Making 

work 

matter

.

Work matters.

To you, to your people, and to us.

We’re building a business where our own experiences at work inspire what we do every day for our clients. A worklife communications agency grounded in strategy, creativity and adventure, but where real-life relationships win above all else.

Welcome to Emblaze.

Elevating your
worklife experience

From employer brand to financial education, wellbeing and reward, we sit at the heart of worklife experience. We use strategic communication to make an impact, breathing new life into the employee journey and creating meaning through clarity, consistency and relevance.

Consultative thinking

Our approach is built on years of experience addressing client challenges and collaborating with the best in our industries. These insights enable us to consult across the breadth of worklife communication, bringing deeper expertise and having a greater impact on those we work with.

World-class creative

Our love for what we do can be felt through our exceptional standards of design, with every identity, animation and humble slide given a distinct level of finesse. With general creation now more accessible, we believe in the power of premium design to influence behaviours, stir emotion and build pride.

proposition
identity
narrative
research
strategy
brand
content
training
marketing
design
events
motion
digital
experience

Highly skilled

We redefine company narratives, create career-igniting brands, and make people smile with moments designed to connect emotionally. We work on multi-year transformation projects, short-term in-house support, and long-standing service retainers. The world of worklife experience is only bound by your imagination, we are too.

Our clients matter

We make things easy

We like things to run smoothly, paying attention to every little detail that could prevent us from achieving great things together. By flexing to the needs of every client and keeping things simple, we ensure everyone can stay focused on delivering their best work.

We're always positive

When it comes to working under pressure, we’re all in. We understand the demands of the workplace and are well-versed in the complexities of our space. But we love what we do and our reassuring optimism lifts every challenge, no matter how difficult.

We're thoughtful

As thinkers, we listen, constructively challenge, and seek to elevate every part of the relationship. We care deeply about our work and even more so our clients, creating an emotional connection that gives us meaning and a real sense of pride in what we do.

We believe in quality

We aspire to be remarkable in everything we do and understand that our value reaches beyond our work. We have exceptionally high standards – pushing each other, investing time in our relationships, and holding ourselves accountable for working to the highest level.

Individually empowered, collectively strong

We’re building a team of experts, unencumbered by complex hierarchy and processes, with the autonomy to do what’s right for our clients. Yet our strength lies in unity, sharing responsibility, taking advantage of diverse thinking, and engaging the full capabilities of our team.

VISION

Stephen Willard

Director | Author | Worklife Discovery

An experienced agency leader, people engagement specialist, author and creative strategist, Stephen drives the vision running through Emblaze.

Starting out in recruitment advertising and then employer branding, Stephen spent much of his early career building creative teams in employee benefits communication, servicing some of the world’s leading employers.

But it’s in his era as a workplace consultant, spending time nurturing board-level conversation, that he began to identify the effects that perceived trivialities among people could have on the commercial success of a company. Tuning into the subtleties of internal conversation to help uncover the true essence of a company and empowered with insights across the spectrum of work and life, Stephen saw a more imaginative way of engaging companies and their people and began forming a new type of engagement provider in Emblaze.

Central to Stephen’s career has been a recurring intrigue in the relationship between people and company; identity and career; love and necessity. And, through his persona as a published author, he adopts imaginative literature as a means to express his fascination with human behaviour.

SERVICE

Jess Richards

Client Experience | Marketing

A specialist in client service, Jess has a decade of working in marketing intelligence and a track record for building relationships through her expertise in account-based experience and events.

She is a proactive curator of communication, working with our clients to balance project delivery with wider company objectives and strategy. It requires a broad skillset and sees her playing the varied roles of guide, co-ordinator, counsel, and colleague on a daily basis. She is also the link between client and creation – working with our world-class designers to articulate strategic deliverables into stunning communications.

Operating at business case level or providing hands-on tactical communication, Jess leads projects across the breadth of worklife experience: from EVP and benefits to retirement and wellbeing. And with her solid background in strategic marketing, she brings fresh thinking, added depth, and a focus on measuring impact.

Whether enhancing the employer brand, managing the intricacies of client deadlines, or creating a compelling narrative, Jess is driven to enrich the employee experience and create lasting memories in work and life.

CREATIVE

Caroline Thompson

Creative Director

As a leading Creative Director in pensions and benefits for almost 20 years and with a rapidly emerging reputation in the broader space of worklife experience, Caroline is the imagination behind some of the industry's standout visual identities.

Her signature eye for balancing colour and an elegant approach to typography, coupled with her deep understanding of brand strategy, enables Caroline to compose beautiful aesthetics that inspire her mentees and give clients the fortitude to stretch the realms of their creative.

CREATIVE

Katie Baxter

Employer Brand Designer | Wellbeing Lead

A creative purist, Katie’s wilful obsession with design sees her express her creativity in all areas of her life. At work, she’s a prolific visualiser of stunning brand identities and glorious suites of collateral.

While away from work, she nourishes her creative attributes, taking design back to its roots through her passion for craft – specifically line art – which she creates for personal fulfilment as well as to support her community.

OPERATIONS

Morgan Kelly

Operational Performance

A specialist in business management and operations, Morgan optimises core functions across Emblaze in areas such as financial management, legal, HR and wellbeing.

A key point of coordination, her unique overview enables the wider team to perform as a cohesive unit, optimising the flow of client requests and always engaging in the internal conversation.

STRATEGY

Neil Strong

Director | Worklife Experience Consultant

A multi-disciplined employee communication specialist and business leader, Neil integrated his consultancy into Emblaze in 2022 to co-create the new look business as it is today.

For almost 20 years, Neil has worked with some of the world’s leading organisations across the spectrum of worklife experience, providing senior strategy and hands-on tactical communication expertise in areas such as EVP, reward and benefits, retirement, talent development, wellbeing, and complex change.

His work has seen him build strong relationships with senior leaders in the UK and the US, as well as be invited to speak at conferences and events, contribute to industry steering groups and evaluate international award submissions.

Prior to integrating with Emblaze, Neil spent six years on the leadership team of one of the world’s largest and most respected employee experience agencies, before establishing his own independent consultancy in early 2021. His integration with Emblaze sees the creation of a more comprehensive full-service proposition, underpinned by world-class creativity and imagination.

INNOVATION

Merlyn Jeffery

Digital Experience Design Strategist

An expert in digital workplace experience who has advised numerous corporate employers as they navigate their approach to worklife experience during times of change.

Merlyn has a particular focus on behavioural psychology, coupled with an ambition to bring consumer-grade excellence to the employee experience and engagement space.

DIGITAL

Molly Dennis

Digital Experience Designer

Molly has a determined eye for digital edge. With a spectrum of skills covering user experience, interface design and motion, Molly is most at home when exploring the psychological triggers that motivate certain behaviours.

Her passion for exciting experiences and beautiful design, coupled with her desire to influence, sees her flourish when presenting her concepts to clients as she continues to emerge as a next-generation digital consultant.

DIGITAL

Katie Hamilton

Employee Experience Designer

Katie is a passionate designer who believes that design has the power to tap into our subconscious minds, evoking emotional responses that can shape our perceptions of the world around us.

With a skill set including 3D modelling, motion graphics, audio, and video editing she explores the psychology of colour, shape, and visual language to create designs that communicate on a deeper level. She is always looking for new challenges and opportunities to push the boundaries of what’s possible, with a sharp eye for detail and a commitment to excellence. Inspired by sustainability and wellbeing, Katie strives to create work that not only looks great but also has a positive impact on the world around us.

Stephen Willard

Director | Author | Worklife Discovery

An experienced agency leader, people engagement specialist, author and creative strategist, Stephen drives the vision running through Emblaze.

Starting out in recruitment advertising and then employer branding, Stephen spent much of his early career building creative teams in employee benefits communication, servicing some of the world’s leading employers.

But it’s in his era as a workplace consultant, spending time nurturing board-level conversation, that he began to identify the effects that perceived trivialities among people could have on the commercial success of a company. Tuning into the subtleties of internal conversation to help uncover the true essence of a company and empowered with insights across the spectrum of work and life, Stephen saw a more imaginative way of engaging companies and their people and began forming a new type of engagement provider in Emblaze.

Central to Stephen’s career has been a recurring intrigue in the relationship between people and company; identity and career; love and necessity. And, through his persona as a published author, he adopts imaginative literature as a means to express his fascination with human behaviour.

Neil Strong

Director | Worklife Experience Consultant

A multi-disciplined employee communication specialist and business leader, Neil integrated his consultancy into Emblaze in 2022 to co-create the new look business as it is today.

For almost 20 years, Neil has worked with some of the world’s leading organisations across the spectrum of worklife experience, providing senior strategy and hands-on tactical communication expertise in areas such as EVP, reward and benefits, retirement, talent development, wellbeing, and complex change.

His work has seen him build strong relationships with senior leaders in the UK and the US, as well as be invited to speak at conferences and events, contribute to industry steering groups and evaluate international award submissions.

Prior to integrating with Emblaze, Neil spent six years on the leadership team of one of the world’s largest and most respected employee experience agencies, before establishing his own independent consultancy in early 2021. His integration with Emblaze sees the creation of a more comprehensive full-service proposition, underpinned by world-class creativity and imagination.

Jess Richards

Client Experience | Marketing

A specialist in client service, Jess has a decade of working in marketing intelligence and a track record for building relationships through her expertise in account-based experience and events.

She is a proactive curator of communication, working with our clients to balance project delivery with wider company objectives and strategy. It requires a broad skillset and sees her playing the varied roles of guide, co-ordinator, counsel, and colleague on a daily basis. She is also the link between client and creation – working with our world-class designers to articulate strategic deliverables into stunning communications.

Operating at business case level or providing hands-on tactical communication, Jess leads projects across the breadth of worklife experience: from EVP and benefits to retirement and wellbeing. And with her solid background in strategic marketing, she brings fresh thinking, added depth, and a focus on measuring impact.Whether enhancing the employer brand, managing the intricacies of client deadlines, or creating a compelling narrative, Jess is driven to enrich the employee experience and create lasting memories in work and life.

Merlyn Jeffery

Digital Experience Strategist

An expert in digital workplace experience who has advised numerous corporate employers as they navigate their approach to worklife experience during times of change.

Merlyn has a particular focus on behavioural psychology, coupled with an ambition to bring consumer-grade excellence to the employee experience and engagement space.

Caroline Thompson

Creative Director

As a leading Creative Director in pensions and benefits for almost 20 years and with a rapidly emerging reputation in the broader space of worklife experience, Caroline is the imagination behind some of the industry's standout visual identities.

Her signature eye for balancing colour and an elegant approach to typography, coupled with her deep understanding of brand strategy, enables Caroline to compose beautiful aesthetics that inspire her mentees and give clients the fortitude to stretch the realms of their creative.

Molly Dennis

Creative Team Lead

Molly has a determined eye for digital edge. With a spectrum of skills covering user experience, interface design and motion, Molly is most at home when exploring the psychological triggers that motivate certain behaviours.

Her passion for exciting experiences and beautiful design, coupled with her desire to influence, sees her flourish when presenting her concepts to clients as she continues to emerge as a next-generation digital consultant.

Katie Baxter

Employer Brand Designer | Wellbeing Lead

A creative purist, Katie’s wilful obsession with design sees her express her creativity in all areas of her life. At work, she’s a prolific visualiser of stunning brand identities and glorious suites of collateral.

While away from work, she nourishes her creative attributes, taking design back to its roots through her passion for craft – specifically line art – which she creates for personal fulfilment as well as to support her community.

Katie Hamilton

Employee Experience Designer

Katie is a passionate designer who believes that design has the power to tap into our subconscious minds, evoking emotional responses that can shape our perceptions of the world around us.

With a skill set including 3D modelling, motion graphics, audio, and video editing she explores the psychology of colour, shape, and visual language to create designs that communicate on a deeper level. She is always looking for new challenges and opportunities to push the boundaries of what’s possible, with a sharp eye for detail and a commitment to excellence. Inspired by sustainability and wellbeing, Katie strives to create work that not only looks great but also has a positive impact on the world around us.

VISION

Stephen Willard

Director | Author | Worklife Discovery

An experienced agency leader, people engagement specialist, author and creative strategist, Stephen drives the vision running through Emblaze.

Starting out in recruitment advertising and then employer branding, Stephen spent much of his early career building creative teams in employee benefits communication, servicing some of the world’s leading employers.

But it’s in his era as a workplace consultant, spending time nurturing board-level conversation, that he began to identify the effects that perceived trivialities among people could have on the commercial success of a company. Tuning into the subtleties of internal conversation to help uncover the true essence of a company and empowered with insights across the spectrum of work and life, Stephen saw a more imaginative way of engaging companies and their people and began forming a new type of engagement provider in Emblaze.

Central to Stephen’s career has been a recurring intrigue in the relationship between people and company; identity and career; love and necessity. And, through his persona as a published author, he adopts imaginative literature as a means to express his fascination with human behaviour.

STRATEGY

Neil Strong

Director | Worklife Experience Consultant

A multi-disciplined employee communication specialist and business leader, Neil integrated his consultancy into Emblaze in 2022 to co-create the new look business as it is today.

For almost 20 years, Neil has worked with some of the world’s leading organisations across the spectrum of worklife experience, providing senior strategy and hands-on tactical communication expertise in areas such as EVP, reward and benefits, retirement, talent development, wellbeing, and complex change.

His work has seen him build strong relationships with senior leaders in the UK and the US, as well as be invited to speak at conferences and events, contribute to industry steering groups and evaluate international award submissions.

Prior to integrating with Emblaze, Neil spent six years on the leadership team of one of the world’s largest and most respected employee experience agencies, before establishing his own independent consultancy in early 2021. His integration with Emblaze sees the creation of a more comprehensive full-service proposition, underpinned by world-class creativity and imagination.

SERVICE

Jess Richards

Client Experience | Marketing

A specialist in client service, Jess has a decade of working in marketing intelligence and a track record for building relationships through her expertise in account-based experience and events.

She is a proactive curator of communication, working with our clients to balance project delivery with wider company objectives and strategy. It requires a broad skillset and sees her playing the varied roles of guide, co-ordinator, counsel, and colleague on a daily basis. She is also the link between client and creation – working with our world-class designers to articulate strategic deliverables into stunning communications.

Operating at business case level or providing hands-on tactical communication, Jess leads projects across the breadth of worklife experience: from EVP and benefits to retirement and wellbeing. And with her solid background in strategic marketing, she brings fresh thinking, added depth, and a focus on measuring impact.

Whether enhancing the employer brand, managing the intricacies of client deadlines, or creating a compelling narrative, Jess is driven to enrich the employee experience and create lasting memories in work and life.

INNOVATION

Merlyn Jeffery

Digital Experience Strategist

An expert in digital workplace experience who has advised numerous corporate employers as they navigate their approach to worklife experience during times of change.

Merlyn has a particular focus on behavioural psychology, coupled with an ambition to bring consumer-grade excellence to the employee experience and engagement space.

CREATIVE

Caroline Thompson

Creative Director

As a leading Creative Director in pensions and benefits for almost 20 years and with a rapidly emerging reputation in the broader space of worklife experience, Caroline is the imagination behind some of the industry's standout visual identities.

Her signature eye for balancing colour and an elegant approach to typography, coupled with her deep understanding of brand strategy, enables Caroline to compose beautiful aesthetics that inspire her mentees and give clients the fortitude to stretch the realms of their creative.

DIGITAL

Molly Dennis

Creative Team Lead

Molly has a determined eye for digital edge. With a spectrum of skills covering user experience, interface design and motion, Molly is most at home when exploring the psychological triggers that motivate certain behaviours.

Her passion for exciting experiences and beautiful design, coupled with her desire to influence, sees her flourish when presenting her concepts to clients as she continues to emerge as a next-generation digital consultant.

CREATIVE

Katie Baxter

Employer Brand Designer | Wellbeing Lead

A creative purist, Katie’s wilful obsession with design sees her express her creativity in all areas of her life. At work, she’s a prolific visualiser of stunning brand identities and glorious suites of collateral.

While away from work, she nourishes her creative attributes, taking design back to its roots through her passion for craft – specifically line art – which she creates for personal fulfilment as well as to support her community.

CREATIVE

Katie Hamilton

Employee Experience Designer

Katie is a passionate designer who believes that design has the power to tap into our subconscious minds, evoking emotional responses that can shape our perceptions of the world around us.

With a skill set including 3D modelling, motion graphics, audio, and video editing she explores the psychology of colour, shape, and visual language to create designs that communicate on a deeper level. She is always looking for new challenges and opportunities to push the boundaries of what’s possible, with a sharp eye for detail and a commitment to excellence. Inspired by sustainability and wellbeing, Katie strives to create work that not only looks great but also has a positive impact on the world around us.

OPERATIONS

Morgan Kelly

Operational Performance Manager

A specialist in business management and operations, Morgan optimises core functions across Emblaze in areas such as financial management, legal, HR and wellbeing.

A key point of coordination, her unique overview enables the wider team to perform as a cohesive unit, optimising the flow of client requests and always engaging in the internal conversation.

Individually empowered, collectively strong

We’re building a team of experts, unencumbered by complex hierarchy and processes, with the autonomy to do what’s right for our clients. Yet our strength lies in unity, sharing responsibility, taking advantage of diverse thinking, and engaging the full capabilities of our team.

Stephen Willard
Vision

Stephen Willard

Director & Author

An experienced agency leader, people engagement specialist, author and creative strategist, Stephen drives the vision running through Emblaze.

Starting out in recruitment advertising and then employer branding, Stephen spent much of his early career building creative teams in employee benefits communication, servicing some of the world’s leading employers.

But it’s in his era as a workplace consultant, spending time nurturing board-level conversation, that he began to identify the effects that perceived trivialities among people could have on the commercial success of a company. Tuning into the subtleties of internal conversation to help uncover the true essence of a company and empowered with insights across the spectrum of work and life, Stephen saw a more imaginative way of engaging companies and their people and began forming a new type of engagement provider in Emblaze.

Central to Stephen’s career has been a recurring intrigue in the relationship between people and company; identity and career; love and necessity. And, through his persona as a published author, he adopts imaginative literature as a means to express his fascination with human behaviour.

Neil Strong
Strategy

Neil Strong

Director | Worklife Experience Consultant

A multi-disciplined employee communication specialist and business leader, Neil integrated his consultancy into Emblaze in 2022 to co-create the new look business as it is today.

For almost 20 years, Neil has worked with some of the world’s leading organisations across the spectrum of worklife experience, providing senior strategy and hands-on tactical communication expertise in areas such as EVP, reward and benefits, retirement, talent development, wellbeing, and complex change.

His work has seen him build strong relationships with senior leaders in the UK and the US, as well as be invited to speak at conferences and events, contribute to industry steering groups and evaluate international award submissions.

Prior to integrating with Emblaze, Neil spent six years on the leadership team of one of the world’s largest and most respected employee experience agencies, before establishing his own independent consultancy in early 2021. His integration with Emblaze sees the creation of a more comprehensive full-service proposition, underpinned by world-class creativity and imagination.

Jess Richards
Experience

Jess Richards

Client Experience | Marketing

A specialist in client service, Jess has a decade of working in marketing intelligence and a track record for building relationships through her expertise in account-based experience and events.

She is a proactive curator of communication, working with our clients to balance project delivery with wider company objectives and strategy. It requires a broad skillset and sees her playing the varied roles of guide, co-ordinator, counsel, and colleague on a daily basis. She is also the link between client and creation – working with our world-class designers to articulate strategic deliverables into stunning communications.

Operating at business case level or providing hands-on tactical communication, Jess leads projects across the breadth of worklife experience: from EVP and benefits to retirement and wellbeing. And with her solid background in strategic marketing, she brings fresh thinking, added depth, and a focus on measuring impact.Whether enhancing the employer brand, managing the intricacies of client deadlines, or creating a compelling narrative, Jess is driven to enrich the employee experience and create lasting memories in work and life.

Merlyn Jeffery
Innovation

Merlyn Jeffery

Digital Experience Strategist

An expert in digital workplace experience who has advised numerous corporate employers as they navigate their approach to worklife experience during times of change.

Merlyn has a particular focus on behavioural psychology, coupled with an ambition to bring consumer-grade excellence to the employee experience and engagement space.

Caroline Thompson
Creative

Caroline Thompson

Creative Director

As a leading Creative Director in pensions and benefits for almost 20 years and with a rapidly emerging reputation in the broader space of worklife experience, Caroline is the imagination behind some of the industry's standout visual identities.

Her signature eye for balancing colour and an elegant approach to typography, coupled with her deep understanding of brand strategy, enables Caroline to compose beautiful aesthetics that inspire her mentees and give clients the fortitude to stretch the realms of their creative.

Molly Dennis
Creative

Molly Dennis

Creative Team Lead

Molly has a determined eye for digital edge. With a spectrum of skills covering user experience, interface design and motion, Molly is most at home when exploring the psychological triggers that motivate certain behaviours.

Her passion for exciting experiences and beautiful design, coupled with her desire to influence, sees her flourish when presenting her concepts to clients as she continues to emerge as a next-generation digital consultant.

Katie Baxter
Design

Katie Baxter

Employer Brand Designer | Wellbeing Lead

A creative purist, Katie’s wilful obsession with design sees her express her creativity in all areas of her life. At work, she’s a prolific visualiser of stunning brand identities and glorious suites of collateral.

While away from work, she nourishes her creative attributes, taking design back to its roots through her passion for craft – specifically line art – which she creates for personal fulfilment as well as to support her community.

Katie Hamilton
Design

Katie Hamilton

Employee Experience Designer

Katie is a passionate designer who believes that design has the power to tap into our subconscious minds, evoking emotional responses that can shape our perceptions of the world around us.

With a skill set including 3D modelling, motion graphics, audio, and video editing she explores the psychology of colour, shape, and visual language to create designs that communicate on a deeper level. She is always looking for new challenges and opportunities to push the boundaries of what’s possible, with a sharp eye for detail and a commitment to excellence. Inspired by sustainability and wellbeing, Katie strives to create work that not only looks great but also has a positive impact on the world around us.

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The team at Emblaze are a pleasure to work with. Creative, diligent, prompt and professional. A truly safe pair of hands on any project with boundless patience and flexibility - always delivering to the highest standard.

Amy Mankelow

Head of Communications and External Relations, BTPS

From talent attraction and EVP to financial education, wellbeing, and reward, we sit at the heart of worklife experience. We use clarity and creativity to make an impact, breathing new life into the employee journey and creating meaning through trust, advocacy, and engagement.

Kerstin Sullivan

Head of Internal Communications and Engagement
Ageas

From talent attraction and EVP to financial education, wellbeing, and reward, we sit at the heart of worklife experience. We use clarity and creativity to make an impact, breathing new life into the employee journey and creating meaning through trust, advocacy, and engagement.

Holrick Rodgers

Marketing Operations Manager
now:pensions

From talent attraction and EVP to financial education, wellbeing, and reward, we sit at the heart of worklife experience. We use clarity and creativity to make an impact, breathing new life into the employee journey and creating meaning through trust, advocacy, and engagement.

Eric Green

Director US Benefits
Kohler Co.

The team at Emblaze are a pleasure to work with. Creative, diligent, prompt and professional. A truly safe pair of hands on any project with boundless patience and flexibility - always delivering to the highest standard.

Amy Mankelow

Head of Communications and External Relations, BTPS

Good to see you

If you’ve found us, there’s a good chance you’ll already know one of the team, but if you’re new to Emblaze and would like to start a conversation, just drop us a note at [email protected].

London

Meet us in the heart of the City for good strategic conversation.

Moorgate

Bank

Lincoln

Immerse in vibrant creativity at our dedicated design studio.

Mosaic digital hub