About: Chris Robertson — Creative Director | Scotch & Water – Chris Robertson — Creative Director

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 my career trying to make the obvious less obvious.

It's taken me from Richmond and Boston to Cairo, Dubai, Los Angeles, Düsseldorf, Birmingham and Manchester, working with brilliant people and building ideas 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. Helped turn a university positioning into a word people could belong to. And won a Gold Lion by talking about pricks.

Different clients. Different countries. Same instinct:

Find the thing everyone else walked past.

I'm happiest close to the work, somewhere between strategy and mischief. Finding the human truth. Flipping it sideways. Then helping a team turn it into something people actually care about.

I've led creative teams, built departments and helped people do some of the best work of their careers. But I've never wanted to become the Creative Director who only comments on decks.

I still want to make. Shape. Write. Sketch. Question. Edit. Get my hands dirty.

Because the tools change.
The platforms change.
The job doesn'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 // Exec. 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

Beats by Dre. 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.

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.

Got a brief, a role,
or something strange?

Say hello

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