I help businesses think more clearly about how they show up. And make sure the creative work actually moves them forward.

I'm Howard de Smet. Creative Director, currently leading the creative team at Rothschild & Co across EMEA.

Before that: agencies including WCRS and Huge, a fast-growing holiday brand where I learned what business really feels like at ground level, and a handful of founders building something from nothing under serious pressure. Different environments. Different stakes. Same question every time. Is this work actually doing something, or is it just filling space?

I started in craft. Design, art direction, big ideas. I still care deeply about that. But my job now is different. It's about setting direction before execution. Asking harder questions before approving easy answers. Building teams that know what they're doing and why it matters.

I don't think I'm right about everything. I've learned more from being wrong than from being right, and I'm still learning. But I believe in high standards, clear thinking, and work that holds up commercially as well as creatively.

Here's where that thinking has been put to work.

Leading a creative reset inside one of the world's most respected financial institutions.
Read about Rothschild & Co →

Helping a growing holiday brand find its voice, its audience, and its confidence.
Read about Lovat Parks →

Getting under the skin of early stage founders and giving them something to build from.
Read about the brand work →

If any of that sounds like the kind of person you want in the room, let's talk on LinkedIn →