My Latest Work
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Today Club, OCT District, Shenzhen, China
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About me
I am an accomplished strategy director with a history of driving brand growth and brand success, My approach is: logical, insight-led & pragmatic. My strategy journey and expertise has been across sectors, countries and disciplines. This included successful global product launches, brand strategy, comms planning, omnichannel and digital transformation all of which leaves with a ‘T-shaped’ skillset. I’m driven to do work that has intrinsic quality; that has accomplished something despite the challenge. Whether its consumer marketing, retailing, a public service announcement campaign, B2B or marketing in a regulated sector like health – cracking the business or creative challenge at the centre and the team around me that drives me.
Outside of work I've contributed to the industry by speaking at conferences on youth marketing and digital marketing, and been part of the Econsultancy training faculty. I was a guest lecturer on interactive marketing at Universitat Ramon Llull in Barcelona. I've co-authored two social media marketing books, in both cases the focus of my contributions were on strategy and insights.
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My Work
SEE ALL WORKGlobal content strategy
- BRAND:
- Huawei
Positions
Freelance strategy director
London
United Kingdom
October 2015 - Present (9 years 2 months)
Collaborated with brands and agencies in London and Hong Kong on strategic initiatives. (ABB, BEST, Mandarin Oriental, Philips, P&G (SK-II), Sony, TODAY Club (Shenzhen), Unilever (Dove, Family Brands))
Achievements:
• Mandarin Oriental - Crafted creative digital strategies, targeting younger Asian UHNWIs who thought the brand stuffy. This started off by explaining what younger luxury travellers wanted in their own words and that of their families. From this experience we started to work on how we can make ‘Fan of’ relevant.
• P&G - Integrated content strategy for luxury beauty brand SK-II in Hong Kong – SK-II’s biggest barrier was its ‘fierce’ retail staff, I worked on a project to help the brand connect directly with young Hong Kong women.
• Unilever - Global omnichannel strategy for their margarine brands in partnership with Phd & Mullen Lowe, encompassing all aspects of marketing from advertising to CX – to engage with the next generation of mothers around family moments.
Achievements:
• Mandarin Oriental - Crafted creative digital strategies, targeting younger Asian UHNWIs who thought the brand stuffy. This started off by explaining what younger luxury travellers wanted in their own words and that of their families. From this experience we started to work on how we can make ‘Fan of’ relevant.
• P&G - Integrated content strategy for luxury beauty brand SK-II in Hong Kong – SK-II’s biggest barrier was its ‘fierce’ retail staff, I worked on a project to help the brand connect directly with young Hong Kong women.
• Unilever - Global omnichannel strategy for their margarine brands in partnership with Phd & Mullen Lowe, encompassing all aspects of marketing from advertising to CX – to engage with the next generation of mothers around family moments.
Planning director
London, United Kingdom
May 2022 - October 2023 (1 year 5 months)
Oversee strategy for multiple accounts, leading a team of five. Our team provides strategy to an agency business unit with €8.5 million in billings. (Coloplast, CSL Vifor, Edwards, GSK, Janssen, Novartis, Novavax, Otsuka, Roche, Takeda, Teva)
Achievements:
• GSK Vaccines – brand planning supporting mature products in market leading positions. Covering: Brazil, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Spain, Switzerland, US, UK and Vietnam. Since the products are market leaders, the HCP and pharmacy campaigns are looking to reinforce established positive behaviours. The consumer aspects of the campaigns look to reassure parents or empower older adults to take preventative actions for their health.
• Co-developed a point of view (PoV) on generative AI with creative partner.
Achievements:
• GSK Vaccines – brand planning supporting mature products in market leading positions. Covering: Brazil, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Spain, Switzerland, US, UK and Vietnam. Since the products are market leaders, the HCP and pharmacy campaigns are looking to reinforce established positive behaviours. The consumer aspects of the campaigns look to reassure parents or empower older adults to take preventative actions for their health.
• Co-developed a point of view (PoV) on generative AI with creative partner.
Loyalty video
- BRAND:
- Infanrix Hexa
SVP strategy
New York, United States
November 2020 - May 2022 (1 year 6 months)
Brand planning and customer experience (CX) initiatives for New York-based creative agency (working remotely from London.) (MSD, Novo Nordisk, Zeal&)
Achievements:
• Novo Nordisk – brand strategy and comms planning for global launch of novel new weight management treatment Wegovy. Covered business, trade and (US-only) consumer advertising including TV advertising and digital. Wegovy helps free people with obesity and their doctors from the anxiety of failing weight loss efforts. Some of the anguished patient research interviews haunted me and reinforced the importance of the work.
• MSD Animal Health - US social, TV and connected TV campaign for Bravecto – that addressed consumers most treasured and joyful possession: their dog. We looked to show that even the scruffiest mongrel is a champion in their family.
Achievements:
• Novo Nordisk – brand strategy and comms planning for global launch of novel new weight management treatment Wegovy. Covered business, trade and (US-only) consumer advertising including TV advertising and digital. Wegovy helps free people with obesity and their doctors from the anxiety of failing weight loss efforts. Some of the anguished patient research interviews haunted me and reinforced the importance of the work.
• MSD Animal Health - US social, TV and connected TV campaign for Bravecto – that addressed consumers most treasured and joyful possession: their dog. We looked to show that even the scruffiest mongrel is a champion in their family.
Director, strategy and digital
90TEN
United Kingdom
July 2019 - October 2020 (1 year 3 months)
Led brand planning, comms planning, behaviour change campaigns and digital strategy. (Eisai, Eli Lilly, Gilead, Novo Nordisk, Samsung, Takeda)
Achievements:
• Gilead - UK consumer marketing award-winning HIV lifestyle campaign. Gilead wanted to help patients live long successful lives. The challenge we faced was how to get middle aged patients to start thinking beyond their HIV health to consider their long financial and mental wellbeing? Every step of the way we worked with men with HV to get the content and tone right. Everyone in front of the camera had a direct connection to the issues we addressed.
Achievements:
• Gilead - UK consumer marketing award-winning HIV lifestyle campaign. Gilead wanted to help patients live long successful lives. The challenge we faced was how to get middle aged patients to start thinking beyond their HIV health to consider their long financial and mental wellbeing? Every step of the way we worked with men with HV to get the content and tone right. Everyone in front of the camera had a direct connection to the issues we addressed.
Director, data strategy
London , United Kingdom
May 2016 - June 2017 (1 year 1 month)
Served in a multi-agency role, collaborating with Saatchi & Saatchi Wellness and Razorfish Health. (Boehringer Ingelheim, Johnson & Johnson, Merck, Novartis, Sandoz)
Achievements:
• Sandoz - Successful consumer campaign for ACC consumer health products in central Europe, Russia, and South Africa focusing on coughs, colds and flu symptoms. Our communications primarily focused on meeting parents needs to facilitate a fast cure. There was a strange commonality in folk remedies in different countries about the power of potatoes.
• Merck - Implemented a digital marketing transformation programme for marketing digital dashboards that gave marketers only the information that they cared about in one place. Different countries and regions had differing needs. I got to write the fax strategy for a small European country’s marketing team – which was a career first.
• Pioneered the development of a search offering (SEO & SEM).
Achievements:
• Sandoz - Successful consumer campaign for ACC consumer health products in central Europe, Russia, and South Africa focusing on coughs, colds and flu symptoms. Our communications primarily focused on meeting parents needs to facilitate a fast cure. There was a strange commonality in folk remedies in different countries about the power of potatoes.
• Merck - Implemented a digital marketing transformation programme for marketing digital dashboards that gave marketers only the information that they cared about in one place. Different countries and regions had differing needs. I got to write the fax strategy for a small European country’s marketing team – which was a career first.
• Pioneered the development of a search offering (SEO & SEM).
Vice president - digital services, Europe
London, United Kingdom
March 2014 - October 2015 (1 year 7 months)
Established and led the digital services overseeing online advertising, influencer marketing, content marketing, design, web development and community management. Successfully set-up of studios in London and Hong Kong to support digital initiatives. (ARM, Bednest, Huawei, Jamf, New Balance, Oraya Therapeutics, TechSmith)
Achievements:
• New Balance - Landmark brand and product launches for New Balance Football via digital, social and global influencer partnerships – helping a challenger brand compete against adidas & Nike.
• Secured new business from ARM, Huawei and Progress Software.
Achievements:
• New Balance - Landmark brand and product launches for New Balance Football via digital, social and global influencer partnerships – helping a challenger brand compete against adidas & Nike.
• Secured new business from ARM, Huawei and Progress Software.
Director – digital, social and interactive, Greater China region
Burson-Marsteller
Hong Kong
November 2012 - February 2014 (1 year 3 months)
Established and led team of 12 in Hong Kong and Beijing enhancing the agency's digital marketing capabilities, covering strategy, creative direction, workload management and P&L responsibilities. (CIVB, Coca-Cola, Hong Kong Disneyland, Huawei, Nu-Skin, Oakley, Qualcomm, RBS, Tommy Bahama)
Achievements:
• Tommy Bahama - Successfully introduced US clothing retailer to Hong Kong market – bringing their brand of island living to life. Given that we didn’t have Jimmy Buffett as a common cultural touchpoint that we could hang island living on, we worked with Hong Kong influencers for them to articulate their own interpretation.
• Coca-Cola - Created successful influencer partnerships for Coke Zero x Neighborhood collaboration – celebrating Hong Kong’s beautiful night cityscape by encouraging cycling at night. Neighborhood draws from biking culture and Coke Zero wanted to focus on shared moments with friends.
Achievements:
• Tommy Bahama - Successfully introduced US clothing retailer to Hong Kong market – bringing their brand of island living to life. Given that we didn’t have Jimmy Buffett as a common cultural touchpoint that we could hang island living on, we worked with Hong Kong influencers for them to articulate their own interpretation.
• Coca-Cola - Created successful influencer partnerships for Coke Zero x Neighborhood collaboration – celebrating Hong Kong’s beautiful night cityscape by encouraging cycling at night. Neighborhood draws from biking culture and Coke Zero wanted to focus on shared moments with friends.
EMEA regional director - digital strategies
Ruder Finn / RFI Studios
United Kingdom
April 2009 - November 2012 (3 years 7 months)
Provided counsel for clients across all business segments. Led digital and integrated marketing programmes for various clients in Europe and Asia Pacific. (ACCA, Experian, GAVI, Manpower, Marie Stopes, Pfizer, The National Lottery)
Achievements:
• Novartis - Multi award-winning omni-channel parent behaviour change campaign for early diagnosis of meningitis. Insights showed us that parent influencers and their readers didn’t know the symptoms to look out for.
• The National Lottery - Executed successful digital creative campaign making scratch cards a better Secret Santa gift, boosting seasonal sales.
• Digital went from 0 to 19% of total revenue through new business wins and building a flexible team of partners to meet business requirements.
Achievements:
• Novartis - Multi award-winning omni-channel parent behaviour change campaign for early diagnosis of meningitis. Insights showed us that parent influencers and their readers didn’t know the symptoms to look out for.
• The National Lottery - Executed successful digital creative campaign making scratch cards a better Secret Santa gift, boosting seasonal sales.
• Digital went from 0 to 19% of total revenue through new business wins and building a flexible team of partners to meet business requirements.
Education
Other professional activities
Share This Too book
Co-author
January 2012 - Present (12 years 11 months)
Contributing author - chapter showing how social media listening can be used in brand and communications planning
Social Media MBA book
Co-author
January 2012 - Present (12 years 11 months)
Contributing author - chapter on how social media listening can be used for market research
Creativity and Data panel, PRCA
Speaking
May 2019 - May 2019 (1 second)
Communications is frequently seen as all about ‘big ideas’. But increasingly, it’s being recognised that to develop a big idea that’s really going to have an impact, it’s not just about creativity. Now, the winning formula is creativity + data.
Of course, data has always played a role in the creative process, but historically through a more ‘rear view’ measurement of past behaviours. However, with technology advancing and predictive analytics utilising newly available data, the data we have access to is more forward-looking than ever.
The ability to synthesise these insights is super-powering strategic planning for businesses, but it’s definitely not just the boardroom who should be interested in ‘running the numbers’. Maths and data may not be seen as natural bedfellows of storytelling and creation, but have we been underestimating the power of creativity in data? Ultimately, is data a friend or foe to the creative process?
Econsultancy Digitals
Teaching
April 2006 - January 2017 (10 years 9 months)
I was part of the training faculty of industry experts that Econsultancy used to deliver its courses including bespoke training for commercial and government organisations. Areas of focus included digital brand marketing through social media, influencer, content strategy and development, SEO and SEM.
I also spoke at a number of their events / conferences including
Traveling Geeks
Digital Cream - in the UK and in Hong Kong
eTourism Forum in Cyprus
Social Media Week, London
Speaking
September 2015 - September 2015 (1 second)
Short and sweet code – Learn how to do it and make social objects with it
Emerging technologies and tactics for social media & building communities (ClickZ Asia)
Speaking
June 2014 - June 2014 (1 second)
3 day event held in Hong Kong
mobileYouth
Speaking
January 2007 - January 2012 (5 years)
A series of London based conferences (called Workouts) run four times a year by trend research agency Mobile Youth for brand marketers and mobile technology companies looking to engage with younger audiences.
Creative Capital Group
Speaking
March 2011 - March 2011 (1 second)
Gave a talk on integrating digital into a marketing mix model for advertising and creative attendees. The monthly event was held by the Creative Capital Group at The Hospital Club
Social Media in Business conference
Speaking
October 2009 - October 2009 (1 second)
I spoke at the inaugural conference in 2009, back when brands were finding their way through owned social media channels and paid social media marketing.
Chartered Institute of Marketing
Speaking
June 2009 - June 2009 (1 second)
Gave a keynote at their Annual Tutors Conference on intent based targeting online as a marketing moment.
Universitat Ramon Llull, Barcelona
Speaking
January 2008 - April 2009 (1 year 3 months)
Lecturer on interactive marketing for their executive MBA course
PHNX 2024
Awards Jury Member
