I FIND THE THING NOBODY ELSE SAW.

Chris Robertson. Creative Director.
Ideas, brands, teams and the occasional beautifully wrong answer.

A LITTLE ABOUT ME.
I've spent 27 years trying to make the obvious less obvious.

It's taken me from Boston to Cairo, Dubai to Los Angeles, Düsseldorf to Birmingham and Manchester, leading creative teams and building work for some of the world's biggest brands along the way.

I've made Morpheus sell Kias. Turned cider into hip-hop. Told fairy tales backwards. Made long-lasting gum out of long-lasting literature. And won a Cannes Lion by talking about pricks.

Different clients. Different countries. Same job:

Find the thing everyone else walked past.

I'm happiest somewhere between strategy and mischief — finding the human truth, flipping it slightly sideways and building an idea big enough for people, brands and teams to run with.

The tools have changed enormously since I started.

The job hasn't.

Make people care.

Experience

The Martin Agency // Richmond // Designer 1999-2002

McKinney Silver // Durham // Art Director 2002-2005

Arnold Worldwide // Boston // Senior Art Director 2005-2009

JWT // Cairo/Dubai // Creative Director 2009-2010

David&Goliath // Los Angeles // Creative Director 2010-2014

BBDO // Düsseldorf // Creative Director 2014-2017

McCANN // Birmingham, UK // Creative Director 2017-2022

Scotch&Water  // Independent Creative Director 2022-2025

Havas Lynx // Manchester, UK // Creative Director 2025-2026

USA → Egypt → UAE → Germany → UK.

Leading without making clones.

I've led creative departments and teams of up to 40 people across different countries, disciplines and cultures.

But I've never believed a Creative Director's job is to get everyone thinking like the Creative Director. Quite the opposite.

My job is to make the room better.

Ask the annoying question.

Protect the strange idea before someone makes it sensible.

Give people enough confidence to take a swing.

Know when something needs another three hours, and when another three hours will kill it.

Fight for great work without making everyone miserable in the process.

And create the kind of culture where the best idea can come from anywhere.

60+

Shiny Objects

5

Countries lived

67%

Skate growth

Some names you might know

Kia. Mars. Progressive. Diet Coke. Dexcom. Triumph. Longines. Audi. Hilton. HSBC. Bosch. Vauxhall. Concentrix. Egypt Tourism.
Birmingham City University.

And plenty more.

I've been around

Havas Lynx - Manchester, UK 
McCANN - United Kingdom
BBDO - Düsseldorf, Germany
David&Goliath - LA, California
JWT - Dubai / Egypt / Lebanon
Arnold - Boston, Massachusetts
McKinney - Durham, North Carolina
Martin - Richmond, Virginia

A few shiny things

Cannes Lions.
Clios.
The One Show.
Eurobest.
London International Awards.
Communication Arts.
Creative Circle.
The FWA.

Lovely to win.

Better when the idea still feels good ten years later.

Moments

I do love what I do, and sometimes, the best way to express this is through photographs. I have a little site on the side where I post my work, life travels, and what I get up to. Here are a few shots that I've taken along this journey. If you'd like to see a few more, check out lostlab.

Give me a call.
Drop me a line.
Stalk me on social.

United Kingdom
Phone: +44 7771308777
Email: lostlab@gmail.com
Twitter: @scotchandwater
LinkedIn: scotchandwater
Insta: @lostlab

© Scotch&Water 2026