I trained in architecture at University College London, Harvard GSD and Cambridge University, studying with Aldo Rossi, Peter Eisenman and Daniel Libeskind. I was a Prix de Rome scholar. Whilst my core discipline is in architecture I have worked in brand creation and management for twenty years and have developed a wide range of skills including brand environments, events and experiences, strategic consultancy, graphic and product design. My passion is for integrated design, creating and communicating a bold, simple and clear idea that can sit at the heart of a business and differentiate it from its competitors.
I was a project architect on Waterloo International Terminal and the Jubilee Line Extension Project prior to being recruited by Wolff Olins to become Project Architect for the Heathrow Express project. It was as a member of the team for Heathrow Express that I became an awarded member of D&AD.
After Heathrow Express I stayed at Wolff Olins and worked on the creation of brands including Go, Orange, Channel 5 and Lloyds TSB. I stepped out of an architect's office and into brand consultancy, which has confused my architect friends ever since. 'What do you do?' is the first question at any architects' pub get together. 'Design, just like you', is the normal response.
I left Wolff Olins at the end of 1998 to start up my own design business, and subsequently ran my own businesses successfully for thirteen years working across architecture and brand development. This culminated in a three year partnership with Grimshaw Architects working on the design of new stations for Crossrail.
In April 2011 I joined the in-house brand and design agency for Hong Kong based Hutchison Whampoa Limited as Head of Architecture and a member of the senior management team. I worked globally for HWL companies on the creation and management of their brands across the health & beauty, mobile telecommuncation and ports and infrastructure sectors. As well as my role as Head of Architecture I took on the role of Client Director for Three Mobile in five countries for a year. In October 2013 I resigned from WHAM to establish my own design practice once again.
Outside of my professional career I am a Design Council and CABE enabler, and have been on the Design Review Panels for IGNITE in the North East of England, and Newham Council in London. I am interested in sustainable architectural design and I have a particular love for graphic design, illustration, fine art and photography.
I have been very fortunate in that my work has enabled me to travel widely in Europe, America, the Middle East and Far East, and I have also traveled extensively with my family. I am a PADI Advanced SCUBA diver, I enjoy running and cycling, and I have an expensive fascination with large motorbikes and classic sport cars.
Robert Wood Studio is a multi-disciplinary design practice offering skills and expertise in architecture, interiors, brand environments, cultural strategy and graphic design.
At the heart of Robert Wood Studio’s work is a profound commitment to creative thinking and making for the benefit of individuals and organisations. We engage our clients in a process of collaborative inquiry, which we undertake with a spirit of curiosity and experimentation, to create work that is thoughtful, useful and beautiful.
The studio team has worked in many countries, with clients from diverse business sectors, on work set within a variety of regulatory environments. This experience has allowed us to acquire and demonstrate a high level of expertise in the design and realisation of projects.