Sophie Cornish, Executive Director and Co-founder

the best birthday present I ever received…
My husband had the prettiest necklace and earrings made for me the birthday I had just before we got married. I was, and still am, ridiculously fussy, which was why he had them specially made so they would be just right. I wore them on my wedding day, of course, so they are doubly meaningful.

the worst birthday present I have received…
A step-ladder, at my 21st birthday party. I had just bought my first flat at the time and someone thought it would be a very amusing and original present to help with my decorating. My then ten-year-old sister climbed it, fell off, broke her arm and my mum spent my party in the casualty department. Monogrammed lavender bags are so much safer!

the latest present I bought from notonthehighstreet.com…
I bought a hand-painted bird house for a friend who really does have everything, including a rather lovely garden! She hung it outside her kitchen window there and then and it makes me happy to see it every time I sit drinking tea with her.

Posted by jokite on 27 May 2009

Holly Tucker, Chief Executive Officer and Co-founder

the best birthday present I ever received…
Following the birth of my son, my partner had these personalised mugs made up as a fun little gift. As I watched the family open these I started to fail to see the funny side as my endless hints regarding a new non-maternity wardrobe seemed to have been ignored! With a tight grin I opened my mug. Inside I found £1000 which had been carefully put aside every month for nearly a year. He said he knew better then to spend this sort of money on clothes without me! By far the most thoughtful present I have ever received.

the worst birthday present I have received…
Any gift from the site never disappoints! However, I was given a diamond ring as a birthday gift from a then-serious boyfriend, to symbolise our future together, as things hadn’t been going too well. When I opened the box, the diamond was so small I could barely see it – a mere shaving. Unfortunately it ended up symbolising the end of the relationship rather than a new start!!

the latest present I bought from notonthehighstreet.com…
A friend of mine has been going through a really tough time of it lately so she was not looking forward to her birthday very much at all. I gave her a Kutuu personalised keepsake necklace with her initials and the initials of her children on, to remind her of the good things in her life. She adored it and hasn’t taken it off since.

Posted by jokite on 27 May 2009

Jo Kite, Strategic Projects Director

Jo is the marketing mind. From email newsletters to search engine marketing, affiliates to advertising, she comes up with marketing initiatives to ensure as many of the right people as possible discover notonthehighstreet.com, and that our customers enjoy shopping with us again and again.

the best birthday present I ever received…
From my best friends, a beautiful reclaimed wooden frame with a stunning photo from a local photographer of our favourite beach from the Gower Peninsula.

the worst birthday present I have received…
A newspaper from the day I was born. The giver was much more excited than I was! I gave it to my Dad.

the latest present I bought from notonthehighstreet.com…
One of my best friends is getting married soon and she has this gorgeous ‘Love’ print on her wedding list with notonthehighstreet.com. I was really happy to be able to buy it for them.

Posted by jokite on 27 May 2009

Carrie Tucker, Merchandise and Picture Editor

Carrie works her magic with the imagery to create beautiful home pages. Carrie’s role has developed with the business, and she is now the picture editor for notonthehighstreet.com, focusing specifically on the customer emailers and images throughout the site. She also works closely with the partner team providing support and advice for new and existing partners.

the best birthday present I ever received…
My last birthday I received a few Posh Totty bespoke bangles with a special messages on each one from my friends and family. Each one reminds me of a lovely memory.

the worst birthday present I have received…
My best friend gave me some beautiful silver shoes. I couldn’t bring myself to tell her that they were too small and the next time I saw her she wanted me to wear them out – so I hobbled round London in them, trying to keep smiling whilst in total pain. I still have them, hoping that one day they might just fit!

the latest present I bought from notonthehighstreet.com…
I gave my mum a Hanne Rysgaard ceramic milk jug for mother’s day, so each day she sets out the breakfast for the family at the kitchen table the milk jug will help brighten up the process and the table!

Posted by jokite on 27 May 2009

Emma Wood, Public Relations Manager

Emma is our PR grafter! She works alongside the PR Director and Marketing Manager to ensure the site and sellers feature in the press on a day-to -day basis, either through journalist requests or in-house strategies.

the best birthday present I ever received…
A charm bracelet by Lily Belle – it can spruce up any outfit both casual and smart. I’ve also added some of my own charms that I’ve found from various markets, I love it and wear it with every outfit.

the worst birthday present I have received…
A compilation CD from an ex-boyfriend I thought it was really romantic but later found out someone else had given it to him and he’d just given it to me.

the latest present I bought from notonthehighstreet.com…
I bought a summer days bracelet by Casa Copenhagen for my mum’s birthday. She absolutely adored it. She was off to Mexico and I thought it would look lovely with a tan, plus it’s so pretty and summery!

Posted by jokite on 27 May 2009

Kate Wright, Creative Director

Kate is the creative visionary. She gets to play with all the beautiful images (and sometimes products) from the sellers to create gorgeous catalogues, emails, ads and all the other small touches that make the notonthehighstreet.com such a stylish brand.

the best birthday present I ever received…
For my 21st birthday, my grandmother gave me a diamond from her engagement ring that she no longer wore and my parents had it set in a ring – I never take it off and feel that they are always close.

the worst birthday present I have received…
A friend gave me a diet book – not very subtle!

the latest present I bought from notonthehighstreet.com…
I bought an adorable number t-shirt from Tille Mint for the first birthday of a friend’s little girl. She looks so sweet in it.

Posted by jokite on 27 May 2009

Lucy Wood, Head of Community

Lucy is our queen talent spotter. It’s her job to discover the most exciting and unique small businesses and to introduce notonthehighstreet.com to them. Many small businesses also apply to sell directly and together with her team, she identifies successful applicants from the hundreds that apply each month to ensure that we only house the best of the UK’s small creative business talent.

the best birthday present I ever received…
My ‘all you need is love’ hanging given to me for my 30th by notonthehighstreet.com

the worst birthday present I have received…
I’m always grateful when anyone remembers my birthday. I never get a bad gift – my family and friends use my notonthehighstreet.com wish list!

the latest present I bought from notonthehighstreet.com…
My mum had this lovely herb tray on her wish list – it’s now pride of place on kitchen windowsill. She loves it and it looks so beautiful.

Posted by jokite on 27 May 2009

Joanne Griffin, New Business Executive

Joanne loves the thrill of discovering the next big thing and has a fantastic eye for design. She works with Lucy and Emma in the new business team where they select and source the best of the UK’s small business to sell on the site. Joanne loves to talk to small businesses to give help and advice as they grow their company and enjoys finding out more about how they started.

the best birthday present I ever received…
A car for my 17th birthday from my parents. I felt very lucky however my mum and dad chose to tell me by writing it on the back of my birthday card so I didn’t realise until later that day when it was pointed out to me! It was all silver and shiny and my dad personalised my number plates to have his nickname for me along the bottom.

the worst birthday present I have received…
A pair of creole earrings when I was 18. They were really not my style but I felt compelled to wear them as a form of thanks!

the latest present I bought from notonthehighstreet.com…
The last thing I bought from the site was a birthday present for my friend. It was a love and luck print from Letterfest and she loved it. It was perfect as she was just moving into a new house and loves to surround herself with positive sayings, plus the typography is gorgeous!

Posted by jokite on 27 May 2009

Emma Long, Merchandise Executive

Known for her heart of gold, Emma cares about each and every new company she joins to the site. Working in the new business team, she helps select the new and unique small businesses to sell on the site and offers them excellent business advice. She regularly visits exhibitions to see new and existing partners, which also helps to keep her up to date with current trends.

The best present I ever received…
A personalised photograph album for my 21st birthday. My mum collected photos of me, my friends and family ranging from when I was a baby until when I was 21. She personalised each page with memories.

the worst birthday present I have received…
A moisturiser given to me by a friend that brought me out in a bright red rash.

the latest present I bought from notonthehighstreet.com…
A white porcelain bowl from Camel and Yak. I bought this gift to cheer up my mum when she was feeling unwell. She loved her gift and she said it made her day. She fills the bowl with fruit.

Posted by jokite on 27 May 2009

Gail Caulfield, Product Manager

Gail looks after all our lovely sellers. This involves answering any questions they have, keeping them up-to-date with things that are happening on the site and getting new sellers ready to go live and start selling on the site.

the best birthday present I ever received…
A surprise holiday to Spain!

the worst birthday present I have received…
A fake grass mat from my sister – just very odd!

the latest present I bought from notonthehighstreet.com…
I bought the Freshwater Pearl Heart Bracelet by Dirty Cherub as a birthday present for my Mum. She’d seen it in our catalogue and was really excited when she opened it up. It was actually a bit big but the seller agreed to make it smaller for her and now she loves it even more! It fits perfectly!

Posted by jokite on 27 May 2009

Robert Tucker, Chief Financial Officer

Robert is the numbers man. Responsible for anything to do with budgets and cash – and making sure the business achieves its financial goals.

the best birthday present I ever received…
A model railway set when I was 10!

the worst birthday present I have received…
A CD (but it was a copy of the original CD with a photocopy of the cover – cheapskate!)

the latest present I bought from notonthehighstreet.com…
Simple silver earrings for my mother.

Posted by jokite on 27 May 2009

Merryn Gamba, Wedding List Consultant

Merryn is the friendly point of contact between notothehighstreet.com and all wedding list couples. She is the font of all knowledge about weddings and gives lots of helpful advice to couples on how to set up a list that suits them. Her mission is for each engaged couple to build a wedding list full of gorgeous, unique gifts that they’ll treasure forever.

the best birthday present I ever received…
My Siberian kitten two years ago, but I loved my Figa & Co mirror which was a wedding present from the office.

the worst birthday present I have received…
Some seriously uncomfortable lacy underwear about a size too small from a dodgy Italian boyfriend (who was dumped not long afterwards…..!)

the latest present I bought from notonthehighstreet.com…
A children’s baking bag set and matching apron for my three year old niece’s birthday two weeks ago who loves to bake cupcakes with her daddy who’s a great cook! She was delighted with it and I’m waiting to taste the results next time I visit!

Posted by jokite on 27 May 2009

Gregory Becker, Senior Technical Manager

Gregory is the technical saviour…whenever we come into technical difficulties, we know we can run to Gregory to get it fixed. He works hard to make sure the website is fully functional at all times, whilst getting stuck into new projects.

the best birthday present I ever received… A Nespresso coffee maker – I am a big fan of a good cup of coffee so it was a great gift for me.

the worst birthday present I have received… A BIC pen set from my aunt who had lots of money – probably why she had lots of money in the first place.

the latest present I bought from notonthehighstreet.com… I bought this personalised silver slinky bracelet for a friend of mine. It must be very versatile as she wears it all the time.

Posted by jokite on 27 May 2009