About Us
Founded in 2020 by former colleagues Chris Thornhill and Jen Bayford, Growth Animals was built on Chris and Jen’s determination that their business would be a force for good, and their vision that all marketing should help grow your brand’s bottom line AND positive impact.
Chris and Jen combine this belief with their decades of marketing experience in-house at leading brands like Carlsberg, The Body Shop and the Goodwood Estate. Having spent their careers on your side of the fence, Chris and Jen understand the commercial pressures you face. So as strategy experts, we help you choose what to do and what not to do, to ensure growth is achieved that positively impacts upon your profit, your people and the planet.
Now a fully certified B Corp marketing agency, Growth Animals are well on our journey as champions of ethical and sustainable marketing, designed for people, planet and profit.
Meet The Experts
CHRIS THORNHILL
Co-founder & CEO
Chris has launched, built and promoted some of the world’s best loved brands, leading the marketing at organisations like Carlsberg and Goodwood, before founding Growth Animals with Jen, in 2020. He loves to get under the skin of the businesses he works with, to unearth the most compelling messages, identities and campaign ideas that can help those brands to flourish.
Chris is also a charity Trustee, a father of three girls, a huge sports fan, and a self-confessed whisky connoisseur.
JEN BAYFORD
Co-founder & Marketing Director
Jen is a highly-experienced marketing and brand strategist who has worked with brands such as The Body Shop, Virgin and Goodwood, where she met Chris before co-founding Growth Animals. Her friendly and energetic style ensure that Jen can always be relied upon to provide an upbeat and creative atmosphere where anything seems possible.
Throughout her career developing and growing brands of differing sizes and maturity, Jen has shown herself to be an imaginative and inventive problem solver, who is focused on getting the job done. Jen loves living by the sea with her family, walking her cockapoo and running over the South Downs.
Our Company Values
Throughout our time together, we have become increasingly focused on the ‘why’ behind the brands we work on, and that’s why you’ll see our personal values shining through in everything we do:
We are a tenacious bunch, determined to help you achieve your goals but also support you to make a difference for your customers and create a wider positive impact with your business.
We believe life is too short to take oneself too seriously, and as creative people, not only will we help you grow, you’ll be having a bit of fun along the way.
We know that some marketing approaches aren’t always ethical, which is why we hold ourselves and our clients to account, question the status quo and ensure the most ethical practices are used.
