My Backstory
If you want to get to know me, you should know that most people call me Fishy.
I’ve experienced a lot of highs in my life, not surprising considering my passion for flying and all things aviation. Ironically, when I was at my lowest low and grounded, I came up with the idea that eventually became the strategic practice I run today.
In 2014, I faced a cancer diagnosis. In those six months of treatment, I didn't just think about my achievements but delved into the essence of who I was. It was a soul-searching journey, unveiling what defined me, what truly mattered, and exposing obstacles to my growth—many of my own making, left unexplored until then. This process significantly reshaped how I would show up moving forward.
Ironically, despite my deep knowledge of the congruity between identity and experience in my brand-building career, I realised that I had never applied this insight to my own life. This revelation struck me, prompting a personal exploration of a concept I knew so well professionally.
My focus was on the possibilities and how I could make them a reality, and how I could make a bigger impact. That kept me going, and it inspired me to keep pushing the limits. I started to learn to fly aerobatics while still having treatment and then went on to win my first aerobatic competition just a few months after graduating from the course. The doctors thought I was nuts, but looking forward and up, not back, kept me focused on the bigger picture.
This led to my first program, Attitude for Altitude, a powerful keynote presentation that traced my personal journey from growing up in a small town in the UK where I aspired to be a blimp pilot, learning to fly at sixteen and then to a globe-trotting life filled with aviation adventures, a wild and breakneck advertising career rising to become the Chief Strategy Officer of a global ad network before running agencies across multiple countries, breaking world records, and almost breaking myself before I reached my peak.
I shared my story with thousands of people in keynote presentations and masterclasses, but all the time, I had this gut feeling that this wasn’t it; in truth, this moment in time was as much about my own evolution as much as it was about inspiring others to grow. This wasn’t the big idea I was looking for.
Today I help entrepreneurs, leaders, and teams unlock possibilities by drawing on the knowledge and expertise I have gained from starting companies, as a globally recognised strategic advisor to some of the world's most iconic brands and the discipline and rigour gained from over 30 years as a professional aviator.
The challenge, professionalism and dynamics of flight have long been a source of inspiration and a big influence on who I am and what I do and are part of what makes my approach both unique and powerful.
My passion and pursuit of aerial adventures has taken me to 21 countries. Along the way, I’ve invested a lot of time and energy into mastering many different aircraft types while exploring the opportunities and extreme challenges the sport of aviation offers. And yes, I did eventually become a blimp pilot!
Television and advertising projects, passenger flying, record-breaking flights, cutting-edge media stunts, pilot training, and adventure flights have led to epic adventures and new stories, inspiring me and many others to do things that many thought were impossible.
Each and every time I take to the sky presents different challenges and fantastic learning opportunities. Flying challenges my capabilities to learn, adapt, and push through perceived and self-created limits. There is no room for clutter, distraction, looking back or overt complexity, which perhaps is why I have no time for these things in business and life.
Some of my aviation possibilities that have become a reality include:
Commercial Pilots Licence
Youngest UK Chief Pilot
Certifying and flying the largest passenger-carrying balloon in the UK
Guinness World Record for the largest number of skydivers to exit from a balloon, the World's highest toy balloon flight and the World's highest bungee jump
1000 Skydives & 12 hours in freefall
British Skydiving Champion
Gold at NSW State Aerobatics Championships
Silver at Australian National Aerobatic Championships
…to be continued
