Rugby News, operating as a dedicated contractor from my home office. Overseeing a prestigious, high-quality gloss magazine ranging from 100 to 140 pages in size, I conducted a comprehensive redesign initiative during my tenure.

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Design Editor, 2010-2011
Mountain Scene

Queenstown’s Mountain Scene consistently surpasses expectations in both content and design, solidifying its reputation as one of New Zealand’s premier small-scale newspapers. This distinction was unequivocally affirmed in May 2011, as we proudly clinched the Canon Award for the year’s Best Community Paper.

My role encompassed comprehensive oversight of every facet relating to the paper’s design and production.

Design Editor, 2007-2010
The National Business Review

I held the pivotal responsibility of overseeing the entirety of the company’s design requisites, a multifaceted role that entailed concurrent involvement in the weekly newspaper, lifestyle magazine, specialised publications, website, and marketing/commercial ventures.

Supervising a compact team consisting of two sub-editors and a junior designer, I adopted a deeply involved approach in crafting the design and layout for all pages, ensuring a meticulous and impactful presentation.

Graphic Artist, Design Editor – Asia, 1998-2007
Financial Times (London and Hong Kong)

I began my journey with the FT in May 1998, joining as a Graphic Artist. By August 2003, I embarked on a new chapter, relocating to Hong Kong to assume the dynamic position of Design Editor, Asia. This transition marked a significant evolution in my role within the company, with a heightened scope of responsibilities compared to my tenure in London.

In my capacity as Design Editor, Asia, I bore the crucial responsibility of overseeing all editorial design endeavors originating from the bureau. This encompassed a wide spectrum of projects, ranging from contributions to the newspaper and ft.com to the creation of distinctive special publications.

In early 2006, my path led me back to London, where I resumed my role on the Graphics Desk. This return, however, was not merely a continuation, but rather an expansion of my responsibilities. I remained deeply engaged in the development of novel products and initiatives, akin to the ones I had spearheaded during my tenure in Hong Kong.