We are a team of experienced entrepreneurs, researchers, strategists and designers using a human centred design-led approach. Connor joined Previously Unavailable in 2020 upon returning to NZ after five years of scaling kiwi growth companies globally. He has deep experience running and growing enterprise saas and direct-to-consumer businesses having been COO of Mish Guru and Head of B2B and Business Development for Noissue. Connor started his career as a corporate lawyer at Bell Gully before earning his startup chops working with the Icehouse to launch and run Auckland’s first accelerator program, Lightning Lab. Despite being a bit of an operations nerd, Connor views the world through a creative lens. He truly loves diving into good ideas and turning them into great businesses
Contact connor@gotracksuit.com http://linkedin.com/in/connor-archbold Erana joined PU at the end of 2023 to help set James up for success by juggling and balancing his ever-changing life. She is a versatile executive assistant who loves change and has expertise in office management, finance, stakeholder relationship building and global project coordination. She is a self-confessed philomath and has a passion for people, rongoā, collaboration and whakapapa.
Contact edo@previously.co https://www.linkedin.com/in/erana-dobson/ Henry joined Previously Unavailable in 2022 having spent the last 15 years as a strategist in advertising agencies in London (Fallon & Adam&EveDDB), and most recently Auckland (ColensoBBDO). He spent that time helping some of the world’s biggest companies, and some of the smallest, define and take to market their brilliant brands. He’s a firm believer in the power creative thinking has in solving almost any problem, and it’s this focus that brings him to the brilliant team at Previously Unavailable.
Contact hk@previously.co https://www.linkedin.com/in/henrykozak/ Simon leads up Venture Studio and Brand Fund 1 for Previously, working with startup brands to define, grow, build and fund brands in innovative ways. Prior to joining PU in early 2018, Simon led global brand, creative and communications for Vend, from under $2m ARR to over $20m ARR. Vend recently exited for NZD~$500m. Simon started his career in media & politics reporting and TV production, before becoming a senior brand advertising creative. Simon is co-founder at fashion label Ingrid Starnes and hosts the entrepreneur-focussed Business is Boring podcast for The Spinoff, winner of best business podcast at the 2021 NZ Podcast Awards. Since joining Previously Simon has led brand and positioning work for Compostic, Seachange, GD1, Timely, Starshipit, Brancott Estate, and many other great companies. Areas of specialty include SaaS, high-growth tech exporters, retail, FMCG, wine into international markets, financial services and venture.
Contact sp@previously.co http://linkedin.com/in/simonpound/ Susie joined the Previously team in 2021, bringing with her diverse experience working in strategy at KPMG and starting small-scale ventures in hospitality and retail. Her expertise spans strategic problem-solving in market entry, profitability, customer experience, and supply chain optimisation across prominent New Zealand businesses, including ASB, Turners & Growers, Fisher & Paykel, Forsyth Barr, Fonterra, and Genesis Energy. She merges her corporate background with learnings from launching personal ventures, addressing challenges with a future-thinking mindset and start-up pragmatism. Drawing from her personal interests in visual communication, world-building, and third spaces, she continually learns and explores how these add depth and quality in her approach to innovation.
Contact sw@previously.co http://linkedin.com/in/susiewangnz/ Harry Burt is a key leader in the Venture Studio team, working to design and develop start-up brands and digital and visual assets, and leading digital delivery projects for PU. Prior to joining Previously Harry worked across music, architecture, hospitality, lifestyle and tech as a brand, graphic and digital designer. Harry has been making brands that connect and add to culture his entire career. From launching the digital presence for Parrotdog; to brands, websites and album covers for Sony music artists; to festival branding; to co-founding Blink - the leading print, design and production studio. Over the last five years Harry has delivered and led on a range of PU and portfolio company website and creative asset projects, including for Tracksuit, AF Drinks, GD1 and 10PM.
Contact hb@previously.co http://www.linkedin.com/in/harry--burt/ Chris joined Previously Unavailable in late 2022 as an Innovation Project Coordinator, bringing with him a wealth of experience and knowledge in business operations. He holds a Bachelor of Commerce majoring in Marketing and Operations & Supply Chain Management from the University of Auckland, and his previous experience as an Operations and Inventory Manager has given him a practical understanding of streamlining processes to maximise efficiency. Chris is passionate about exploring new ideas and pushing boundaries, and he enjoys working collaboratively to bring creative concepts to life.
Contact ce@previously.co https://www.linkedin.com/in/chris-edwards-nzld Frankie joined the Previously Unavailable team in 2023 after graduating from Massey University majoring in Visual Communication Design with Honours. Frankie is a member of the International Society of Typographic Designers, and in 2023 became a finalist at the Best Awards in the Public Good category. Since starting at Previously Unavailable, Frankie has joined the design team where she is excited about inventing and re-inventing brands to the highest standard through her love of visual problem-solving and creative collaboration. She is constantly inspired by the uncommon range of disciplines PU has to offer, to craft beautiful and future-focused brands.
Contact fm@previously.co https://www.linkedin.com/in/frankiemiddleton/ Ria joined the Previously team at the beginning of 2022, starting her internship. Ria is in her third and final year at The University of Auckland, completing a Bachelor of Commerce, majoring in Innovation/Entrepreneurship and Marketing. Ria's past roles have seen her working in the digital marketing space, and she currently supports and manages the PU social media channels. She loves learning as much as possible and is passionate about creative strategy and collaboration.
Contact rs@previously.co https://www.linkedin.com/in/riajsharma/ Ed is a partner in our Innovation Team, and leads many of our new product and service development projects, as well as having a role on the board of PU start-up Ideally. Since joining James & Chris at Previously Unavailable in 2017, Ed has worked on many of our largest client projects, with a keen focus on using research to generate insights and solve tough challenges. His diverse background is rooted in strategy, design, and problem-solving: innovating ways to influence behaviour on social issues with agency Curative, devising digital and creative strategy at Air New Zealand, or consulting for the likes of The Warehouse and Z Energy to evolve their service delivery. Outside of PU, Ed sits on the board of The New Zealand Comedy Trust, and has a keen interest in governance and advisory work – skills he brings to bear on our more complex strategic projects.
Contact ed@previously.co http://linkedin.com/in/edward-j-dever James founded Previously Unavailable in 2014, chasing his passion for helping innovative companies use insightful strategic thinking to create products and brands that become sustainably successful. He chose the name ‘Previously Unavailable’ simply because he loves bringing new things into the world. James was formerly a strategic planner in the advertising industry, where he specialised in innovative marketing and the branding of innovative products and companies. In 2013 he was named the world’s #1 strategic planner. James is the author of The Case for Creativity, a book about how creativity creates business success that The Coca-Cola Company described as ‘beautiful words of wisdom’ and which has been reprinted several times in several languages. He’s also the author of two landmark marketing effectiveness studies, The Effectiveness Code (on behalf of Cannes Lions and WARC) and The B2B Effectiveness Code (on behalf of Linked In’s B2B Institute).
Contact jh@previously.co http://linkedin.com/in/jameshurman/ Chris heads up the innovation arm of PU, working with both large corporate clients looking to reinvent and with start-up and scale-up businesses looking to disrupt. His experience spans a wide range of industries and innovation challenges including new product and service design, innovation strategy and innovation model design, ground-up venture builds and solving bespoke innovation challenges, paying special attention to the more technical and commercial aspects essential to making a project, business model, new venture or investment a success. Chris joined Previously Unavailable in 2016 following 4 years in London at the UK’s leading Innovation Consultancy ?What If! Innovation Partners, where he worked with a range of global businesses including EA Games, Jaguar Land Rover, and IHG to set, invent and execute their innovation and venture strategies. Formally trained as a Mechanical Engineer, Chris enjoyed the first 5 years of his career in R&D designing products at Fisher & Paykel Appliances before moving into Management Consulting and M&A with EY, both in Auckland and London.
Contact cp@previously.co http://linkedin.com/in/chrispaykel/ Hannah joined the design team at Previously Unavailable in 2020. In 2019, Hannah embarked on a career-changing journey with the World's Greatest Internship Programme. With six other interns from around the world, she interned at three leading brand agencies: Koto London, Prophet New York, Character San Francisco and participated in a workshop at the school for creativity, Factry in Montreal. Hannah is obsessed with the craft of typography. She is passionate about exploring how 3D and motion design can enhance her graphic design practice.
Contact hs@previously.co http://linkedin.com/in/hannah-small-designer Phoebe brings brand design passion and expertise to Previously Unavailable, leading a highly creative team who collaborate with all parts of the studio portfolio — from venture and early stage start-ups, established businesses wanting to reinvent, and new product development for corporate clients. Phoebe has been fortunate enough in her career to work at some of the world’s best design companies such as Red Antler in New York and Alt Group here in Tāmaki Makaurau. Phoebe has a long standing relationship with AUT (Auckland University of Technology), contributing her time as a tutor and mentoring undergraduate students. She has been selected as a judge for the DINZ (Designers Institute of NZ) Best Design Awards and the AGDA (Australian Graphic Design Association) Awards.
Contact pd@previously.co http://linkedin.com/in/phoebe-devine-95a01952 Philippa joined Previously Unavailable in early 2024 as Senior Producer, building on a 10 year career in the creative industry. Her career spans both London and Auckland in design, digital and advertising agencies, most recently kiwi-owned ad agency Stanley St, working with clients KFC, Briscoes and Rebel Sport. With a Bachelor of Design under her belt, she brings a love for anything design and a hands-on approach to every project.
Contact pj@previously.co https://www.linkedin.com/in/philippa-johnston-5b688366/ Tom joined Previously in 2021 as General Manager. Graduate of Parsons The New School for Design in New York, Tom majored in managing creative organisations, and has been on that road for the last decade. Passionate in project management, systems and operations, Tom has helped many companies to streamline their operations and manage the day to day work.
Contact tp@previously.co http://linkedin.com/in/tompek Phoebe's breadth of experience spans design, advertising and design education. She joined the Previously Unavailable team after working as head of strategy at Wrestler creative agency, collaborating with brands such as Allbirds, and a range of start-ups, businesses and government organisations. Phoebe holds a masters degree in design specialising in design thinking, and spent four years lecturing at Massey University College of Creative Arts. She has also applied her creative skillset living and working in Los Angeles, San Diego, and China. Underlying Phoebe's experience is a motivation to create a positive impact in the world, and she passionately takes a purpose-driven approach to every creative problem she works to solve.
Contact ps@previously.co http://linkedin.com/in/phoebe-j-smith Connor joined Previously Unavailable in 2020 upon returning to NZ after five years of scaling kiwi growth companies globally. He has deep experience running and growing enterprise saas and direct-to-consumer businesses having been COO of Mish Guru and Head of B2B and Business Development for Noissue. Connor started his career as a corporate lawyer at Bell Gully before earning his startup chops working with the Icehouse to launch and run Auckland’s first accelerator program, Lightning Lab. Despite being a bit of an operations nerd, Connor views the world through a creative lens. He truly loves diving into good ideas and turning them into great businesses
Contact connor@gotracksuit.com http://linkedin.com/in/connor-archbold Ed is a partner in our Innovation Team, and leads many of our new product and service development projects, as well as having a role on the board of PU start-up Ideally. Since joining James & Chris at Previously Unavailable in 2017, Ed has worked on many of our largest client projects, with a keen focus on using research to generate insights and solve tough challenges. His diverse background is rooted in strategy, design, and problem-solving: innovating ways to influence behaviour on social issues with agency Curative, devising digital and creative strategy at Air New Zealand, or consulting for the likes of The Warehouse and Z Energy to evolve their service delivery. Outside of PU, Ed sits on the board of The New Zealand Comedy Trust, and has a keen interest in governance and advisory work – skills he brings to bear on our more complex strategic projects.
Contact ed@previously.co http://linkedin.com/in/edward-j-dever Erana joined PU at the end of 2023 to help set James up for success by juggling and balancing his ever-changing life. She is a versatile executive assistant who loves change and has expertise in office management, finance, stakeholder relationship building and global project coordination. She is a self-confessed philomath and has a passion for people, rongoā, collaboration and whakapapa.
Contact edo@previously.co https://www.linkedin.com/in/erana-dobson/ James founded Previously Unavailable in 2014, chasing his passion for helping innovative companies use insightful strategic thinking to create products and brands that become sustainably successful. He chose the name ‘Previously Unavailable’ simply because he loves bringing new things into the world. James was formerly a strategic planner in the advertising industry, where he specialised in innovative marketing and the branding of innovative products and companies. In 2013 he was named the world’s #1 strategic planner. James is the author of The Case for Creativity, a book about how creativity creates business success that The Coca-Cola Company described as ‘beautiful words of wisdom’ and which has been reprinted several times in several languages. He’s also the author of two landmark marketing effectiveness studies, The Effectiveness Code (on behalf of Cannes Lions and WARC) and The B2B Effectiveness Code (on behalf of Linked In’s B2B Institute).
Contact jh@previously.co http://linkedin.com/in/jameshurman/ Henry joined Previously Unavailable in 2022 having spent the last 15 years as a strategist in advertising agencies in London (Fallon & Adam&EveDDB), and most recently Auckland (ColensoBBDO). He spent that time helping some of the world’s biggest companies, and some of the smallest, define and take to market their brilliant brands. He’s a firm believer in the power creative thinking has in solving almost any problem, and it’s this focus that brings him to the brilliant team at Previously Unavailable.
Contact hk@previously.co https://www.linkedin.com/in/henrykozak/ Chris heads up the innovation arm of PU, working with both large corporate clients looking to reinvent and with start-up and scale-up businesses looking to disrupt. His experience spans a wide range of industries and innovation challenges including new product and service design, innovation strategy and innovation model design, ground-up venture builds and solving bespoke innovation challenges, paying special attention to the more technical and commercial aspects essential to making a project, business model, new venture or investment a success. Chris joined Previously Unavailable in 2016 following 4 years in London at the UK’s leading Innovation Consultancy ?What If! Innovation Partners, where he worked with a range of global businesses including EA Games, Jaguar Land Rover, and IHG to set, invent and execute their innovation and venture strategies. Formally trained as a Mechanical Engineer, Chris enjoyed the first 5 years of his career in R&D designing products at Fisher & Paykel Appliances before moving into Management Consulting and M&A with EY, both in Auckland and London.
Contact cp@previously.co http://linkedin.com/in/chrispaykel/ Simon leads up Venture Studio and Brand Fund 1 for Previously, working with startup brands to define, grow, build and fund brands in innovative ways. Prior to joining PU in early 2018, Simon led global brand, creative and communications for Vend, from under $2m ARR to over $20m ARR. Vend recently exited for NZD~$500m. Simon started his career in media & politics reporting and TV production, before becoming a senior brand advertising creative. Simon is co-founder at fashion label Ingrid Starnes and hosts the entrepreneur-focussed Business is Boring podcast for The Spinoff, winner of best business podcast at the 2021 NZ Podcast Awards. Since joining Previously Simon has led brand and positioning work for Compostic, Seachange, GD1, Timely, Starshipit, Brancott Estate, and many other great companies. Areas of specialty include SaaS, high-growth tech exporters, retail, FMCG, wine into international markets, financial services and venture.
Contact sp@previously.co http://linkedin.com/in/simonpound/ Hannah joined the design team at Previously Unavailable in 2020. In 2019, Hannah embarked on a career-changing journey with the World's Greatest Internship Programme. With six other interns from around the world, she interned at three leading brand agencies: Koto London, Prophet New York, Character San Francisco and participated in a workshop at the school for creativity, Factry in Montreal. Hannah is obsessed with the craft of typography. She is passionate about exploring how 3D and motion design can enhance her graphic design practice.
Contact hs@previously.co http://linkedin.com/in/hannah-small-designer Susie joined the Previously team in 2021, bringing with her diverse experience working in strategy at KPMG and starting small-scale ventures in hospitality and retail. Her expertise spans strategic problem-solving in market entry, profitability, customer experience, and supply chain optimisation across prominent New Zealand businesses, including ASB, Turners & Growers, Fisher & Paykel, Forsyth Barr, Fonterra, and Genesis Energy. She merges her corporate background with learnings from launching personal ventures, addressing challenges with a future-thinking mindset and start-up pragmatism. Drawing from her personal interests in visual communication, world-building, and third spaces, she continually learns and explores how these add depth and quality in her approach to innovation.
Contact sw@previously.co http://linkedin.com/in/susiewangnz/ Harry Burt is a key leader in the Venture Studio team, working to design and develop start-up brands and digital and visual assets, and leading digital delivery projects for PU. Prior to joining Previously Harry worked across music, architecture, hospitality, lifestyle and tech as a brand, graphic and digital designer. Harry has been making brands that connect and add to culture his entire career. From launching the digital presence for Parrotdog; to brands, websites and album covers for Sony music artists; to festival branding; to co-founding Blink - the leading print, design and production studio. Over the last five years Harry has delivered and led on a range of PU and portfolio company website and creative asset projects, including for Tracksuit, AF Drinks, GD1 and 10PM.
Contact hb@previously.co http://www.linkedin.com/in/harry--burt/ Phoebe brings brand design passion and expertise to Previously Unavailable, leading a highly creative team who collaborate with all parts of the studio portfolio — from venture and early stage start-ups, established businesses wanting to reinvent, and new product development for corporate clients. Phoebe has been fortunate enough in her career to work at some of the world’s best design companies such as Red Antler in New York and Alt Group here in Tāmaki Makaurau. Phoebe has a long standing relationship with AUT (Auckland University of Technology), contributing her time as a tutor and mentoring undergraduate students. She has been selected as a judge for the DINZ (Designers Institute of NZ) Best Design Awards and the AGDA (Australian Graphic Design Association) Awards.
Contact pd@previously.co http://linkedin.com/in/phoebe-devine-95a01952 Chris joined Previously Unavailable in late 2022 as an Innovation Project Coordinator, bringing with him a wealth of experience and knowledge in business operations. He holds a Bachelor of Commerce majoring in Marketing and Operations & Supply Chain Management from the University of Auckland, and his previous experience as an Operations and Inventory Manager has given him a practical understanding of streamlining processes to maximise efficiency. Chris is passionate about exploring new ideas and pushing boundaries, and he enjoys working collaboratively to bring creative concepts to life.
Contact ce@previously.co https://www.linkedin.com/in/chris-edwards-nzld Philippa joined Previously Unavailable in early 2024 as Senior Producer, building on a 10 year career in the creative industry. Her career spans both London and Auckland in design, digital and advertising agencies, most recently kiwi-owned ad agency Stanley St, working with clients KFC, Briscoes and Rebel Sport. With a Bachelor of Design under her belt, she brings a love for anything design and a hands-on approach to every project.
Contact pj@previously.co https://www.linkedin.com/in/philippa-johnston-5b688366/ Frankie joined the Previously Unavailable team in 2023 after graduating from Massey University majoring in Visual Communication Design with Honours. Frankie is a member of the International Society of Typographic Designers, and in 2023 became a finalist at the Best Awards in the Public Good category. Since starting at Previously Unavailable, Frankie has joined the design team where she is excited about inventing and re-inventing brands to the highest standard through her love of visual problem-solving and creative collaboration. She is constantly inspired by the uncommon range of disciplines PU has to offer, to craft beautiful and future-focused brands.
Contact fm@previously.co https://www.linkedin.com/in/frankiemiddleton/ Tom joined Previously in 2021 as General Manager. Graduate of Parsons The New School for Design in New York, Tom majored in managing creative organisations, and has been on that road for the last decade. Passionate in project management, systems and operations, Tom has helped many companies to streamline their operations and manage the day to day work.
Contact tp@previously.co http://linkedin.com/in/tompek Ria joined the Previously team at the beginning of 2022, starting her internship. Ria is in her third and final year at The University of Auckland, completing a Bachelor of Commerce, majoring in Innovation/Entrepreneurship and Marketing. Ria's past roles have seen her working in the digital marketing space, and she currently supports and manages the PU social media channels. She loves learning as much as possible and is passionate about creative strategy and collaboration.
Contact rs@previously.co https://www.linkedin.com/in/riajsharma/ Phoebe's breadth of experience spans design, advertising and design education. She joined the Previously Unavailable team after working as head of strategy at Wrestler creative agency, collaborating with brands such as Allbirds, and a range of start-ups, businesses and government organisations. Phoebe holds a masters degree in design specialising in design thinking, and spent four years lecturing at Massey University College of Creative Arts. She has also applied her creative skillset living and working in Los Angeles, San Diego, and China. Underlying Phoebe's experience is a motivation to create a positive impact in the world, and she passionately takes a purpose-driven approach to every creative problem she works to solve.
Contact ps@previously.co http://linkedin.com/in/phoebe-j-smith Connor joined Previously Unavailable in 2020 upon returning to NZ after five years of scaling kiwi growth companies globally. He has deep experience running and growing enterprise saas and direct-to-consumer businesses having been COO of Mish Guru and Head of B2B and Business Development for Noissue. Connor started his career as a corporate lawyer at Bell Gully before earning his startup chops working with the Icehouse to launch and run Auckland’s first accelerator program, Lightning Lab. Despite being a bit of an operations nerd, Connor views the world through a creative lens. He truly loves diving into good ideas and turning them into great businesses
Contact connor@gotracksuit.com http://linkedin.com/in/connor-archbold Harry Burt is a key leader in the Venture Studio team, working to design and develop start-up brands and digital and visual assets, and leading digital delivery projects for PU. Prior to joining Previously Harry worked across music, architecture, hospitality, lifestyle and tech as a brand, graphic and digital designer. Harry has been making brands that connect and add to culture his entire career. From launching the digital presence for Parrotdog; to brands, websites and album covers for Sony music artists; to festival branding; to co-founding Blink - the leading print, design and production studio. Over the last five years Harry has delivered and led on a range of PU and portfolio company website and creative asset projects, including for Tracksuit, AF Drinks, GD1 and 10PM.
Contact hb@previously.co http://www.linkedin.com/in/harry--burt/ Ed is a partner in our Innovation Team, and leads many of our new product and service development projects, as well as having a role on the board of PU start-up Ideally. Since joining James & Chris at Previously Unavailable in 2017, Ed has worked on many of our largest client projects, with a keen focus on using research to generate insights and solve tough challenges. His diverse background is rooted in strategy, design, and problem-solving: innovating ways to influence behaviour on social issues with agency Curative, devising digital and creative strategy at Air New Zealand, or consulting for the likes of The Warehouse and Z Energy to evolve their service delivery. Outside of PU, Ed sits on the board of The New Zealand Comedy Trust, and has a keen interest in governance and advisory work – skills he brings to bear on our more complex strategic projects.
Contact ed@previously.co http://linkedin.com/in/edward-j-dever Phoebe brings brand design passion and expertise to Previously Unavailable, leading a highly creative team who collaborate with all parts of the studio portfolio — from venture and early stage start-ups, established businesses wanting to reinvent, and new product development for corporate clients. Phoebe has been fortunate enough in her career to work at some of the world’s best design companies such as Red Antler in New York and Alt Group here in Tāmaki Makaurau. Phoebe has a long standing relationship with AUT (Auckland University of Technology), contributing her time as a tutor and mentoring undergraduate students. She has been selected as a judge for the DINZ (Designers Institute of NZ) Best Design Awards and the AGDA (Australian Graphic Design Association) Awards.
Contact pd@previously.co http://linkedin.com/in/phoebe-devine-95a01952 Erana joined PU at the end of 2023 to help set James up for success by juggling and balancing his ever-changing life. She is a versatile executive assistant who loves change and has expertise in office management, finance, stakeholder relationship building and global project coordination. She is a self-confessed philomath and has a passion for people, rongoā, collaboration and whakapapa.
Contact edo@previously.co https://www.linkedin.com/in/erana-dobson/ Chris joined Previously Unavailable in late 2022 as an Innovation Project Coordinator, bringing with him a wealth of experience and knowledge in business operations. He holds a Bachelor of Commerce majoring in Marketing and Operations & Supply Chain Management from the University of Auckland, and his previous experience as an Operations and Inventory Manager has given him a practical understanding of streamlining processes to maximise efficiency. Chris is passionate about exploring new ideas and pushing boundaries, and he enjoys working collaboratively to bring creative concepts to life.
Contact ce@previously.co https://www.linkedin.com/in/chris-edwards-nzld James founded Previously Unavailable in 2014, chasing his passion for helping innovative companies use insightful strategic thinking to create products and brands that become sustainably successful. He chose the name ‘Previously Unavailable’ simply because he loves bringing new things into the world. James was formerly a strategic planner in the advertising industry, where he specialised in innovative marketing and the branding of innovative products and companies. In 2013 he was named the world’s #1 strategic planner. James is the author of The Case for Creativity, a book about how creativity creates business success that The Coca-Cola Company described as ‘beautiful words of wisdom’ and which has been reprinted several times in several languages. He’s also the author of two landmark marketing effectiveness studies, The Effectiveness Code (on behalf of Cannes Lions and WARC) and The B2B Effectiveness Code (on behalf of Linked In’s B2B Institute).
Contact jh@previously.co http://linkedin.com/in/jameshurman/ Philippa joined Previously Unavailable in early 2024 as Senior Producer, building on a 10 year career in the creative industry. Her career spans both London and Auckland in design, digital and advertising agencies, most recently kiwi-owned ad agency Stanley St, working with clients KFC, Briscoes and Rebel Sport. With a Bachelor of Design under her belt, she brings a love for anything design and a hands-on approach to every project.
Contact pj@previously.co https://www.linkedin.com/in/philippa-johnston-5b688366/ Henry joined Previously Unavailable in 2022 having spent the last 15 years as a strategist in advertising agencies in London (Fallon & Adam&EveDDB), and most recently Auckland (ColensoBBDO). He spent that time helping some of the world’s biggest companies, and some of the smallest, define and take to market their brilliant brands. He’s a firm believer in the power creative thinking has in solving almost any problem, and it’s this focus that brings him to the brilliant team at Previously Unavailable.
Contact hk@previously.co https://www.linkedin.com/in/henrykozak/ Frankie joined the Previously Unavailable team in 2023 after graduating from Massey University majoring in Visual Communication Design with Honours. Frankie is a member of the International Society of Typographic Designers, and in 2023 became a finalist at the Best Awards in the Public Good category. Since starting at Previously Unavailable, Frankie has joined the design team where she is excited about inventing and re-inventing brands to the highest standard through her love of visual problem-solving and creative collaboration. She is constantly inspired by the uncommon range of disciplines PU has to offer, to craft beautiful and future-focused brands.
Contact fm@previously.co https://www.linkedin.com/in/frankiemiddleton/ Chris heads up the innovation arm of PU, working with both large corporate clients looking to reinvent and with start-up and scale-up businesses looking to disrupt. His experience spans a wide range of industries and innovation challenges including new product and service design, innovation strategy and innovation model design, ground-up venture builds and solving bespoke innovation challenges, paying special attention to the more technical and commercial aspects essential to making a project, business model, new venture or investment a success. Chris joined Previously Unavailable in 2016 following 4 years in London at the UK’s leading Innovation Consultancy ?What If! Innovation Partners, where he worked with a range of global businesses including EA Games, Jaguar Land Rover, and IHG to set, invent and execute their innovation and venture strategies. Formally trained as a Mechanical Engineer, Chris enjoyed the first 5 years of his career in R&D designing products at Fisher & Paykel Appliances before moving into Management Consulting and M&A with EY, both in Auckland and London.
Contact cp@previously.co http://linkedin.com/in/chrispaykel/ Tom joined Previously in 2021 as General Manager. Graduate of Parsons The New School for Design in New York, Tom majored in managing creative organisations, and has been on that road for the last decade. Passionate in project management, systems and operations, Tom has helped many companies to streamline their operations and manage the day to day work.
Contact tp@previously.co http://linkedin.com/in/tompek Simon leads up Venture Studio and Brand Fund 1 for Previously, working with startup brands to define, grow, build and fund brands in innovative ways. Prior to joining PU in early 2018, Simon led global brand, creative and communications for Vend, from under $2m ARR to over $20m ARR. Vend recently exited for NZD~$500m. Simon started his career in media & politics reporting and TV production, before becoming a senior brand advertising creative. Simon is co-founder at fashion label Ingrid Starnes and hosts the entrepreneur-focussed Business is Boring podcast for The Spinoff, winner of best business podcast at the 2021 NZ Podcast Awards. Since joining Previously Simon has led brand and positioning work for Compostic, Seachange, GD1, Timely, Starshipit, Brancott Estate, and many other great companies. Areas of specialty include SaaS, high-growth tech exporters, retail, FMCG, wine into international markets, financial services and venture.
Contact sp@previously.co http://linkedin.com/in/simonpound/ Ria joined the Previously team at the beginning of 2022, starting her internship. Ria is in her third and final year at The University of Auckland, completing a Bachelor of Commerce, majoring in Innovation/Entrepreneurship and Marketing. Ria's past roles have seen her working in the digital marketing space, and she currently supports and manages the PU social media channels. She loves learning as much as possible and is passionate about creative strategy and collaboration.
Contact rs@previously.co https://www.linkedin.com/in/riajsharma/ Hannah joined the design team at Previously Unavailable in 2020. In 2019, Hannah embarked on a career-changing journey with the World's Greatest Internship Programme. With six other interns from around the world, she interned at three leading brand agencies: Koto London, Prophet New York, Character San Francisco and participated in a workshop at the school for creativity, Factry in Montreal. Hannah is obsessed with the craft of typography. She is passionate about exploring how 3D and motion design can enhance her graphic design practice.
Contact hs@previously.co http://linkedin.com/in/hannah-small-designer Phoebe's breadth of experience spans design, advertising and design education. She joined the Previously Unavailable team after working as head of strategy at Wrestler creative agency, collaborating with brands such as Allbirds, and a range of start-ups, businesses and government organisations. Phoebe holds a masters degree in design specialising in design thinking, and spent four years lecturing at Massey University College of Creative Arts. She has also applied her creative skillset living and working in Los Angeles, San Diego, and China. Underlying Phoebe's experience is a motivation to create a positive impact in the world, and she passionately takes a purpose-driven approach to every creative problem she works to solve.
Contact ps@previously.co http://linkedin.com/in/phoebe-j-smith Susie joined the Previously team in 2021, bringing with her diverse experience working in strategy at KPMG and starting small-scale ventures in hospitality and retail. Her expertise spans strategic problem-solving in market entry, profitability, customer experience, and supply chain optimisation across prominent New Zealand businesses, including ASB, Turners & Growers, Fisher & Paykel, Forsyth Barr, Fonterra, and Genesis Energy. She merges her corporate background with learnings from launching personal ventures, addressing challenges with a future-thinking mindset and start-up pragmatism. Drawing from her personal interests in visual communication, world-building, and third spaces, she continually learns and explores how these add depth and quality in her approach to innovation.
Contact sw@previously.co http://linkedin.com/in/susiewangnz/
Our Ponsonby studio space was designed by the Previously team to enhance the wellbeing, mood & productivity of the people within it — using thoughtful lighting, planting, scent, sound and spatial design.
