Welcome aboard Jessica Sims

Ahoy, new account manager! Grab a cuppa and get to know Jessica Sims as she discusses her background in art and design, international travels, and love of building strategic relationships.

I was born in Haworth (I'm a big fan of the Bronte sisters) but moved to Huddersfield when I was just two years old. By the age of 18, all I wanted to do was get out of Huddersfield and explore pastures new. I studied History of Art and Design at Northumbria University, during which time I also worked in a contemporary art gallery, delivering their education engagement programme.

Graduating during a recession, I decided to ride it out before looking for a ‘proper’ job and moved to London to undertake my MA in Curating Contemporary Design at the Design Museum. Here, I worked on live project briefs for the Natural History Museum, British Museum, V&A, the Architecture Foundation, the British Council on the Shanghai World Expo, and many more. 

I also worked at an illustration and graphic design gallery in the East End, supporting the exhibition programme including a spot at ‘Pick Me Up’, the graphic arts festival at Somerset House. This involved running their social media and promoting engagement by writing features on their roster of represented artists, and content for blogs. 

While in London, I project managed an exhibit for the London Design Festival for the South African charity Wola Nani in collaboration with Kingston University. What’s more, I was lucky enough to visit Venice for six weeks, working for the British Council at the Architecture Biennale. Finally, I returned to London to work for a contemporary art gallery in Mayfair - doing day-to-day studio management and pulling together magazine ad campaigns, marketing packages, and press packs for a range of global art fairs.

After a few years exploring the world outside Yorkshire, it was time to head home to Huddersfield where I settled down in the lovely village of Slaithwaite (pronounced Slawit to those in the know). In 2022, The Sunday Times named it as the North’s best place to live. They’re not wrong.

Handling strategic client relationships has been a common thread throughout my 13-year career. From delivering the Leaders in Residence program at the University of Leeds, to curating an external employers programme of events at the University of Huddersfield, and piloting and project managing the ‘Mega’ online Careers Fair in collaboration with three other universities (the first of its kind in the North of England), managing relationships and fostering engagement has always been at the heart of what I do.

After getting the itch to leave higher education and work on more creative projects, I felt it was time to go full circle and return to where my career started - back in a creative environment. In my new role at TBB, I’m so excited to work with a diverse range of clients, solve challenges, and learn lots along the way!