Team

Davide joined Sassoon in 2003 where he quickly developed a natural flair for the world famous Sassoon cutting techniques. Having established himself in the Leeds salon as a highly successful stylist, Davide was asked to join the London Academies where he was appointed Creative Director. His career then took him to Sassoon Salon South Molton Street where he was appointed Creative Director.

As well building up a very loyal clientele, Davide also took great passion in coaching and teaching the next generation of the Sassoon Team, which is why he decided his true passion was teaching, he shortly moved back to the London Academy. Davide has developed an international reputation for being the consummate professional on the many shows and seminars he undertakes globally. 

Languages: French and Italian

Istvan’s journey with Sassoon started in 2016 at the South Molton Street Salon where he worked as a stylist after completing his training and rapidly built a loyal and extensive clientele.

Istvan then decided to focus his attention on education and transferred to the London Academy as a Cutting Instructor.  He is now a team member of the London Academy and enjoys teaching and sharing his knowledge across all cutting courses.  His passion for hairdressing started at 19 where he worked at a local salon. Istvan believes once he was given the chance to teach at the academy, his career become real for him.

Istvan is inspired daily by his team and seeks satisfaction in seeing all his students learn, grow and succeed.

Languages: Romanian & Hungarian

Janice joined Sassoon in 1991 after attending an industry seminar and being inspired by then Sassoon International Director of Colour, Annie Humphreys. Following a period of time training at the Kings Road Salon, Janice went on to become a Colouring Instructor at the London Academy, a role she has remained in and where she brings her wealth of experience teaching and guiding the next generation of talented hair professionals.
Janice has also travelled extensively during her career, to numerous shows and events in Europe and the Far East as well as to Chicago, a trip awarded after winning the coveted Sassoon ‘Colour specialist of the Year’ accolade.
Janice credits Manager of the Academies, Leona Curran, UK Colour Director, Edward Darley and European Colour Director, Peter Dawson for passing on the heritage of colour knowledge that has contributed to her creative development over her career.

Daniel’s career with Sassoon began at the age of 19 when he joined the London Academy as a student on the Diploma course before taking a couple of years out to travel the world and explore different cultures. Daniel returned to Sassoon as a Varderer at the Covent Garden Salon before qualifying as a Creative Cutter and joining the London Academy a year later as a Cutting Instructor.
Since then Daniel’s career has taken off and his passion, dedication and drive have seen him promoted to the position of Creative Director, as well as taking him worldwide to destinations such as Russia, Finland, Belgium and Brazil where his natural passion and cutting edge flair has endeared him to his international audience.
In such a short space of time Daniel has contributed enormously to the Sassoon Academy Collections and has also had his work featured in fashion editorials for an array of leading titles as well being responsible for styling the hair at hugely influential shows during Men’s London Fashion Week.

James joined Sassoon as a Varderer six years ago, as he wanted to enhance his skills and ultimately work for the best in the industry. James started his career in Sassoon Salon, Manchester before moving to London to join the Academy Team as a teacher. James thoroughly enjoys working at Sassoon Academy, and is inspired daily by his students who come to the Academy with no experience, and leave skilled and confident in cutting.

During his career, James’s passion and dedication has seen him travel internationally, including New Delhi and Mumbai, India where he taught the ABC and Salon Creative courses. 

Originally from Barcelona, Nestor joined Sassoon as a Varderer in 2016, before transferring to Sassoon Academy, London as a Cutting Instructor, something he describes as a dream come true. Having previously worked in salons, he knew his true passion was education and teaching other hairdressers the craft. Nestor thoroughly enjoys the energy and commitment of the Sassoon team and believes education, knowledge and hard work are the only vehicles to success. He loves nothing more than encouraging his students to believe nothing is impossible.

Languages: Spanish 

Originally from Leeds, Kitty's dream came true when she joined Sassoon five years ago. She wanted to learn and become stronger in her craft, and couldn't think of anywhere better to help her achieve this goal.

Starting as an apprentice at a local salon in Yorkshire, Kitty then moved to a salon where she trained as a Junior Stylist with Sassoon trained Directors and she knew from then that Sassoon was where she wanted to be. With a thirst to learn more, Kitty moved to London where she completed the Comprehensive course at Sassoon Academy. A few months after completing the course she was offered a Varderers position at the Kings Road salon where she stayed for four years before moving to Academy to teach in 2016.

Petteri’s journey with Sassoon started in October 2016 at the City salon where he completed his training and moved to Kings Road Salon to work as a stylist and rapidly built a very loyal client base.

Petteri realized he had a passion for teaching while working at the salons, he then decided to focus his attention on education and transferred to the London Academy as a cutting Instructor.  Petteri is now a key team member of the London Academy and enjoys sharing his knowledge across a wide range of cutting courses.  Petteri is driven daily by his desire to learn and is encouraged by the students he meets and his colleagues to express his creativity.

Languages: Finnish 

Pink’s love for Sassoon began in 2000 during a work experience placement at the Knightsbridge Academy, after which he began working at the South Molton Street salon where he completed his training. Pink now works as a Colouring Instructor at the London Academy where he relishes the opportunity to pass on his knowledge and experience to students of all levels, a position he thrives in and which saw him awarded ‘Teacher of the Year’ at the 2012 Sassoon Awards. During his career, Pink has had the opportunity to work on a number of Sassoon Academy Collections and has travelled internationally to industry seminars, most recently to Belarus for Wella Studios with UK Colour Director, Edward Darley.

Gary’s career with Sassoon began in 1994 when he joined the South Molton Street salon, transferring to the Covent Garden salon as Assistant Manager a year later.
Following  this, Gary spent over a decade in America working at the Beverly Hills, San Francisco and Atlanta Salons before leading the team as Principal of the Academy in Santa Monica Los Angeles where he worked closely with Vidal Sassoon himself and styled the tresses of Hollywood Oscar nominees in the Sassoon Beauty Bungalow at Chateau Marmont for the Academy Awards.
Gary returned to the UK in 2008 and currently holds the position of Senior Principal of the Sassoon Academy in London, a role that has seen him travel worldwide, presenting seminars and educational events to a global audience.

Riess began his hairdressing career after an initial spell studying Electrical Engineering at College. Upon realising this wasn’t his dream vocation, Riess began an apprenticeship with a salon in Knightsbridge where his love of hairdressing flourished and his ambition to work for Sassoon grew. In 2007 Riess won the ‘Best Colour’ accolade at the Schwarzkopf Creative Team Awards and the following year began his journey with Sassoon. After two and half years spent honing his skills at the Newcastle salon, Riess returned to London and proceeded to quickly build a steady client base at the City salon before transferring to the London Academy a year later where he continues to pass on his knowledge and skills as an Instructor.

A hairdresser by craft, with a background managing a busy salon in Norfolk for 3 years, Marga always admired the Sassoon approach to hair design. Having previously studied the abc Cut and Salon Creative Cut courses, moving to London and working as part of the Academy Reception team was just the change she was looking for. Marga continues to be inspired by the creative talent at the Academy and brings great energy and enthusiasm to 48 Brook Street, where she is based. 

Oon began his hairdressing career back in 2004 where he worked as an apprentice in a London Salon for a number of years before joining the Sassoon Academy in Shanghai in 2009.

A year later, Oon returned to London where he worked as a Varderer at the London Academy before taking up the position of Creative Cutter in the Covent Garden Salon, a position he remained in for a number of years until he transferred to the London Academy as an Instructor.

Oon is now an integral member of the team in the London Academy and is also a key member of the shows team delivering education around the world.

Prior to joining the Sassoon family in 1989, Keith ran his own salon until the creative energy of Sassoon inspired him to sell up, move to London and join the team. Upon qualifying, Keith worked in the South Molton Street salon as a Creative Cutter before fulfilling his ambition to join the London Academy as an Instructor. During his time at the Academy, Keith has headed up a vast array of courses with a specific focus on the Diploma and Post Graduate programmes, enjoys being in the ‘engine room’ of the classroom and shows his commitment to the role with a 120 mile round trip from Brighton to London and back each day!

Damien started his journey with Sassoon in 1989; upon qualifying he commenced teaching at the London Academy and quickly became an integral member of the team, fulfilling a varied role as an Instructor and also working in the Munich, Hamburg, Glasgow and Manchester salons.
As well as leading the Academy team in his position as Senior Creative Director, Damien has travelled globally with the International Creative Team, leading the team and delivering shows and seminars to thousands of hairdressers around the world. He also plays an important role in directing the Sassoon Creative Team at high profile runway shows during London Fashion Week, most recently at the Xander Zhou SS13 Men’s Collection.

Languages: Japanese

Carla began her career with Sassoon as a Varderer before transferring to Sassoon Academy, London as a Colouring Instructor. Eager to renew her focus on education, Carla has become an integral member of the education team and is a favourite with the Spanish students!

Following her passion for teaching, she believes that she can learn more and develop her skills every day. Carla is inspired by the people she meets on a daily basis, from different cultures and parts of the world. 

Languages: Catalan and Spanish

Amber joined Sassoon in 1990 where she trained at the Kings Road Salon under globally acclaimed colourists Annie Humphreys and Josh Wood. After qualifying, Amber worked as a Colour Specialist at the City Salon in London for four years before transferring to the London Academy, where she has worked for the last 18 years establishing herself as an accomplished Colouring Instructor and a fully qualified NVQ Assessor.
Amber’s career has taken her all over the world, working at the LA Academy in Santa Monica and spending time in the Beverly Hills salon, as well as travelling extensively with the Creative Team.
From America to Russia, Europe and the Far East, Amber has worked on numerous high profile shows where she represents Sassoon with great style. To Amber everyday at Sassoon is unique!

Paula began her career with Sassoon back in 1992 as Receptionist at the London Academy. Though she claims not to possess the creative gene herself, Paula loves to be surrounded by passionate people where individuality can flourish, making Sassoon the perfect environment for her.  Paula spent nine years working on the Staff Training Reception and now fulfills the role of Senior Head Receptionist at the London Academy. Her position allows her to interact with a diverse range of people each day, from staff and guests to students. Paula has been the recipient of the coveted ‘Receptionist of the Year’ accolade and most recently ‘Special Recognition’ at the 2012 Sassoon Awards.  

Silvia first fell in love with Sassoon back in the early ‘90s after finding herself drawn to the innovative presentations at the Alternative Hair Show. Silvia began her Sassoon journey eight years later where, upon qualifying she began her teaching career at the London Academy.
Silvia’s flair, passion and drive resulted in her being awarded the position of Creative Director in 2005 and subsequently Senior Creative Director in 2013. Silvia is based at the London Academy where she has a faithful following of international guests and regularly contributes key looks to world renowned Sassoon Collections.
Her role has taken her worldwide for industry shows and seminars, Russia for Trend Vision, Australia for Hair Expo and Taiwan for Wella, and regularly travels to Europe to promote Sassoon collections and participates in live demonstrations at high profile shows such as Salon International and events including London Fashion Week as a vital member of the Creative Team.

Caroline’s career with Sassoon began at the age of 15 when she joined the Apprenticeship Programme following a chance encounter at a Careers Convention.
During her training, Caroline soon realized that her true passion was in colour and credits UK Colour Director, Edward Darley, Tracey Hayes and Julianne O’Brien for each giving her a different take on colour and encouraging her to develop her unique talent.
On completion of her apprenticeship, Caroline joined the London Academy as a Colouring Instructor and has since been promoted to the position of Colour Director. Caroline has developed a reputation as a master colourist with her finger on fashions pulse and frequently travels across the world with Sassoon, working alongside the International Creative Team on a wide range of seminars and shows.

Josh began his career with Sassoon in 1993 where he trained and worked as a Creative Cutter in the Manchester Salon. Towards the end of the 90’s Josh joined the London Academy where his talent and commitment saw him promoted to the position of Academy Principal taking him worldwide for industry shows and seminars sharing his passion for hair.
Today Josh has a growing reputation as a leading men’s stylist working with leading style publications GQ Style, i-D, and Fantastic Man, while his collaborations with designers AGI & Sam and Nicole Farhi have achieved critical acclaim and column inches. Josh is also in demand as an industry expert on men’s hair and fashion trends contributing to the best-selling style guide 'How to be Adored' by Caroline Cox, The Sunday Times Style magazine, Times Online, The Economist and Radio 4.

Brooke studied Fashion Design and Textiles in her hometown of Melbourne, Australia, before moving to London 2 years ago. It wasn't long before she was scouted to model for Sassoon by the Covent Garden salon team in 2013. After 5 months of modeling for Sassoon, Brooke's love for the brand grew and she found herself  looking for a career change in the creative industry she loves.

Now, she works in the Education Team at Sassoon Academy in Brook Street  where she loves meeting clients from all over the world. Her diverse background in fashion design and textiles allows her to identify well with the creative needs of our students and she is a key part of the team. 

Alessio set his sights on working for Sassoon after watching videos and reading books about Vidal.  He made the move to London in 2005 and started his career at Sassoon as a Varderer in the Covent Garden salon.  After qualifying, he quickly built up a strong clientele, reveling in the daily interaction with the assistants.  He quickly realized he had a passion for teaching and immersed himself with the assistants training.

It was in 2010 that Alessio transferred to the London Academy as a Cutting Instructor, a role which he relishes, giving him the opportunity to share his knowledge with others. “Seeing my students grow in confidence and achieve something they thought they never would is so rewarding” says Alessio.

Alessio has travelled globally with the International Creative Team and played an important role in numerous industry seminars and fashion shows. Most recently leading the Creative Team across London Fashion Week and working with designers such as Edeline Lee and YMC. As well as this, Alessio has also had his work featured in numerous editorials for an array of leading publications including the Daily Telegraph and i-D. 

Languages: Italian

Joining Sassoon back in 1998 as an assistant at the City Salon, Vicky soon embarked on an apprenticeship where, upon qualifying, she worked for a further eight years as a Creative Cutter, realizing her passion for cutting men’s hair and amassing a busy client base.
Vicky now works as a Cutting Instructor at the London Academy, a position which affords her the opportunity to meet people from around the world on a regular basis and which she finds extremely rewarding.
Vicky’s biggest career highlight to date has been having her work featured in The Muses Spring Summer 2013 Academy Collection.

Stuart began his career in 1998 as an assistant in the Chelsea Salon. Upon qualifying, he began his career as a Colour Specialist at the Covent Garden salon where he worked for a number of years before transferring to the London Academy as a Colouring Instructor. Following a return to the salons in London and Munich, Stuart resumed his position at the London Academy, where he now works as an Colour Director. Much of his career has been spent at the London Academies; however he regularly travels for shows internationally from Madrid to Toronto. Stuart has also worked on a number of collections and editorial shoots, incorporating inspiration from his family, friends and lifestyle.

Danielle’s journey with Sassoon began back in 1988 when she worked as an assistant at the Covent Garden Salon. Upon qualifying, Danielle moved to the North of England to work as a Creative Cutter at the Manchester Salon, during which time she built up a strong client base and was called upon to groom an array of 90’s popstars and TV celebrities.

In 1993 Danielle moved back to the London Academy as a Cutting Instructor where she enjoyed imparting her knowledge across a range of courses and, as a result of her dedication and commitment to Sassoon, saw herself promoted to Senior Creative Director. Today Danielle leads the Academy Team to strive to their highest standards.

Danielle has been fortunate enough to travel extensively with the International Team during her career and has presented in onstage demonstrations at industry shows around the world. In addition to this, Danielle has contributed to a number of Academy Collections over the years and has had her editorial work featured in International trade titles.

In March, 2017 Danielle Harvey was appointed Assistant UK Creative Director and will be responsible for the Creative Direction of the UK Academies.

Danielle is a highly talented, successful individual who has made significant contributions to the Sassoon brand over many years - always representing the company to the highest standards with professionalism, style and expertise.

Kristof’s journey started with Sassoon in 2012 at the City Salon, where he worked as a stylist after completing his training. His team and clients adored his vibrant personality which helped him build a loyal client base. Kristof also has the chance to travel Europe to represent Sassoon at various trade shows including; HABB and Sassoon Professional.

After gaining valuable experience in the Salon Kristof decided it was the right time for him to focus his attention on the education and his passion for teaching. Kristof’s dedication and passion for the industry has seen him fast become an integral member of the Academy team in London and he thoroughly enjoys sharing his knowledge with students eager to learn. 

Languages: Polish

Zsolt’s journey with Sassoon started at the Cardiff Salon where he worked as a stylist after completing his training and rapidly built a very loyal and extensive clientele.

Zsolt then decided to focus his attention on education and transferred to the London Academy as an Instructor.  Zolt is now a key team member of the London Academy and enjoys imparting and sharing his knowledge across a wide range of cutting courses.  His passion for hairdressing coupled with his vivacious personality explains why he is such a popular teacher at the London Academy.

Zsolt is inspired daily by his peers and seeks satisfaction in seeing all his students learn, grow and succeed.

Languages: Hungarian

Leona began her career with Sassoon in 1974 when she joined the Manchester salon as an apprentice where she trained to specialise in colour alongside industry icon Annie Humphreys.  After spending 13 years in the Salon, building a loyal client base and working her way up to the position of Colour Director, Leona felt it was time for a change and transferred to the London Academy where she embarked on a career as a Colour Instructor. Although teaching was a dramatic change from working with clients in the salon, Leona loved the interaction with students and the atmosphere of the Academy. After a number of years teaching at the Academy, Leona’s natural managerial skills and passion for Sassoon led her to the esteemed position of UK General Manager where she adeptly oversees the smooth running of the Academy operation, leading a highly successful team of talented hair instructors.