Thomas Ross Holmes

Thomas Ross Holmes is founder and chairman of Creativebrief and co-founder and director of the Edinburgh International Marketing Festival
Early life and education
Holmes was born in Belfast, Northern Ireland and spent his childhood in Africa. His father Dr. Michael McAlister Holmes was Senior Medical Officer in the Colonial Service, Northern Nigeria. Just before the outbreak of the Nigerian Civil War, the family moved to Tanzania where Dr. Holmes became principal at a medical practice in Dar es Salaam. He left in 1970 to work in Aden, Southern Yemen for a number of years and then in Tripoli, Libya. In between travelling around Africa and the Middle East the family returned to Ireland, where Dr. Holmes practised in both North and South. 1976 Dr Holmes took up the SMO post with the Commonwealth Development Corporation in Mhlume, North-East Swaziland.
Holmes was educated at the Campbell College, Belfast and Leighton Park School, Reading. On completing school, he returned to Africa and attended Rhodes University, Grahamstown, South Africa where he did a B.A. Degree with majors in Psychology and Drama
Career
Theatre
From December 1978 to April 1981 Holmes regularly worked as an actor for the Cape Performing Arts Board in Cape Town appearing in:
Die Plaasvervangers directed by Pieter Fourie at Nico Malan Theatre, now Artscape Theatre Centre, Romeo & Juliet with Lynsey Baxter directed by Leslie French and Roy Sargeant at Maynardville Open-Air Theatre, The Shadow Box directed by Roy Sargeant at the Nico Malan, The Government Inspector with Henry Goodman directed by Mavis Taylor at the Nico Malan, Faust directed by Dieter Reible at the Nico Malan, A Midsummer Night’s Dream directed by Philip Grout at Maynardville, Macbeth directed by Philip Grout at the Nico Malan
In 1981 his father died after a long illness, Holmes decided to give up a career in the theatre and return to the UK.
Advertising
In 1982 Holmes started at Wight Collins Rutherford Scott in London as Account Co-ordinator on Bergasol, Qualcast, Burtons Biscuits,
Hasselblad and BASS.
In 1985 he joined Saatchi & Saatchi as Account Supervisor on Trusthouse Forte, IBM and Abbey National. He was promoted to Account Director on News International working on The Sunday Times at the time of the Wapping dispute. While at Saatchi, Holmes also headed the team responsible for Live Aid working with his client Nigel Newton who became Founder and Chief Executive of Bloomsbury Publishing.
In 1989 Holmes joined Lowe Howard-Spink, which eventually became Lowe & Partners Worldwide , to run the Parker and Gordon's Gin accounts. He was promoted to the Board of Lowe and after eight years left in 1997 to become Executive Vice President of Grey Worldwide.
Entrepreneur
Holmes is founder and chairman of Creativebrief, which he launched in October 2002. With offices in Regent Street, London creativebrief connect buyers and sellers of marketing services .
Holmes is also Co-Founder & Director Edinburgh International Marketing Festival. In August 2010 Holmes, together with William Burdett-Coutts, Artistic Director of The Assembly and The Marketing Society , launched EIMF. The Festival is a celebration of the marketing industry, its creativity and commercial value . The programme contained high profile speakers from leading agencies and brands, debates on hot marketing topics and exhibitions of work by award-winning creatives. The Festival welcomed industry practitioners, government, press, media and the arts and culture sectors to be part of this initiative .
A leading part of the festival is his “Brands of the future” initiative launched in 2010 and supported by The Scotsman and Edinburgh Chamber of Commerce to help new, innovative businesses get recognised and provide the winner with marketing support.

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