John Masefield Junior
To quote a colleague - Creativity is a language that I speak fluently. It allows me to guide, inspire and to elevate wherever I am in the world.
Born into the family business I did my apprenticeship in construction, I guess only I knew I would go from one day fitting windows to designing them.
My love for music took me into Retail, HMV was at the top of it's game and I had the knowledge needed. Staying ahead of the curve by reading trends and patterns, balanced with the power of negotiation are skills I use every day. I finished my career with them as a Manager and Buyer - I learned so much, and most of my friends still date back to this time.
Gap is where I cut my creative teeth, falling into VM was as if a lightbulb was switched on in my brain. I went from regional roles in London through to running Asia Pacific for Gap inc. It is here I learned about storytelling, how to manage reverse seasonality and to adapt campaigns with creativity as the universal language.
Marks and Spencer is an institution, so when first approached I said no. But they reached out to me again and sold me a role in the international side of the business. I was given full freedom, becoming the creative direction of the brand, which then led me to the Head of Global Creative. M&S is a difficult beast to navigate, I often referred to it as the NHS of retail, I learned to be a diplomat. I made my name through bringing multicultural celebrations to the brand. I am proud to say it was my team that created and developed the strategy and creative for CNY, Ramadan, Christmas and many more.
So after 5 years I get a call from an old boss at Gap asking "would I like to move to HK?" I immediately said yes after working in and out of HK for 5 years. Here I used all my skills in product knowledge, to support shaping the range and campaigns for the HK market, but it was time to move on.
Alongside my career in HK, I also started team water sports. I joined the South Lantau Paddle Club. I am proud to say that I am now team Captain and Club Secretary, it has become a big part of who I am and influences how I lead.
Throughout my career I have provided the creative direction for the business, I also on many occasions have had to build new teams from the ground up. So one of the reasons I Joined VF was to lead an exciting brand repositioning; to build the new creative vision for a brand needing transformation - Kipling. I took a regional role and turned into a global one, here all my skills are at play, whilst most importantly I am still learning.
I am currently creating the Anna Sui campaign (watch this space)
This Journey will now take me to Shanghai where VF is relocating in June....