Our mission as a B Corp is to partner with visionary leaders committed to driving positive change in the world.
Through our co-create centered strategies, we help transform the success of their organisations. The outcome is that they attract more valuable consumers, and we shift spend and market share to more conscious brands.
We’re a team of highly-skilled professionals, who will integrate seamlessly with your brand. As firm believers in the power of collaboration, we understand that through the wisdom of many minds, limitless possibilities arise.
Meet the partners and senior team
Richard Sharp
Co-founder & Creative Director
35 years in the industry. Obsessed with results. Intuitive leader.
“In an age where AI can replicate almost any creative output, human collaboration is the differentiator. Ideas make things happen. Not decks. Not data. Not process. A single sharp idea, properly executed, can transform a brand, a business, structural markets. When powerful thinking meets human truth, the work resonates with both heart and mind. Because creativity has the power to shape the kind of future our world needs.”
I built my career leading creative departments at TEQUILA\Manchester and TBWA\Manchester before co-founding Sharp in 2009. For me, strategy must compound brand value, and creative must be impossible to ignore. I don't care about awards or applause. I care about commercial outcomes. In an age where tech can replicate almost anything, human collaboration is the ultimate differentiator. Always has been. Now more than ever.
Mandi Taylor
Co-founder & Strategy Director
34 years brand strategy experience. Countless global brands. Solutions architect.
“Human-led isn't a buzzword. Brand strategy should be invented in a room without the people it's meant to serve. This is the only way to shape strategies and messaging that are distinctive and actionable.”
I thrive on the energy of multi-country projects, drawing decades of experience from my time at Ogilvy & Mather (SA and London), Proximity, and Rapp, before becoming Strategy Partner and Co-Owner at Sharp. My career spans the entire customer journey and sector spectrum – from awareness to lead gen, pet food to pharma. I focus on clearing the noise from complex challenges to help global brands scale by positioning myself right at the intersection of consumer psychology, cultural nuance, and competitive intelligence to turn insight into genuine human connection and brilliant business results.
Darlene Sharp
Co-founder & Design Director
37 years brand design experience. Award-winning work. Brand purist.
“Brand is my passion, but it has to work. Any work we put out has to ultimately be commercially effective as well as beautifully crafted. Co-creation is integral to this; it’s how we find that one differentiating truth that makes a brand unique, distinctive, and compelling in an authentic way.”
I love the challenge of creating something entirely new that can transform a business. My journey started back in 1989, including a formative 13-year stint at Scope Creative Marketing (now Jaywing), where Rich and I first teamed up and picked up a shelf full of DMAs and Northern Marketing awards. For me, it’s about stripping away the fluff to build brands that connect with real people and drive real growth.
Kathryn Colwell
Client Services Director
25 years brand experience. Agency and client-side. Relationship-builder.
“Strategy shouldn’t happen in a vacuum. Human-led, collaborative strategy through Sharp Co-Create® removes the guesswork and assumptions that tank campaigns. By bringing audiences and stakeholders into the room together, we unlock real solutions based on truth, not theory.”
Great strategy requires deep partnership. My career bridges the gap between agency innovation and client-side reality, giving me a real view of what actually drives brand growth. I focus on building strong client relationships, breaking down complex business challenges, and aligning teams to deliver commercial results.
Lynsey Lazenby
Senior Account Director
20 years in Yorkshire agencies. Countless sectors cracked. Client partner.
"Sharp Co-Create® is the absolute jewel in our crown, it has a 100% track record. We’ve never presented a proposition that was challenged for being wrong, simply because the client has been right there with us on the journey. I love watching our team do our magic, it makes me incredibly proud, and the double benefit is that it gets the client’s key stakeholders completely aligned from day one."
Armed with a Business degree and a CIM Postgrad, I’ve spent two decades navigating the agency landscape (including Creative Race and Jaywing) across everything from FMCG to pharma. I’m not here to just manage accounts from a distance; I immerse myself completely to turn complex market challenges into creative breakthroughs. For me, the best work happens through absolute immersion, building a true, two-way relationship where we're treated as an extension of your team, and proving we grasp your business challenges at lightning speed.
Grace McMahon
Head of Copy
15 years experience. Dual-hemisphere. Relentlessly curious.
“Bringing people together to solve a problem beats relying on assumptions every time. Sharp Co-Create® uncovers the implicit beliefs and motivations that traditional research misses. You get novel ideas rooted in real human experience… then we connect the dots.”
I’ve spent my career working across South Africa and the UK, splitting my time between brand strategy, creative and copywriting. My background spans ATL, BTL and retail for a massive mix of brands, from household names like PepsiCo and Chivas to world-leading CDMO Lonza. I love original ideas that nudge behaviour and working through Sharp Co-CreateTM ensures creative genuinely connects with the people reading it.
Vickie Cattan
Senior Strategist
13 years agency-side. Full marketing mix. Co-creation evangelist.
"If you want to build a brand that actually sticks, stop guessing what your audience wants.Sit down with them, listen to them, and co-create with them. That’s where the magic happens."
I work right at the nexus of brand, audience, and ideas – helping organisations figure out exactly who
they’re talking to and what they actually need to say. With a Master's in Communications behind me,
I’ve spent over a decade crafting strategy across retail, pharma, B2B and beyond, with a specialism in audience co-creation, campaign planning and brand development. Give me a complex proposition or a seemingly impossible brief to crack, and I’m in my element.
The SHARP values
Curiosity
Inquisitive minds move us forward, turning what ifs into what’s next. Building from understanding. Reframing the question to discover the answer.
Ownership
We invest ourselves in every challenge, every project, every relationship. The deeper the connection, the bigger the difference we can make.
Courage
The unknown is not to be feared but to be explored. Pioneering new ways of working and discovering new ways of communicating.
Kindness
We let our minds empower us, but our hearts guide us. Because we believe people have value. Doing what is right is what keeps us human.