Paul is a writer, commentator, and former advertising executive with over 30 years’ experience operating at senior leadership level across media, business, and creative industries. He has written extensively on business, politics, sport, and culture for leading publications in New Zealand, the UK, and Australia.
Paul was co-founder and former CEO and Executive Creative Director of Barnes, Catmur & Friends, Asia Pacific’s most effective independent advertising agency for years, sold to Dentsu in 2020.
He was formerly CCO at DDB Asia Pacific, based in New Zealand; ECD of George Patterson Y&R in Melbourne, and a writer at Young & Rubicam London. He has won extensive major international awards including Gold at Cannes and Silver at D&AD.
Paul currently lives in New Zealand and recently released The Gutter Bar (2025), an acclaimed satirical novel set in and around the global advertising industry.