My Other Life is a new NDA column that steps outside the day job. In each column, we ask someone from across the digital media space about the hobby, passion project or side hustle they pursue when they’re not in the office
What is your day job?
My career has taken me around most corners of the advertising industry over the last 20+ years. From a digital standpoint, I cut my teeth at the Guardian back in 2007 – part of the small “new media” team where I launched the Guardian’s first ad networks. From there I worked for indy trading desks during the RTB/programmatic boom across adtech and data companies like Hitwise. Big tech with Amazon and, most recently, driving global new business agency-side.
The common thread throughout has always been growth, new logos and great vibes. Building commercial strategy, opening doors and winning net-new clients. I’ve been fortunate enough to build a pretty extensive network over the years, and now I’m particularly interested in businesses that have something genuinely good but need help turning that into repeatable commercial growth. Whether that’s as part of a leadership team or working directly with founders.
I’m who you bring in when you’ve got something good and need more people to buy it.
What’s the “other life” you lead outside the industry?
I’ve been around the houses on this one. Outside of my family and work, there are three things that take up a lot of my life: mentoring, motorcycles and rescue greyhounds.
The first two probably wouldn’t surprise many people in the industry. I talk quite openly about mentoring, and it’s fairly difficult to hide the motorcycle thing when you turn up to meetings carrying a helmet.
What people probably don’t know is that, as a family, we’re huge supporters of rescue greyhounds.
How did you get into it, and how long have you been doing it?
It started during lockdown. We’re one of those statistics who thought, “We’ve got loads of time at home, let’s get a dog.”
We were adamant that we wanted to rescue. We knew nothing about greyhounds, and initially I found them pretty intimidating. They’re big dogs and my main idea of them was racing.
Then we got into researching and discovered their nature couldn’t be further from what I’d imagined. They’re such gentle, calm and loving dogs.
We started visiting greyhound rescue centres and taking dogs out for walks and eventually were matched with Harry, a big, four-year-old black ex-racer.
Harry came home with us in 2020 and became an incredible part of our family. He came everywhere with us. Camping in Cornwall, hiking in the Lake District, family trips, everywhere. He was our third son.
We lost Harry just before Christmas 2025 to cancer and were absolutely destroyed. After Harry, we started fostering greyhounds for short periods – bringing them home, giving them a break from kennel life and introducing them to family life. Which eventually led us to Percy, another ex-racer, who came to live with us at Easter.
How much time does it take up in a typical week?
Greyhounds are surprisingly easy dogs to live with. In many ways they’re basically big cats that you can walk.
Percy gets his walks every day (a couple of 30-minute walks is enough but he’s happy to go longer), but otherwise he’s asleep somewhere soft. He wakes up for food, walks and belly rubs and then returns to flopping on the sofa. Legs up in the air.
There’s something lovely about an animal capable of running at 40mph spending its retirement horizontal.
What’s the biggest misconception people have about it?
Given they’re ex-racers, there is a misconception that they need to run and must need enormous amounts of exercise.
They really don’t.
They’re such quiet, gentle dogs and, in our experience, so easy to have around the house. They don’t tend to bark too much and don’t shed anywhere given their short fur.
However, when a greyhound first comes into a home, normal family life is completely new to them. Stairs. Sofas. Kitchens. Food being cooked. Washing machines. TVs. Children. Different breeds of dog.
You’re introducing an adult animal to experiences most family pets have known since they were puppies. But watching them gradually discover the world is the most rewarding thing.
Has it taught you anything actually useful in your day job?
Calm.
When Harry first came home, our boys were still young and we all had to learn to lower the volume a little. These dogs are initially nervous around unfamiliar noises and situations, so you learn not to overreact and give them time and space to work things out.
There are probably some useful lessons for work in there too: patience, empathy, reading behaviour, building trust and creating psychological safety.
You can’t demand their trust. You create the right environment and allow it to develop.
Watching that happen with a rescue dog and seeing them relax, gain confidence and eventually realise that this is their home is incredible.
What’s the proudest moment you’ve had doing it?
I don’t think there’s one particular moment. It’s simply giving these dogs the opportunity to live as pets.
Go to any greyhound rescue centre, and you’ll see how many are waiting for homes. So many get overlooked because they’re big. Some because they’re older. Some because they’re nervous and need a little more patience. And some because they’re competing with a lot of small, fluffy dogs.
Giving Harry five brilliant years as part of our family, fostering after we lost him and now watching Percy settle into family life feels pretty good.
Does anyone at work know about it — and what was their reaction when they found out?
Some do, but it’s definitely less well known than my love for motorcycles.
The funny thing is that once people actually spend some time with a greyhound, their perception tends to change very quickly.
People meet Percy, see what he’s like and suddenly start talking about whether they could have one themselves.
If reading this has made you curious about giving one of these loving dogs the chance to be a pet, please find your local kennels. I can recommend a visit to https://www.hershamhounds.
Feel free to reach out on LinkedIn if you’re curious about these lovely hounds or have any questions!
