Sue has over 20 years experience in virtually every aspect of marketing research and advertising and has worked with many major ad agencies and corporations on both sides of the Atlantic. Until 1991, Sue served as Managing Director of the London-based consultancy firm, James R. Adams & Associates where her clients included Saab, IBM-UK, British Telecom and Harper-Collins. In 1992, Sue and her husband, Rich, formed Smith & Company after returning from a year-long round-the-world journey that started in England, Sue's homeland, and culminated in San Francisco.

Once in the US, Sue went to work full-time with one of her Clients in 1995, when Goodby, Silverstein & Partners offered her an opportunity she could not refuse. As a Goodby Planning Director, she was responsible for strategy development, creative development, monitoring campaign effects and effectiveness and the general day-to-day planning needs of her Clients. During her five years working for Goodby, she worked on numerous accounts, although her long-term Clients were Anheuser-Busch (the Bud Lizards and other brand projects), Isuzu, Dreyer's Grand Ice Cream, and the California Milk Processor Board (got milk?). For CMPB, Sue figured prominently in evolving and expanding the milk deprivation strategy.

Sue has been the recipient of a number of awards, including a Gold Effie for advertising effectiveness for her work on the Budweiser Penguin Campaign and a Silver Effie on behalf of Isuzu. After five years at Goodby, Sue decided to rejoin her husband at Smith & Company, and resume running her own business. Clients have included E. & J. Gallo, T-Mobile, Regence Blue Cross/Blue Shield, Sutter Health, SAFECO, Office of the Patient Advocate/State of California, Lexus, Cadillac, Häagen-Dazs and MTV.

A full member of the Market Research Society (UK), she is the recipient of their first Special Award and has been a guest lecturer for market research training courses at the Society for a number of years.