Our people
With a team of specialists comprising researchers, strategists, analysts, writers and designers, we focus on tracking and interpreting cultural and technological shifts and the opportunities for innovation these intersections reveal.
Miles Hawley
CEO
In three words
Visionary. Innovative. Clear-spoken.
His expertise:
Miles isn’t just an extremely experienced product designer, he lives product design. But for Miles, product is everything you sell, from the packaging, what’s inside it, through to the retail experience. With over 25 years at London’s leading product design consultancies, his excellent execution and clear vision have elevated him to the top of his field.
His insightful judgment of product and graphic design cements functionality, beauty and meaning to the highest standard in everything we produce.
Miles’ drive, dedication and obsession for what he does. Whenever he says something, it’s concise and sure to be important.
We love:
His insightful judgment of product and graphic design cements functionality, beauty and meaning to the highest standard in everything we produce.
You’ll appreciate
Miles’ drive, dedication and obsession for what he does. Whenever he says something, it’s concise and sure to be important.
Simon Browning
Chief Operations Officer
In three words
Creative. Committed. Candid.
His expertise
With over 23 years experience as an award winning designer, strategist and business leader, Simon has a proven track record in delivering innovation programmes for brands worldwide. Simon’s approach puts people at the heart of the design planning process and is equally passionate about harnessing new insights and perspectives that can unlock business growth.
We love
His thoughtful approach and willingness to hold himself accountable to the highest standards.
You’ll appreciate
His clarity, coherence and eye for detail.
Douglas Lloyd
Non-Executive Director
In three words
Optimistic. Passionate. Ambitious.
His expertise:
Douglas loves technology and finance, an unusual combination. He started his career in M&A and capital raising working with tech companies in London, Paris and New York. Using these skills, he crossed to the other side and started building businesses. Douglas has founded or co-founded businesses across multiple sectors including fund management, clean energy media and online kids’ learning. He is currently CEO of Azoomee, a fun learning digital service for primary school children available in 190+ countries. He uses his extensive financial and business experience to improve profitability, operational and financial controls and to accelerate business development and overall performance. Douglas offers challenging perspectives to identify the best outcomes.
We love:
His honesty, his enthusiasm and his desire to help wherever he can.
You’ll appreciate
Douglas’ energy, determination and optimism.
Sarah Sanders
Head of Strategic Insight
In three words
Intrigue. Warmth. Obsession.
Her expertise
Being trained in industrial design at Northumbria University gives Sarah’s semiotic and trends research a unique perspective. She has an eye for what the rest of us miss, observing the changing patterns of culture through her kaleidoscope lens.
We love
Sarah can take any bit of the world and explode it under her microscope, transforming it into another universe.
You’ll appreciate
The meticulous detail she delivers alongside big-picture vision, demonstrating not only professionalism but a love for what she does.
Ray Betts
Senior Designer and Design Manager
In three words
Micro-Detail. Committed. Focused
His expertise
Ray leads our growing brand and graphic design team within Precipice. Ray has worked in both the US and UK across brand, packaging, print, publishing and interactive. His extensive understanding of how design reaches the real world is reflected in the commercial quality of his work.
We love
His patience with the endless detail a big packaging job brings. And his unrivalled skills making balloon animals, and even balloon fashion.
You’ll appreciate
How Ray never loses sight of your business reality whilst transcending those constraints in his work.
Lee Twycross
Senior Industrial Designer
In three words
Trusted. Visionary. Detailed.
His expertise
Lee translates research findings and cultural analysis into tangible objects that can be made. He threads his own vision into today’s reality, through his skilled and precise drawings, storyboards and exemplar designs for product and packaging. Lee graduated from Coventry University in Product Design.
We love
His quiet humour that cuts through and reveals the underlying truth at hand.
You’ll appreciate
How Lee turns information from many different angles into coherent, clear and manufactured design.
Kaylene Kau
UX Designer & Strategist
In three words
Focus. Depth. Flexibility
Her expertise
Kaylene comes from a background in Industrial Design, having worked professionally in Taiwan for several years. Most recently, she graduated from the Royal College of Art with a MA in Design Products, where she worked on projects with an intense focus on research and understanding the complex relationships between people, perception and their environments.
We love
Kaylene is a hybrid Design Researcher, she plays a crucial role in distilling insights from research and helping research participants and clients visualise concepts.
You’ll appreciate
She is fluent in Mandarin and English, having lived in Taiwan, USA and the UK.
Rob Simpson
Designer
In three words
Efficient. Dedicated. Calming.
His expertise
Rob began his career at Precipice during his placement year at Brunel, he has been with the company ever since. He is creative, practical and logical, with design experience in product, graphic and web design. Just throw him a challenge, and he figures out how to do it.
We love
His ‘CAD Wizard’ skills, alongside his love for music and his band.
You’ll appreciate
How everything you imagined becomes real through his concepting, design and prototyping.
Christina Philpott
Strategist
In three words
Curious. Bright. Enthusiastic.
Her expertise
Having studied product design at Central Saint Martins, Christina sits firmly in the ‘context is everything’ camp. She is passionate about identifying where design can break down boundaries, provide opportunities and address real human need.
We love
How her natural intuition and thirst for knowledge (Pulp pun intended) allows her to tackle anything we throw at her. We don’t love the fact that she is actually younger than the internet.
You’ll appreciate
The speed at which she learns things and the depth to which she understands them providing a valuable combination of agility and immersion.
Heidi Olsen
Designer
In three words
Hyper-curious. Methodical. Adaptable.
Her expertise
Having studied graphic design at University of Hertfordshire, Heidi brings both design elegance and strategic nous to any given project. She moves with ease between complex brand implementation projects and more future-shaping exemplar work. She is passionate about design being a force for good and as a vehicle for new thinking.
We love
How she wants/has to know about each and every project we do, even when she has no direct involvement.
You’ll appreciate
The calming, understated way she just ‘gets it’ and ‘gets on’ with it.
Phoebe Kirkland
Design Intern
In three words
Inquisitive. Adaptive. Optimistic..
Her expertise
Phoebe is currently studying Product Design at Central Saint Martins, joining us as an intern to gain experience across design and strategic insight. She is passionate about people, and uncovering design opportunities that truly fit human needs.
We love
How she is happy to take on any challenge, and brings a fresh perspective and dedication to our work.
You’ll appreciate
The way she can absorb an abundance of information, turning it into clear, concise insights and directions.
Careers
We create product, packaging and brand pipelines – from concept definition to commercialisation – by aligning human needs and desires with emerging science and technology.
If you feel you could become part of the team, take a look at the jobs we have on offer.
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