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About
Who are Essential?

About
Essential

Our mission is to help  channel companies to reach their marketing goals. Good coffee, fitness and dogs are important to us too!

Sam Rudland

Sam Rudland

Founder / CEO

Sam cut her teeth in the rugged mobile computing space working for a vendor that transitioned from a direct to indirect model. She's in her element working in the channel.

Sam advises on strategy and planning for clients.

She is passionate about the benefits of fitness and regularly organises team workouts, often accompanied by her two dogs.

We ensure she's kept plied with a regular flow of coffee which fuels her creativity.

Essential was formed in 2002 by MD Sam Rudland following many years working client-side in the technology channel.

Sam had a vision to create an agency that really understood its clients and their markets and worked hand in hand with them to help them achieve their business goals.  Our growth has been fuelled by happy clients who get great results from our services.

Our clients include vendors, distributors, resellers, ISVs and disruptive tech start ups.

We help tech companies see past the technology they’re selling to better understand the people making the decisions and identify the challenges the technology is solving for them. Sometimes this requires a fundamental mindshift from selling product.

Key to this is ensuring our clients understand their audience – the market they operate in, the people they’re targeting and their personas, the messaging that will resonate with them at all stages of the buying cycle and the best channels to reach them. 

Our deep knowledge of the channel enables us to hit the ground running helping you to hit your goals on time and to budget. We're used to working with busy channel marketing leaders who need a team who can add value and execute helping them to successfully deliver on their plans.

Mike Harrison

Mike Harrison

Inbound Marketing Director

Mike is our marketing technology specialist and inbound creative guru.  We keep him fed on a blend of coffee and cake.
Marie Hughes

Marie Hughes

Financial Controller

Marie is a finance professional/chartered accountant with a varied finance background.  She laughs at all of Mike's jokes (no matter how bad!) and resembles a tomato after exercising.
Jack Embling

Jack Embling

Account Manager

Jack is a digital native who never knew a world without Internet. He has a strong understanding of partner portals and digital marketing. Jack has a love of fast cars, skiing and downing oddly coloured drinks at festivals.
Ceri Jones

Ceri Jones

Account Director

Ceri is passionate and committed to IT channel marketing having worked in the sector since February 1999.  Ceri adds the Welsh “cwtch” factor in our marketing team with her commitment and positivity to get the job done.

Sarah Chidgey

Sarah Chidgey

PR Associate

PR is in Sarah's DNA. She loves all country sports especially horse racing.

Mark Hawkins

Mark Hawkins

Account Director

Mark is an experienced Sales and Marketer with too many years to mention of experience. Having been involved with many Essential driven marketing plans he has now decided to join the coal face of marketing. He lives in Cornwall and the whole team look forward to Team meetings on the beach of St. Ives!

Nicky Jackson

Nicky Jackson

PR Associate

Nicky is passionate about PR. When not working on client accounts, can be found ogling gadgets in Stuff magazine.
Sam Crowe

Sam Crowe

Associate PR Director

Sam’s an award-winning PR consultant and advises Essential's clients on strategy. Sam has a camper van and will spend weekends on adventures with her young family. 

Claire Locking

Claire Locking

Marketing Associate

With more than 20 years’ experience in consumer magazines, Claire has swapped her allegiances from print to digital at Essential. Her passions lie in creating great content and social media. There isn’t anything Claire wouldn’t turn her hand to.

Hannah Money Bio Pic 1

Hannah Money

Junior Account Executive

Hannah is a new edition to the Essential team assisting with client projects and creating digital assets. She is usually found with a notebook or sketchpad by her side and is easily bribed with chocolate.

Kato

Kato

Head of Special Projects

Kato has a number of key roles. He checks out everyone's lunch to ensure they are eating a balanced diet, moves his bed in front of the door to stop us leaving early and entertains us with his doggie humour (which is usually funnier than Mike's).

Archie website 2

Archie

Deputy of Special Projects

While Archie is also on lunch duty, he takes care of cleaning by eliminating any crumbs and gobbling them up. He is also a great communicator, letting everyone know he is happy with our work environment by loudly snoring in his bed. 

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