In-house role – Brand Manager (first employee)
First hire at a high-growth FMCG brand, building brand and sales from zero.
I joined HIPPEAS as their first employee during the UK launch, working across brand, marketing, and commercial in a business that was building everything simultaneously – distribution, awareness, product-market fit, and team.
The role covered creative direction, digital channel launches, partnerships, field marketing, and events. But it also extended into early-stage sales: supporting retail launches, building account relationships, and leading regional rollouts – particularly across the US North East. It was the kind of role where the line between brand and commercial doesn’t exist, because at that stage they’re the same thing.
What changed:
- Market launches in the UK & US
- $0- $100m brand growth
- A complete marketing playbook replicated by the wider FMCG challenger brand industry
- A field marketing program that spanned the whole of the UK
- A social media strategy designed to connect emotively, across borders
- Retail partnerships with major UK & US grocery stores
- A list of brand partnerships longer than this section of my portfolio
Joshua Small, Creative Consultant 