Portfolio
Selected work where clarity of concept became commercial advantage.
SCORPIOS BODRUM
Chief Creative Officer Residency
Global Brand Definition
Pre-opening Positioning
Scorpios Mykonos had achieved cult status as an alternative to mainstream beach concept, but the founders faced a critical challenge; how to expand globally (starting with Bodrum) without becoming just another beach club chain or losing the brand's soul.
Most hospitality concepts that expand lose their authenticity if the second location feels like a copy. The brand becomes diluted and customers lose interest. The founders had turned down multiple investors and design partners who didn't understand what made Scorpios unique beyond aesthetics.
Brought on as Chief Creative Officer in Residence for 18 months to oversee the in-house creative team, define the global brand and place positionings that could travel without copying.
Every new market was treated as cultural documentation first, design second and never created from a distant headquarters. Teams were chosen for their authentic local connection, and partners selected because they understood the Scorpios ethos.
Sample from
Scorpios’ Brand Playbook
THE OUTCOME
Scorpios Bodrum won the AHEAD Ultimate Accolade and is recognized as one of the most successful hospitality brand expansions of the past 5 years, demonstrating luxury hospitality brands, particulary those with cult status, can scale while preserving authenticity.
CULTURAL SAFARI: TURKEY
Cultural Intelligence
Ethnographic Field Research
Brand Implications Report
Following collaboration on their Tulum venture, Scorpios commissioned strategic cultural research for their Bodrum opening.
They needed to understand the cultural identity of Turkey's Aegean coast, where ancient Anatolian heritage, contemporary Turkish identity, and international bohemian culture converge.
Bodrum presented unique challenges, navigating Turkey's cultural codes, the interplay between local and diaspora communities, and how to create authentic experiences in a market wary of cultural appropriation by international brands.
Critically they also needed to build capability to conduct cultural intelligence work themselves rather than depend on consultants.
Approached as an ethnographic study and conducted with a Scorpios team member to learn my methodology & how to synthesize findings that differentiated Scorpios Bodrum as neutral ground of wellbeing and cultural rituals where Istanbul sophisticates, locals, and international travellers could gather.
“Scorpios is not a simple beach club, it is much more.”
The Times
THE OUTCOME
Delivered both strategic direction and internal capability:
Strategic Impact: Programming grounded in authentic Turkish traditions. Audience insights shaped service and spatial experience. Curated network of artists and local cultural institutions suited to become collaborators.
Capability Building: Transferred the methodology so the team could continue independently for future locations .
SCORPIOS SCORE
Strategic Experience Design
Team Collaborative Sessions
As Scorpios expanded into new markets, they needed both location research and a repeatable system that could objectively define what is "truly Scorpios", filter suppliers to avoid costly errors, and enable their team to make sophisticated experience design decisions across radically different cultural contexts.
The Scorpios Score delivered as a 5 meter physical banner and playbook as an experience design blueprint. A coherent foundation for Cultural Safari research, programming development, and supplier partnerships.
Inspired by Scorpios' signature sonic identity, organic house and downtempo music, I chose musical composition as the organizing principle. Drawing inspiration from Scorpios' signature sonic identity—organic house and downtempo music— to orchestrated a journey that raises and lowers in tempo across four acts: Travel → Arrive → Stay → After with experiences organized across three thematic movements: Stimulating, Soulful, Silence. This transformed decision-making from "I like this" to "Does this belong in our composition?"
Sample slides from
Scorpios Score
THE OUTCOME
The Scorpios Score made all subsequent work coherent. It transformed subjective taste opinions into objective assessments, helped eliminate misaligned suppliers, and built sophisticated experience design capability within the team so they could orchestrate complex programs while maintaining brand coherence across diverse markets.
PRIVATE MEMBERS’ CLUB CONCEPT
[ Abu Dhabi ]
Concept Definition
Place Visioning & Narrative
A consultancy was pitching to a prestigious government entity. They needed a vision that would resonate with decision-makers shaping the capital's cultural ambitions.
I identified that to make the right first impression with stakeholders they needed to think in terms of legacy and philosophical depth alongside practical execution.
The consultancy started with an amenities list, a transactional approach. The real opportunity was to show how the club could serve its immediate community of political decision-makers while contributing to the capital’s evolving identity as an international cultural hub, home to the Louvre Abu Dhabi and Saadiyat Cultural District.
The shift in approach centred on establishing a unifying philosophy before discussing facilities or operations. I developed the idea “Seats of Reflection,” positioning the club as a sanctuary beside political power, a place not only for contemplation, strategic dialogue, but also for meaningful cultural exchange.
Recognising how this new landmark could also contribute to the capital city's broader cultural ambition as an emerging global nexus for art, culture, and strategic connection.
THE OUTCOME
This reframing moved stakeholders from concept to spatial storytelling and member proposition. By distilling complexity into one clear idea, articulated with visual elegance meant the vision became easy to communicate to investors, architects, and operators, ensuring alignment from the outset.
MIDLETON DISTILLERY
[Ireland for Pernod Ricard]
Destination Brand Home
Guest Experience Design
Commissioned to define the destination brand and guest experience spanning guided distillery tours, premium whiskey tastings, cask-opening rituals, and cocktail-making masterclasses.
The creative idea, “A Place of Warmth and Wonder,” framed Midleton as Ireland’s spiritual home of whiskey making in a landscape of natural beauty, shaped by generations of makers since 1825. As the birthplace of six popular Irish whiskey brands, the identity needed to honour this legacy while positioning Midleton as the home of Irish whiskey.
The experience invited guests into a narrative as rich and characterful as the story of the spirits revealing the depth of care that goes into the making of each whiskey.
Developed in collaboration with the historian and master distiller. This intimate immersion led to a narrative grounded in truth. This guided architectural expression and the sensory details of the guest journey.
Partnered with Ralph Appelbaum Associates on spatial and interpretive design.
DELIVERED
+ Investment Case
+ Brand Narrative & Proposition
+ Brand Architecture & Naming
+ Visualised Visitor Experience & Briefs
+ Visual Identity for the built environment
THE OUTCOME
The compelling destination value proposition & architectural redesign harmonised a diverse portfolio of whiskey brands under one coherent narrative, positioning Midleton Distillery as Ireland’s flagship whiskey experience, strengthening its role as a cultural landmark and brand home.
MONTE & LOU
Creative Direction
US Market Expansion Strategy
Commissioned by the founders to evolve the positioning of this premium Australian swimwear label for the US market. This led to shifting Monte & Lou from being seen as "nostalgic Australian beachwear” to a brand associated with "bohemian wanderlust across magical global destinations."
The evolved narrative and strategy expanded the creative vision across multiple dimensions: designing collections that drew inspiration from hidden coastal locations, a travel reportage approach to content, and the design of their first flagship boutique.
THE OUTCOME
The repositioning helped unlock US distribution channels and attract retailers in a saturated swimwear market.
Associating the brand and collections with place-based storytelling, gave Monte & Lou a stronger sense of distinction helping them scale internationally while maintaining Australian coastal authenticity.
CASA XI TEQUILA
Brand Definition
Launch Strategy
Ultra-Premium Spirits
Naming
Commissioned by a private investor to develop the brand for an ultra-premium organic extra añejo tequila entering a saturated luxury spirits market. This included naming (Casa XI, referencing astrology's Eleventh House), brand mythology rooted in esoteric symbolism, bottle design as collectible art object, and a launch strategy targeting culturally curious affluent consumers across UAE and UK markets.
THE OUTCOME
The astrological storytelling and collectible bottle design gave the tequila cultural currency beyond product quality, creating conversation value for the target audience.
The launch strategy identified specific influencer circles and experiential activations that positioned Casa XI as insider knowledge rather than mass luxury, justifying premium pricing and shelf presence.
THE PLACE ATELIER ARCHIVE