Christian
Barnett
Co-Founder
‘If this were a society where original thought were appreciated you would surely have a fine career ahead of you! As it is I can only express the wish that such talents will at least not prove a handicap’ (from my university leaving reference by John Mackrell, Professor of History, University of London.)
Click through to my LinkedIn to see what happened to me in the intervening thirty years.
John
Howkins
Co-Founder
John founded Sword & Stone in 2014 with Christian. John has been running brand consultancy businesses for over 7 years, and now with Sword & Stone can deliver projects internationally, across diverse sectors, and with improved efficiency. Automotive, Government, social issues are areas of specialism. Official trainer for ISBA for advertisers wanting to improve the efficiency of briefing their agencies.
‘I like solving problems – be they creative communication, brand or business problems. The nuttier the better’ says John.
Scott
Mailhot
Strategy Director, NYC
The crux of what we do is found between poetry and statistics. Using our whole brains, drawing on the world of experience: that’s what I love about this work. My experience spans categories that power human progress and that help you plan for the future; brands that bring people together, that get you where you’re going, and that collapse distances between people and cultures; not to mention home improvement and life improvement. I’ve developed strategies on every continent but Antarctica.
James
Lees
Senior Creative Strategist
James is a creative strategist who isn’t going to write his bio in the third person. I’ve been working with Christian and John for nearly 7 years on projects spanning brand strategy, innovation, consumer insight and culture change. From super premium spirits to children’s entertainment to global charities to national magazines to tech giants. From London to Paris to New York…
I love understanding people. I love playing devil’s advocate. I love having the interesting job at the party.
Frederic
Lootens
Senior Designer & Strategist
Frederic has worked with Sword & Stone since 2016, creating new organisations, and refreshing existing ones by leveraging his insight as a strategist and creative skills as a designer. His background as a graphic designer allows him to bring a unique visual perspective to strategy projects, enabling him to use the power of visuals to understand organisational and personal issues, and also to deliver more creative and engaging solutions, which can bridge cultural divides and the spoken and written word.
Manon
Bellon
Creative Strategist
I'm the new one in the Sword & Stone family! Understanding issues and finding their solutions is a passion for me. After being a consultant for European businesses in China, and with rich experience in press and communications at the French Consulate, I joined S&S as a dynamic strategist and French speaker. To disentangle the situations of not-for-profit and civil society organizations, I resort to listening and informed analysis, without forgetting my creativity and pragmatism. Speaking several languages and working on political discourses enables me to find meaning behind words.