Brand Alignments, Awards, and Business Strategy
- Andrew Mitchell
- 2 days ago
- 8 min read
Our interview with Cushla McFadden (Tom Mark Henry)
Recently our 2025 Group Coaching Program members were fortunate to have Cushla McFadden from Tom Mark Henry join one of our sessions to discuss the importance of Brand Alignments on an overall business strategy. What we ended up discussing went way beyond this topic, delving deep into her creative process and the evolution of the business over the past 11 years.
Here we share a snippet of the conversation that we had with Cushla, and some golden nuggets of wisdom that she so generously shared.
TDC: Thanks for joining us today Cushla. You founded Tom Mark Henry in 2014 with your business partner Jade, making your business 11 years old this year. Firstly,
congratulations! Your portfolio extends across all sectors of the design industry, and
you’ve been highly awarded in Australia and abroad. For our members, what’s the
main thing that’s driven your practice to the level of success you experience today?
CMcF: I don’t really have a business savvy response to this question, because we built our business very organically. We had no plan, we just started, and in hindsight perhaps that has been key to our perceived success – a passion for design and a total naivety to what it takes to run a business. We have had to learn and build processes around each stage of our business as we grew, so we were never really focused on this from the beginning; it has always been about the projects, and the clients and, in time, having a great team around us to continue to deliver creative and original projects.
We really started the business when I was very young (I was 24) and knew nothing about running one. In a strange way, that’s probably contributed to our success. We’ve built everything as we’ve needed to, learning along the way. It’s been a very authentic journey, growing organically and adapting as the business evolved. We’ve never set out to hit a specific size or client type; we’ve just embraced each stage as it came.
TDC: Many designers start their businesses to give them greater creative freedom. Would you say that you and Jade were strategic about business outcomes from the
beginning, or did that take time to develop?
CMcF: Further from my previous answer, we didn’t at all have a strategic vision, although every year, and we have done this from the very start, we meet together with no other agenda than to set goals for the year. Just this year, as we celebrated our 10 years last year, we have started to think more long term – like what do we want out of this in the next 5 years, and 10 years.
These days, it’s much more structured. Jade and I now take time each year to sit down and map out business, cultural, and creative goals. We hold ourselves accountable because our team wants to know where the business is heading. We’ve learned that clarity and communication are everything – if people are on the bus, they need to know where it’s going. We then share a summary of those goals with the team each year and check in regularly through development conversations and one-on-ones.
TDC: We particularly love that your business mission is “Driven by Connections, Inspired by Authenticity”. How do you live into these values on a daily basis? How does this differentiate you in the market?
CMcF: The main way this manifests is in our relationships with clients, and the concepts we develop in response to project briefs. We’re very invested in the early stages of the design process, and take time to draw out a brief, and ensure we are on the same page before we move forward. We listen to the clients’ needs, and always try to respond with something that of course meets their expectations but goes beyond that to provide something unexpected.
For us, connection is everything. It’s how we work with our clients, collaborators, and
suppliers. The early briefing process is key – we hold multiple sessions to deeply understand what clients are trying to achieve and ensure alignment before progressing design. Over the years, we’ve even introduced an additional schematic stage, where we present a “return brief” and high-level mood direction before diving into concept design. It helps confirm we’re on the right path and gives clients a sense of ownership.
TDC: You’ve been nominated, shortlisted and oftentimes winners of awards in local and international award programs, including Best Bar for Bar Besuto at the Eat Drink Design Awards last year, and a recent Best Restaurant win at the 2025 Eat Drink Design Awards for Cucina Regina. Given that award submissions can almost be a full-time responsibility, how important are awards in your overall marketing strategy?
CMcF: We don’t pitch our work to the media as much as we should, so we find the awards programs are really helpful in getting our work recognised. We have a studio manager who handles all of our award submissions, and a creative manager who will select the imagery and help put together the copy for the submissions. They work really well together.
It’s a big task, but the awards play an important role in our marketing, especially since we don’t have in-house PR or marketing. We’ve worked with agencies over the years, but not consistently, so awards are a great way to generate exposure organically. When our projects are shortlisted, they often get picked up and published, which helps maintain visibility without heavy marketing investment.
TDC: You’re currently aligning yourselves with a few different brands, including Laminex, Ruggable, NoRock Table Bases and Nomi furniture. How do these collaborations come into being?
CMcF: Often, we will be working with the brand for some time before the collaboration comes to fruition. I think through working together first, we find there is a natural values alignment there, which makes the collaboration a success.
Sometimes the partnerships come about quite organically – through day-to-day relationships with suppliers or manufacturers we already use in projects. If there’s an existing fit, those conversations naturally evolve into collaborations. With Laminex, for example, we were engaged to design a space using their product in a high-end residential setting – it was a natural partnership that aligned with their goal of redefining how laminates could be used.
TDC: How do you make the decision as to whether a brand is a good fit for TMH?
CMcF: To my previous point, there needs to be brand alignment, or a natural fit that sees us either already working with the brand, or a desire to work with them.
If we’re already specifying their products and have a relationship, it’s usually a good sign of shared values. We’ve also been approached by brands that we’ve turned down because the alignment wasn’t there – we’d rather work with companies we genuinely connect with. Sometimes, we’ll even reach out ourselves if we admire a brand and believe in what they’re doing.
TDC: I’ve noted that your approach to sustainability at TMH is about longevity, not just environmental impact. How does this philosophy guide your choice of brand collaborators or alignments, ensuring they reflect enduring values rather than just short-term trends?
CMcF: Yes, we feel this is a very important point. The most sustainable product or building is the one that doesn’t require the use of any additional resources, essentially, building less. So where we can re-use or re-purpose we will, or if crafting something new, we will do our best to ensure that it meets a need for a long time into the future.
For us, it’s also about specifying well-made, durable products that stand the test of time. That’s the simplest and most responsible form of sustainability. We’re very conscious of avoiding disposable design – we prefer to design and align with brands that prioritise quality and longevity over short-term gain.
TDC: Tom Mark Henry values gender-sensitive and human-centric design (considering
safety, inclusion, and emotional well-being). When evaluating potential brand
partnerships, do you use a similar lens? How do you ensure collaborators align with
these deeper social intentions?
CMcF: We definitely assess whether or not the brand has similar values to us. They don’t have to be the exact same of course, but on a moral and visionary level, I think any partnership needs to align to be successful.
That alignment is often evident in conversation. We’ll talk openly about shared intentions and see if their priorities match ours in terms of inclusion, sustainability, and integrity. If that foundation isn’t there, we know it’s not the right fit.
TDC: You’ve shared that you use an annual A3 mind-mapping ritual to set goals across areas like PR, projects, culture, and business. How do brand alignments fit into this planning? Are they integral to your annual strategy, and how do you measure their success over time?
CMcF: Yes, brand alignments come up each year, as we reflect on what was successful about past collaborations, and discuss where we want to put our energy into future collaborations. We measure their success as to what has been received well by the intended audience, which may be reflected in media coverage, sales, engagement on our own platforms, or all of the above!
We’re also realistic about the purpose of these collaborations – they’re not always financially significant, but they build reputation, strengthen connections, and add value to our brand presence.
TDC: Your Instagram and LinkedIn profiles are so incredibly well curated and are a
wonderful display of the broad depth of your work, with regular crediting of suppliers
and collaborators. How important is this level of brand alignment in your marketing?
CMcF: We have a pretty solid recipe now when it comes to our social media, at least for Instagram (I think we can work on our LinkedIn presence). We tend to share a mix of our own work, works in progress, collaborations, and studio palettes, and rotate through this content. We have such a powerful and strong design community here in Australia, and we love to see designers and suppliers lift each other up and share successes. As a marketing tool, this also helps to bring awareness to each other’s brands.
Instagram tends to be more aspirational, whereas LinkedIn is more about professional
opportunities and connecting with property developers or hospitality operators. Both serve their own purpose in building community and visibility, but in different ways.
TDC: What exciting things are in the pipeline for TMH (that you’re allowed to share with us!)?
CMcF: Our Brisbane-based studio really feels like we are at the precipice of some very exciting work, as we near the 2032 Olympic Games. They are highly anticipated, and there is a genuine feeling of excitement and enthusiasm in the city when it comes to development, so it will be exciting to be a part of that over the next 5–7 years.
We’ve also reached a point where we’re focusing more on quality over quantity – taking on projects that feel aligned and meaningful, rather than saying yes to everything. Having studios in both Sydney and Brisbane has given us the ability to expand thoughtfully while maintaining our culture. It’s an exciting chapter ahead.
Thank you for sharing so openly and generously Cushla! Our Group Coaching members took so much away from the session with you.
If you're interested in joining our 2026 Group Coaching Program, we've opened a Waitlist. By joining the waitlist, you access benefits including early access to limited places and some exciting prizes.
Stay well, and believe in you!
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