Our team

There are teams. Then there are real teams — groups of people who have known and worked with each other for many years. By choice.

“The personal service is excellent. A real team spirit. A small company with huge personality that cares.” Alison Macleod — Managing Director, Talisman, October 2004

Giraffe defines the real team. For example, Kim and Maria have worked together for 12 years; Jim, Kim, David and Maria for eight; Jim and Maria have worked with Steve for seven years, while Kim and Maria Banner first worked together in 2000. And so on.

While this is all very nice (although we do, after so long together, occasionally have our “moments”) there are real benefits for you. Apart from the (very important) guarantee of continuity, we know how we all work, we know our systems inside out, we know each other very well. No surprise, then, that virtually every Giraffe customer survey mentions our speed, our accuracy, our togetherness as well as – and we are very proud of this – the fact that people seem to really enjoy working with us.

 

jim

Jim Shannon, Managing and Creative Director

Jim graduated in Graphic Design and Illustration from Brighton University, which is ranked amongst the top colleges in the world in these disciplines. After working for the Spectator, Harper Collins as well as London Evening Standard and as an art director, designer and illustrator for charity, music, publishing and retail clients, he joined Kim and Maria in September 1998. Jim is the third co-founder of Giraffe. Jim’s passion is travel and he’s visited 36 different countries, across all continents, even though he’s wise enough to be scared stiff of flying.


Maria Manzo, Client Services Director

Maria has worked in recruitment advertising for nearly 21 years at six different agencies, although the last 12 years have been alongside Kim. A co-founder of Giraffe, her key strength is an unparalleled service ethic which has seen her lose only one client in the last eleven years. The client came back within three months and is still with us seven years later. Maria loves fast cars, has a real passion for Formula One and is our Company Secretary.

 

izzy

Izzy Glanville, Graphic Designer and Web Programmer

Qualified in Graphic Design as well as Printing and Publishing Production, Izzy joined us in mid 2004 from a successful web design and development company. We get maybe 10 CVs a week from designers but there was something about Izzy’s that made us see her. We can’t remember what. Izzy’s main outside interests are horse riding and travel. She is also a keen snow boarder so it’s really lucky she lives in London.

 

kimKim Jones, Regional and New Business Director

After reading Law at Oxford, Kim qualified as a Barrister and then a Chartered Accountant with Arthur Andersen(!). He subsequently held several senior finance roles in advertising, including European Financial Controller of Ted Bates, before moving into "real" advertising when he became President and Chief Financial Officer of MDK Boston (USA) in 1988. In 1995, with Maria Manzo, he set up the UK office of a USA-owned agency which he ran until deciding to set up Giraffe where he concentrates on copywriting and new business. Kim, a former Oxford blue, has played Welsh league football and was once chosen to play cricket for Northern Nigeria. He’s just bought a converted barn in Shropshire and, frankly, won't stop going on about it. 

 

steve

Steve Newman, Print Consultant

Steve qualified in machine printing after five years training at the Berkshire College of Art which he followed up with a full apprenticeship. He now has 18 years' experience in the trade — experience he has passed on running courses in the United States and Australia. Steve's expertise ensures we can deliver superb quality print to deadline — even with demanding technical work.


thelma

Thelma, Head of Security

The larger (ahem) of Kim’s two Scotties, Thelma, our mascot, is a natural guard dog, as long as this doesn’t actually involve confronting anything. The slightest movement or noise outside (particularly aircraft - which is just great given Kim lives near City Airport) and she’s off, barking, hollering and howling, which makes quite a racket, even from her hiding place, behind the sofa. She shares many qualities with the Giraffe (not height), particularly loyalty, even temper and a tendency to think a lot - mainly about her next meal, which largely explains her ample figure.

 

louise

Louise, Part-time Receptionist

Friendly and sweet, Louise, our other mascot, is a natural “meeter and greeter” who’d work full-time if she didn’t constantly fall asleep on the job. Underneath her happy exterior lies the heart of a lion. No dog should ever truck with Lou Lou when she’s playing with her toys (the still-stunned Doberman Pincher next door will vouch for that) although, on the other hand, she did recently come off a poor second best in a skirmish with her mortal enemy, the squirrel (or, as she calls them, since this embarrassment, “the vicious rats with the deceptive fluffy tails”).

 

you

You

We are always interested to hear from talented, nice people, whether you are from the industry or not, so feel free to tell us about yourself. For a wider range of jobs in recruitment advertising, with other agencies ("Grumble"), we recommend www.ri5.co.uk