Richard Townsend

After graduating in business and statistics from Greenwich University, Richard started a career in media and advertising as a researcher for The Media Centre, part of the DMB&B advertising group. He later became a media planner for brands including the COI, Fiat and P&G. Early in his career he specialised in the emerging area of digital marketing, cutting some of the UK’s first deals with iconic digital brands such as Yahoo, AOL and later Google and Facebook. He set up the digital division of Starcom Mediavest growing it into one of the largest buyers of digital services in the UK. Richard left to set up a media consultancy called Circus Street, which he later pivoted into an online learning business in response to the desperate need for digital skills within his clients. Richard grew Circus Street to be one of the world’s most widely used and best-respected Ed-tech businesses in the corporate sector.