Putting clients first.

Hiring an agency is a big deal. Your money and reputation are on the line. We take that seriously.

That’s why we focus on what matters. Ideas. Relationships. Results. No egos. No trophy-hunting. No added nonsense. The result? Simpler, clearer, better work. And the ‘Friends’ in our name? It’s not spin, it’s how we do business.

Mr B & Friends office

Leadership team

Brand expertise is ingrained across the agency, headed by an experienced team of practitioners.

Simon Barbato Mr B

Simon Barbato

Founder & CEO

Simon’s career in the industry began in London in the early 1990’s. He cut his teeth in client service working in advertising, integrated marketing and brand consultancy before making the leap into agency ownership.

Brand planning was something that he enjoyed as he ventured into agency ownership, but he’s never lost sight of how important relationships are in business world and his M.O. of always being helpful and giving without expectation has helped to create a positive and successful culture at Mr B & Friends.

As CEO, he is ultimately responsible for the success and performance of the agency but is still delighted to roll his sleeves up and get stuck in to client projects.

Simon Barbato

Founder & CEO

Ellie Wilson

Ellie Wilson

Managing Partner

Ellie heads up the Client Services, Operations and Finance teams ensuring we balance strategic and creative excellence with commercial performance and client delight.

After spending 10 years in Client Services where she led client relationships with global brands such as Nestlé, Mondelēz and Hotpoint across a range of Branding, Comms and CSR projects she moved into the role of Operations Director at Taxi Studio. In this role she was accountable for leading high-performance teams across Project Management, HR and Operations.

With a people centric style her focus will be on creating the environment for everyone in the business to thrive as we embark on our ambitious growth plans.

Ellie Wilson

Managing Partner

Liam Smith

Associate Planning Director

With over a decade in brand and communication agencies, Liam’s remit is to develop brand, campaign and comms strategies that solve our clients’ problems.

From developing brand strategies to building integrated campaign plans, at the heart of his approach is ensuring a deep understanding of the target audience and what our clients are looking to achieve. Liam’s background is varied, working across both B2B and B2C brands including Microsoft, Vodafone, IBM, Canada Life, Ultraleap, Principality Building Society and IHG.

Liam Smith

Associate Planning Director

Kate Gorringe Mr B

Kate Gorringe

Executive Creative Director

Kate has managed the creative team at Mr B & Friends since 2014, and from 2017-2021 sat on the Board of Bristol Creative Industries, acting as the membership body’s brand advisor. She is also a hands-on art director and copywriter.

Before this, she spent 20 years in the design and advertising industries in London, as Head of Art for AGA Advertising (now Gravity Global) and Creative Director at brand agencies Finisterre and Philosophy. She estimates she has worked for clients in roughly 30% of the FTSE 100, plus Central Government and not-for-profits such as Cancer Research UK, NCT, RSPB, and the V&A.

Kate Gorringe

Executive Creative Director

Headshot of Adam Partridge

Adam Partridge

Executive Strategy Director

Adam heads up the Mr B Strategy and Planning team, ensuring that simplicity and clarity sit at the heart of our strategic offer.

With over 20 years experience in brand, marketing and design, Adam is a natural problem solver with a knack for turning strategic business challenges into clear, inspiring ideas that make a real difference to our clients’ businesses.  Working hands-on alongside his fantastic team, he is a passionate advocate for the power of brand, helping organisations of all shapes and sizes realise the significant benefits of a brand-led approach.

 

Adam Partridge

Executive Strategy Director

Peter Gandolfi Mr B

Peter Gandolfi

Chairman

Peter has an extensive background in financial services, marketing, sponsorship and operational management.

For most of his career he fulfilled a number of key functions for Nationwide Building Society – the world’s largest building society – from retail operational management through to spearheading the organisation’s marketing communications, which included all above and below-the-line media, their digital marketing and also their flagship sponsorships of the England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland football teams, the Football League, Football Conference as well as the Mercury Music Prize.

Since then Peter has held a number of Chairman positions for a variety of companies where he provides advice and guidance on strategic direction, corporate governance and operational management.

Peter Gandolfi

Chairman

Gareth Atkinson

Gareth Atkinson

Associate Strategy Director

Gareth has over 15 years’ experience in developing transformational strategic ideas for start-up, scale-up and Enterprise clients. Applying curiosity, creative thought and rigorous planning to solve brand, comms and digital challenges at pace.

With an eye for detail, he digs deep to find what really matters most – the challenge behind the challenge – bringing fresh, exciting and impactful perspectives to his projects. An approach he has followed for clients such as Intel, The Wall Street Journal, Guide Dogs, The Cooperative, Regina, Marsh Commercial, Princess Cruises and Ecoact.  

Gareth Atkinson

Associate Strategy Director

Nathan Crosby

Nathan Crosby

Associate Creative Director

With over ten years agency experience, Nathan’s career as gone from strength to strength in the eight years he has been with Mr B & Friends, a reflection of his sharp strategic thinking and exceptional people skills.

His passion is crafting brands that stand out and campaigns that inspire. His work has stretched from FMCG advertising campaigns to strategic employee experience initiatives for global companies such as IHG Hotels & Resorts and LEGO.

Nathan Crosby

Associate Creative Director

Brand expertise.What does it look like?

Brand is business critical. And it’s most effective when it performs across every touchpoint within your organisation. Here’s how we can help.

Brand Strategy.

Brand Positioning.

Stakeholder Engagement.

Campaign Planning.

Brand Identity.

Naming.

Visual Identity.

Brand Guidelines.

Brand Management.

Marketing Communications.

Integrated Campaigns.

Printed and Digital Collateral.

Sales Tools.

Brand Culture.

Digital Experience.

Internal Engagement.

Environments and Events.

Are we a good fit?

Great work takes a meeting of minds. Would we suit your organisation and appetite?

01

Brand awareness is as worthwhile as tactical campaigns.

We stand by the fact that a strong brand can bring real, long-term commercial value to your organisation. We can show you how.

02

We’ll only find your solution by spending a lot of time with you.

The chance of a free creative pitch delivering you the right answer is a lottery win.

03

We have an issue with agency jargon.

It can mask shallow thinking – we prefer a more human approach.

04

Your issue may be complex. The solution shouldn’t be.

We aim for simple, memorable creative solutions, elegantly and painlessly delivered.

05

We believe the best work is done when you’re enjoying yourself.

The goal may be serious, but the journey should be fun. The ‘friends’ in our name stands for something important to us – rewarding relationships.

Team at Mr B & Friends