Our Vision - VCCP website

Our Vision

At VCCP we pride ourselves on creating innovative and exciting advertising that transforms the fortunes of brands.

At VCCP, our challenger attitude transforms the fortunes of our clients. For example, we helped O2 become market leaders within three years of launching. And once we started working with easyJet, their share price flew up from £4 to £14. 

We have a motto: It only works if it all works, which is why we involve ourselves in far more than just advertising. With a thorough understanding of each client’s business, we can challenge what’s around it, and then transform it.

Of course, it’s not all about business. We love to be lauded with creative awards and are proud of our ever-increasing haul. Time and time again, we’ve seen a direct link between our award-winning work and the upturn in the fortunes of clients who ran it. So here’s another little motto: Good work works. 

Be On Time Be on time
Be Honest Be honest
Be Approachable Be approachable
Be Happy Be happy
Be Clear Be clear
Be Agile Be agile
Be Lean Be lean
Be Proud Be proud
Be Responsible Be responsible
Be Unprecious Be unprecious

Founding Partners

Illustration of Charles Vallance

Charles Vallance Chairman & Founding Partner

Charles is a brand strategist who began his advertising apprenticeship at Burkitt’s, working subsequently at BBH and WCRS. In 2002 he decided to start working for himself and, along with his three partners (Rooney Carruthers, Adrian Coleman and Ian Priest), set up VCCP. Their founding client was O2, to whom they are eternally grateful. Over the last two decades, Charles has worked on and, in some cases, helped launch a diverse range of brands including O2, ING, Hiscox, easyJet, Canon, Cadbury, Domino’s, Dyson, Vitality, and Virgin Media.

Outside of work Charles doggedly pursues a variety of sports including cricket, tennis, football, golf, skiing and snooker, all at a consistently low standard. Charles is a Trustee for The Fred Foundation, is co-author of a book called The Branded Gentry, and has been a regular columnist for Campaign Magazine for a number of years.

Illustration of Adrian Coleman

Adrian Coleman Executive Chairman & Founding Partner

Adrian is a Director of Chime Communications and is a member of the Marketing Society. Adrian Coleman co-founded VCCP around Charles Vallance’s kitchen table, united in a desire to challenge the bad habits of the industry. Over the past 21 years, in his capacity as Group CEO, Adrian has grown VCCP from an agency of four to over 1100 people, with 8 offices across the Globe and 19 specialist capabilities. As one of the UK’s most in demand agencies, VCCP reached a huge milestone in 2023, being named the UK’s biggest creative agency by billings. Adrian continues to drive VCCP’s challenger spirit helping brands such as Virgin Media O2, Cadbury, comparethemarket.com, Domino’s,TfL and easyJet to transform their business.

Group management

Illustration of Michael Sugden

Michael Sugden Co-CEO

Michael joined VCCP on its first day of business in 2002, becoming VCCP Managing Director in 2006, VCCP CEO in 2012 and VCCP Group CEO 2024.

During his time at VCCP Michael has been privileged to work with many of our client partners including O2, Virgin Media, Google, Telefonica, Sage, T-Mobile, Microsoft, Formula E, Coca-Cola and Macmillan among others. The proudest part of his career is being part of the team that built the VCCP Group from an idea to a 1,500-strong agency in eight offices around the world.

Michael has deep experience in the tech and telco sectors in addition to establishing and growing VCCP’s digital specialisms. Michael is also founder and CEO of faith, the VCCP Group’s AI capability. In addition Michael is a Director for the charity Health Improvement Project Zanzibar.

Outside of work and family Michael has raced motorbikes across the Sahara, trekked to the magnetic North Pole and led expeditions across the Himalaya, Andes and Tanami desert.

Illustration of Julian Douglas

Julian Douglas Co-CEO

Dougie (as he is called by everyone except his parents) has over 25 years experience in the industry, cutting his teeth at WCRS, BBH, TBWA and Grey before joining VCCP in 2008 to lead the agency’s founding account, O2. 

Today, as Group CEO, Dougie spearheads VCCP’s international expansion, opening offices in New York, Singapore and Shanghai to service regional and global clients including White Claw, Mondelẽz, Canon, Google and PepsiCo.

A passionate believer in advertising as a force for good, he is the Chair of the UK Advertising Export Group (UKAEG), an active member of the Institute of Practitioners in Advertising (IPA) Council where he was IPA President 2021-2023, sits on the Meta Advisory Council and is Chair of Black Representation in Marketing (BRiM).

Beyond the industry, he is an Independent Trustee at the Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC) and Co-Founder of Lucky Voice, the UK’s premier private karaoke company that he launched with VCCP’s Global CSO Jonny Shaw in 2006.

Illustration of Darren Bailes

Darren Bailes Global CCO

Darren started his career at WCRS creating award-winning work for Speedo, funny work for Butterkist, and launched Sega Dreamcast across Europe. He then moved to DDB London. But not for long. Next was a seven-year stint at Mother. Pimm’s, ITV Digital, PG Tips, Schweppes, Magic FM and Yellow Pages were all hits.
 
In 2008 Darren moved to be the creative lead of VCCP with the desire to create more famous and much loved advertising that populated culture.
 
VCCP’s comparethemarket.com launched in 2009 and is still the nation’s favourite campaign. He encouraged everyone to ‘be more dog’ for O2. Nationwide Building Society lets the nation speak about the issues that matter most with our ‘Spoken word’ work. And more recently he’s put Cadbury back in the nations hearts with ‘there’s a glass & a half in everyone’. The Cadbury work is rolling out around the world to great effect. 

Illustration of Michael Lee

Michael Lee Chief Strategy Officer

Michael Lee has been Chief Strategy Officer of the VCCP Partnership since 2013. He has played a major role in the dramatic growth of the agency to become the UK’s Number 1 agency, with an exceptional roster of clients including Cadbury, O2, compare the market, Walkers, Canon and easyJet. In January 2023, he was ranked the UK ad industry’s No.1 Strategist by the trade publication Campaign.

He has won numerous creative and effectiveness awards including the European Effie Grand Prix, and the Marketing Society’s Long Term Effectiveness Award for his work on transforming the commercial fortunes of easyJet. He now oversees a team of over 70 strategists across 8 offices worldwide, with a diverse range of skillsets ranging from brand strategy to data analytics and performance marketing.

In 2021, Michael set up VCCP Stoke Academy as one of the co-Founders, a commitment to increasing awareness, create work experience opportunities and jobs in the creative industry in a part of the country where few opportunities exist for talented, creatively-minded young adults struggle to break into our industry.

He has spoken at numerous events including Cannes Lions, Contagious and MAD/fest on a wide range of subjects from innovation in the field of emotional response research to fostering a challenger culture through strong brand positioning. Michael is also an advisor for the BAME2020 initiative, and a guest lecturer for the Cambridge University Judge Business School.

He is currently Chair of the APG, the organization that represents strategists and planners across the marketing industry and runs the prestigious APG Creative Strategy Awards. His mission is to increase the social diversity of entry level planners and also broaden the APG’s membership to include the diversifying career paths of strategists into client, tech and PR businesses.




Illustration of David Boscawen

David Boscawen Group Managing Director

David started out in advertising at Young and Rubicam, working on accounts such as Heinz Baked Beans, British Gas, Smirnoff, Royal Navy & Royal Marines Recruitment and Legal and General. After seven years he went to McCann-Erickson where he became a Managing Partner of the London office for nine years and won and ran clients such as Esso, Bacardi, Coca-Cola and the Irish Tourist Board, as well as working on Nestle, CGU and Bacardi.

He then joined Lowe worldwide for five years, where he was the Global Business Director on Nokia and Electrolux before joining VCCP, where he is the Group Managing Director. He is married and has three teenage children.

David went to the University of Durham where he studied Greek & Roman Civilisation, Russian Studies and Anthropology.

Illustration of Stephanie Brimacombe

Stephanie Brimacombe Global Chief Growth Officer & CEO, EMEA

Stephanie began her career in Marketing and PR specialising in the luxury travel and property industry. After 6 years she left her position as business director at travel PR agency Mason Rose to focus full-time on the marketing consultancy she co-founded in 2009, Cicada Marketing. Later in 2010 Stephanie raced to the North Pole, becoming the fastest woman ever to do so while raising £50,000 for Mencap.

It was on this trip that she met Michael Sugden and Andrew Peake, CEO and MD of VCCP. Stephanie joined the global independent advertising network in late 2010 as Marketing and New Business Director and is now CEO of Europe and Global Chief Growth Officer. In her dual role Stephanie is accountable for all things new business, marketing and PR across VCCP’s eight global offices and driving growth for its client list that includes founding client o2, Google, Cadbury, LinkedIn, TfL and White Claw, among many other household names. In addition to her role at VCCP, Stephanie is also the Managing Director of VCCP’s parent company, Chime.

Stephanie has been a board member of The Marketing Society since 2016 and recently joined the board of trustees for The Prince’s Countryside Fund; the only UK-wide charity that empowers family farms and rural communities to ensure their future, which was founded by HRH The Prince of Wales.

Illustration of Jo Parker

Jo Parker ​Group COO & Group CEO, VCCP Business

Jo has over 25 years’ experience in the industry, working both client side, as well as co-founding an agency which was acquired by the Group, which is when she joined the team. Since then, she has built and led a division of six specialist award-winning agencies as Group CEO of VCCP Business, covering B2B marketing and PR in high growth sectors, spanning nine different international locations from San Francisco, London, Singapore to Sydney. She still works and advises clients both in the UK and internationally.

She has recently become VCCP’s Group COO, leading the transformation of operations as the Group continues to grow internationally as the challenger network. She passionately believes that values drive value and is leading the group’s sustainability strategy. She is a trustee of The Climate Group and on the Women in Business Group for the DofE as well as a member of WACL.

Raj Dadra Group CFO

Raj Dadra is the Group CFO. He joined VCCP in 2018 having previously worked at GCI, Cohn & Wolfe, Fleishman Hillard, G2, Geometry Global and Ogilvy. With over twenty years’ experience he has worked in UK, Regional and Global finance roles in addition to being the client finance lead for one of WPP’s biggest clients. Raj is the Chair of the Audit & Risk Committee for the British Science Association, the BSA is a charity, founded in 1831 and incorporated by Royal Charter. The mission of the BSA is to transform the diversity and inclusivity of science; to reach under-served audiences; and increase the number of people who are actively engaged and involved in science.