Mike has been a serial start-up guy. He has founded or co-founded a number of companies in New Zealand including leading advertising agencies, Colenso, and Hutcheson, Knowles Marinkovich (HKM)

Having gained entry into the Ilam School of Fine Arts, he ended up studying law at university. He ruefully admits it was a mistake. He then discovered advertising (no small feat for a boy from the country), and went on to win the Reader's Digest Scholarship as New Zealand's Most Outstanding Young Advertising Man.

He has run a family building company, his own real estate company, set up Replica Homes, a franchise building chain, and worked on the team that established the first Lifecare Retirement Village in New Zealand.

He was formerly managing director at Saatchi & Saatchi and now heads The Lighthouse Ideas Company focusing on innovation and product development.

He has written a regular humour column for The Independent and an innovation column for Unlimited magazine. He has published a collection of these in two books, entitled ‘No1 Best Seller’ and ‘Beethoven’s Banker’. His third book, ‘Kickstart Your Creativity’ he co-authored with psychologist Rebecca Webster.

Mike is an entertaining and insightful writer, speaker, motivator and facilitator with a strong focus on creativity and innovation. He is a director of a number of public and private companies and is an independent marketing consultant to a number of companies and corporations.