Jeannie IVANOV
The Thought Forge
Campaign Director

After graduating from Manchester University in 2004 with a masters degree in English Literature, Jeannie worked in a variety roles within public sector non-profit organisations. Following a six-month voluntary project in Africa in 2006, she moved into the private sector as a senior channel marketing manager in the business-to-business team at Vodafone UK. There she was primarily responsible for managing relationships with Vodafone’s indirect sales partners – a challenging role that gave her great experience in all aspects of sales and marketing.

She left Vodafone in January 2009 to backpack around Asia for a year before settling in Beijing and co-founding The Though Forge.

Jeannie now specialises in strategy and planning, lifecycle marketing, marketing communications, and content analysis. In the Thought Forge team she is responsible for planning and delivering compelling, targeted content in order to optimize the performance of websites and e-marketing campaigns.

Outside the office, Jeannie is a sports fanatic – she has organized and competed with several successful adventure racing teams, which demand a combination of running, cycling, kayaking, navigating and puzzle solving over several days and nights. She has also represented her company at the UK Corporate Games at touch rugby, and is the captain of the Beijing Devils women's rugby team. In her spare time Jeannie is a business English trainer.

James POYSER
The Thought Forge
Creative Director

James is co-founder and partner of The Thought Forge, an independent, forward-thinking creative agency focused on online media. Born in Derbyshire, England, James holds degrees in both Computer Science and Marketing, and has a passion for technology in all its forms and has received recognition for his entrepreneurial ambitions.

Previous to founding The Thought Forge James spent a number of years working for Vodafone (the world's largest mobile phone company) in diverse roles, from technology development to product management. As a product manager he was responsible for a number of award-winning product launches, including the UK's first market-changing mobile broadband service, as well as overseeing multi-million pound marketing budgets and managing cross-functional technology, sales and marketing teams.

James left Vodafone in January 2009 and spent a year traveling around Asia before settling in Beijing and founding The Thought Forge. He has over ten years of online marketing experience, including four years as a director at a pioneering web content management company that he launched in 2006. He now heads up web design and development services at The Thought Forge, as well as providing the strategic direction and overall management for the business. James is also a director of a successful online accountancy service and provides consultancy and support for a Beijing-based NGO.

When James isn't in the office you'll find him pursuing his passion for travel photography or perhaps charging down a hill on his mountain bike. He is also a connoisseur of Chinese cuisine, especially jiaozi.