Maggie & Rose: Revolutionising Family Spaces (2006-2018)
The project I’m best known for – and where I first cut my teeth as a founder and business leader.
Spurred by my own real need to find a hangout that parents could enjoy as much as their kids I created Maggie & Rose, reimagining the members club to pioneer a new concept in family leisure.
During my 12 years as Co-founder, CEO, and Creative Director, I built a unique community blending hospitality with childcare, an essential space for connection, support, and learning – an antidote to the loneliness that can emerge with becoming a parent.
I successfully positioned Maggie & Rose as a global leader in family-focused hospitality and education, using design and innovative learning approaches to set a new industry standard, creating a unique and immersive experience for parents and children alike.
Bolstered by our international expansion to seven Maggie & Rose clubs and a vibrant global family community, I spearheaded growth strategies (including nurseries, classes, licensing, IP, and retail product) that resulted in a remarkable £25 million valuation.
Maggie & Rose transformed the early parenting landscape, redefining the possibilities of family-centric spaces and spurring a new wave of childcare, family edutainment and hospitality brands across London and beyond.
b_together (2021)
Intergenic brought an opportunity to build on my success and learning at Maggie & Rose, crafting and launching three scalable concepts for an innovative Singaporean retail owner seeking to expand beyond childrenswear into the family hospitality and childcare space:
The idea was to create stand alone revenue streams, so growth could be more flexible depending on new sites, so we created three brands that could be ‘pick and mixed’ going forward.
b_together – a family members club concept boasting a parent lounge, play facilities, co-working space, and a plethora of parent and family-focused community events.
Make + Do – an innovative nursery concept with sustainability, play and community baked into its very design, curriculum, and ethos.
At Feast – sustainable casual dining: reimagining family-friendly ‘comfort food’ for members and events, with a focus on quality, sustainability, togetherness, and learning via its cookery school curriculum.
Having successfully launched two sites one in London and one in Singapore (during Covid!) and attracted significant interest in UK / international expansion for all three concepts, it was time to move on to new adventures.
AT FEAST (2021)
With my first restaurant offering, we created At Feast, a culinary hub designed to seamlessly complement our existing clubs and nursery services. Its primary function is to provide a welcoming atmosphere where families can come together to enjoy great food, good company, and unforgettable experiences. Beyond its role as a standalone restaurant, At Feast serves a vital purpose in supporting the other business streams. From providing nutritious meals for the nursery to crafting specialized menus for events, and offering fresh family meals to the members' clubs, it stands as a central component in the company's ecosystem.
The design intent behind At Feast was carefully curated to enhance this sense of warmth and welcome. Warm terracottas and abundant greenery were incorporated to create a light and fresh interior, evoking a feeling of natural beauty and comfort.
CURRICULUMS
MAGGIE & ROSE METHOD
A whimsical fusion of art, cooking, music and make-believe, our Maggie & Rose curriculum brought joy to little learners from London to Hong Kong. With the help of characters like friends Maggie, Rose, Oscar, and their trusty dog, we created a two-year programme of non-repeating immersive classes. This content spanned 5 types of interactive classes for under 7s and their caregivers to enjoy within our clubs – later intended to be made digitally available globally.
MAke + do METHOD
Born during lockdown, the Make + Do method is a curriculum designed for an ever-changing world.
Crafted, tested, and refined in London and Singapore, Make + Do translates early years developmental goals into easily understandable activities for practitioners and parents alike. Using all the senses, expressive arts and the environment around them, children are taken on an immersive learning journey.
Little ones leave the programme armed with the skills to flourish in a fast-moving world, appreciate our planet and find ways to be kind through our everyday choices.
With take-home materials, the learning journey – and audience – extends well beyond the classroom.
From doodles to curriculums, this journey has been a labour of love — a collaborative effort with talented individuals from the realms of teaching, design, art, and culinary arts. The goal? That these curriculums continue to be a beacon of creative education globally.
