Jeff Conrad
Managing Director
Is Jeff Conrad psychic? We’re not sure, but he can see inside the mind of the consumer – and he knows exactly how to give them what they want. Jeff’s reputation as a branding expert is so broad that everyone wants a piece of him; he appears frequently on TV and radio and is a seasoned speaker on the global conference circuit. So, really, it was only a matter of time before he realised he needed to strike out on his own – and so The Council was born.
Previously Business Director at Red Bee Media and Head of Design at the BBC’s in-house creative division, Jeff has a long and successful track record of leading effective, award winning work. His foresight and unique knowledge of media brands, digital innovation and consumer insight has led to some pretty flashy success stories. These include the ITV network re-brand, the multi-platform re-launch of BBC Three, the now infamous launch of Dave as well as many European brands including Canal+, Red Bull, VRT, NPO, Belgacom, along with: Disney EMEA, Discovery EMEA, His global reach has rescued clients such as CCTV in China, NineX News in India, and ADMC in Abu Dhabi.
At The Council, Jeff is helping solve a much broader range of problems. Like the re-positioning and re-launching of HMV in the UK, Ireland and Canada. Helping global brands like Carlson Rezidor engage their staff.
Helping big media brands like BAFTA, M6 Groupe (France) and Yle (Finland) face the challenges of a digital future and launching a wide range of hospitality and leisure brands all over London (examples include Bounce, and the London Restaurant Festival). Jeff is a safe pair of hands.
Kevin Hill
Creative Director
If anyone lives and breathes The Council motto “Good brands make life better”, it’s Kevin.
From being lead creative on the genre busting channel Dave, to directing the creative team on Life OK, one of Star India’s most ambitious channel launches, right through to reinvigorating the high street stalwart, HMV, he’s created some amazing brands in multiple sectors around the globe.
At the heart of what Kevin does is sharp strategic insight combined with exceptional creative skill, along with a genuine love of people, a love of creative problem solving and a love of collaborating – simple as that!
CREATIVE RECOGNITION:
BAFTA – Nominated
D&AD – In Book
PROMAX BDA – World Class Award
PROMAX BDA – Awarded
MARKETING DESIGN – Awarded
EYES & EARS OF EUROPE – Awarded
EBU – Awarded
DESIGN WEEK – Awarded
NEW YORK FESTIVALS – Awarded
Sophia Pendar-Hughes
Production Director
It takes more than just Kevin’s vision to turn his genius into reality, and Sophia holds the reins to this particular wonder horse. While Kevin’s head bulges with brilliant thoughts, Sophia skilfully siphons his creative flow, making real what most of us only dream of… Like an alchemist, she’ll take an ordinary budget and spin from it pure branding gold.
We’re not saying she’s got magic powers but… well, Dave’s phenomenal success benefited not little from her magic wand. Sophia’s skill lies in taking a scribble on a napkin, extracting a passing thought – plucking your thoughts from the very air – to weave a dream you could have sworn had been solid all along. She’ll offer creatively constructive input while running a reassuringly airtight schedule so you know you won’t blow the budget. Sophia knows how to keep the show on the road – and she’s not scared to crack the whip.
Prior to joining Red Bee Media in August 2009, Sophia enjoyed a successful eight-year freelance career. She began her career working on commercials before joining the broadcast design production team at English & Pockett in 1997.
Here she produced identity packages for clients such as Discovery, ESPN, the ITV Network & British Airways and filmed in Asia, the United States Europe and the UK. She’s worked extensively with analogue and digital formats, live-action, 2D and 3D animation, high-end and desktop graphics solutions, with budgets ranging from £5,000 to £4 million. Sophia’s recent identity projects include work for BBC Three, the redesign of the nine-channel UKTV portfolio and the multi-award-winning launch of Dave.
Eva Keogan
Social Media Consultant
Eva has worked at director level, defining social media communications strategies with some of the UK’s best loved brands including hmv and lastminute.com, devising company-wide social media programmes as well as creative campaigns. Eva has a deep understanding of brand communications, especially in lifestyle, hospitality, travel and entertainment sectors.
With a strong communications background she is always at the juncture of communications and technology and believes social media is the biggest catalyst for change since the invention of the printing press. Eva runs social media skills development for businesses and has set up the hyper local social media driven community ShopChiswick. Showcasing transformative social media, through community management, pop up training and guerrilla events, ShopChiswick is generating excitement among consumers while helping businesses to market themselves in new and innovative ways. Surely proof enough that social media is the way forward?
Oliver Vicars-Harris
Digital Consultant
Oliver has more than twenty years experience of working on ground-breaking digital projects and he is passionate about connecting audiences to culture. He started his career championing digital access to art through initiatives such as the Bafta award winning Tate Online and has worked at Director level in a number of leading arts organisations. Oliver’s past projects have involved many of the major UK museums and performance venues, including Tate, V&A, BFI, Museum of London, Wellcome Collection, Lyric Hammersmith, Bush Theatre, Tricycle Theatre and Roundhouse. He specialises in strategic problem solving, assisting clear communication and creative innovation through effective use of multi-platform media to promote content and brand.
Jo Addison
Associate Director Marketing Communications and Employee Engagement
Jo has spent the last 20 years working in marketing and communications in the private, public and education sectors. She holds a CIM Diploma in Marketing and a CAM Certificate in Public Relations. She has led global re-brands for high profile third sector organisations such as VSO and Victim Support, and developed and delivered marketing communications strategies for major international organisations. Jo has won four prestigious awards for excellence in education marketing. She concentrates on brand, public relations, change comms, broader communications strategy and development specifically for not for profits.