Here is the VantagePoint team, all of whom live in the local area which we feel is a prerequisite for anyone publishing a local community magazine. All are based at our office in Godalming, which is at the geographical heart of our circulation area.
Stefan Reynolds
Stefan bio
Stefan was born in Kenya in 1970 where his French mother and English father had met and were living and working. Following the birth of his sister, the family moved to Godalming in 1973. Stefan was educated locally at Busbridge School and the Royal Grammar School, Guildford. In 1990, he joined the Godalming based publisher Colour Library Books before being lured away to London in 1996 where he joined Dorling Kindersley and later Penguin Books, where he was Business Development Manager.
Between 2003 and 2008 he was Sales and Business Development Manager for Trotman and Crimson Publishing where he worked four days a week while running his own wine business called Field&Vine. Between 2006 and 2008, he was the publisher of Grapestalk, the online wine magazine for the Association of Small Direct Wine Merchants.
In 2007, Stefan was elected a Godalming Town and Waverley Borough Councillor for Godalming Charterhouse and re-elected in 2011 and 2015. He was leader of Godalming Town Council from 2014-2019 and a member of Waverley Borough Council’s Executive for eight years until he stepped down in 2016. In May 2019, he retired from Godalming Town and Waverley Borough Councils and was elected to Elstead Parish Council where he lives.
Stefan is a strong supporter of his local community. He helped establish GOLO – The Godalming Lottery, fundraised for the Godalming Bandstand, is a Friend of Godalming Woolsack Rotary, a member of the Godalming Trust, the Lutyens Trust, Brooklands Museum Trust and a founder member of the Goodwood Road Racing Club. Together with a close friend Jane, he took over the annual GUTS Classic Motor Tour in 2014 and raised over £50,000 to fight bowel cancer at the Royal Surrey Hospital in the 10 years they ran it. He was a trustee of The Clockhouse in Milford between 2019-2021 and was on the management team of Godalming & District Chamber of Commerce for over 8 years until 2025. He is now on the management committee of The Godalming Trust and is Finance Director for Godalming’s Business Improvement District, called Discover Godalming.
He started Vantage Publishing in 2009 having seen the need for local community magazines in the Surrey Hills area. He is married to Mike, a Surgeon-Captain in the Royal Navy, and they live with their black labradors Humphrey and Fergus in Elstead, Surrey and Alverstoke, Hampshire, and spend time in the summer at their family house in South West France.
Marcus Atkins
Marcus bio
Marcus was born in Bristol in 1969, has a younger brother who now lives in New Zealand; but believes it’s nothing personal. He spent a few years of his early childhood in the 1970s with his parents in Saudi Arabia and Kuwait as his father was a Civil Engineer, and this opened his eyes at an early age to travel.
On returning to the UK he went to school in Bristol, and then on to Southampton University to study Geography. He started his career proper in the paper trade, firstly in marketing and then in sales.
Marcus is a family man and lives in Godalming, has 4 grown up children, two daughters and two sons, whom he adores and is extremely proud of.
Marcus first became friends with Stefan back in the early 1990s. Marcus and Stefan’s friendship developed as they had a common interest as are both huge petrolheads. Marcus started working with Stefan at Vantage Publishing back in 2009, so more than 14 years now. He loves meeting such a huge variety of local business owners, running a myriad of types of businesses, and loves the fact that our publications make a real positive difference to the community and to local people’s lives.
Eleanor Stanley
Eleanor bio
After a much less exotic start to life than her colleagues, Eleanor grew up in Cobham, before moving south to Guildford, and later to Godalming. She joined Vantage Publishing in 2022, following a career change, and works as a Sales Executive.
When she’s not busy helping local businesses reach more potential customers through advertising in the fantastic VantagePoint Magazine, Eleanor can be found walking her dog, tending to her garden, or trying out exciting new recipes!
Zoe Avern
Zoe bio
Zoe is instantly distinctive on the phone, being the only member of the Vantage Team to pronounce “Vantage” with a northern flat ‘a’. Hailing from Yorkshire, Northumberland and many years both studying and working in Glasgow, she’s still not lost the giveaway vowel, despite having lived in leafy south west Surrey since 1999.
A keen forager for over 20 years, Zoe loves getting out in the countryside exploring the wonderfully bountiful counties of Surrey, West Sussex and Hampshire. She also enjoys informing and educating interested parties whilst leading small group walks in the area.
Zoe has also been involved with Godalming Operatic Society since 2011, both performing on stage and being involved as a member of the Committee as Press Officer for the Society. Just 3 more operettas to go before she can tick off the entire Gilbert & Sullivan canon!
Phil Kemp
Phil bio
Phil is our staff writer and photographer. He has been involved in publishing, copy writing and photography for many years and lives in Godalming with his partner Serena.
Humphrey
Humph bio
Humphrey Max is a black labrador and is the VantagePoint office dog. He loves walking, eating, playing fetch, eating, being around people, eating, playing with other dogs, eating, having tummy tickles, eating, swimming in the sea and in his pool in South West France, eating and sleeping.
He lives mainly in Elstead with his dad Stefan where he has three beds and supervises all cooking activity, but spends weekends with his other dad Mike and step-dog Fergus, sometimes by the seaside in Alverstoke, Hampshire.
Fergus (pictured below) also sometimes comes into the office when he is staying in the Surrey Hills.
