Since leaving More Th>n in 2011, I have set up my own independent marketing consultancy - Paper Hat Consulting Ltd - and worked with a diverse set of clients across a variety of business sectors. My experience has ranged from short-term engagements with SMEs to the Direct Line Group, where I spent 20 months on a number of engagements, including the transformation of online conversion across the direct web and aggregator channels of the Direct Line, Churchill and Privilege Brands. I… Show more Since leaving More Th>n in 2011, I have set up my own independent marketing consultancy - Paper Hat Consulting Ltd - and worked with a diverse set of clients across a variety of business sectors. My experience has ranged from short-term engagements with SMEs to the Direct Line Group, where I spent 20 months on a number of engagements, including the transformation of online conversion across the direct web and aggregator channels of the Direct Line, Churchill and Privilege Brands. I have worked with the University of Bradford to develop their CRM strategy and to help optimise the business impact of their newly acquired CRM system.I am currently working with a number of small businesses on a pro bono basis, to help define business vision and strategies, together with supporting organisation design and performance management system and culture. Show less

I am helping New Quay, on a pro bono basis, to define their business proposition and to develop a strategic approach to the marketing of that proposition. We are also establishing business processes to enable the delivery of a value management approach, focusing on the products, services and clients that add most value to the business.

My objective at British Gas was to drive substantive improvements to the customer acquisition and retention journeys across both energy and services products by implementing an integrated approach to channel management, resulting in improved conversion rates and return on marketing investment.

As the choice for students - undergraduates and postgraduates, UK and international - becomes greater, so the market for Higher Education providers becomes competitive like never before. To survive and thrive, they have to start treating their prospective and existing students like real customers. To this end, I developed the University of Bradford's Customer Relationship Management strategy, mapping the “As Is” and “To Be” customer journeys and overseeing the implementation of the… Show more As the choice for students - undergraduates and postgraduates, UK and international - becomes greater, so the market for Higher Education providers becomes competitive like never before. To survive and thrive, they have to start treating their prospective and existing students like real customers. To this end, I developed the University of Bradford's Customer Relationship Management strategy, mapping the “As Is” and “To Be” customer journeys and overseeing the implementation of the University’s newly acquired CRM system, including defining business rules and conducting a gap analysis of their system’s capabilities. Show less

Customer & Channel Strategy, Direct Line Group October 2012 – December 2013I was responsible for driving step-change to the performance of DLG’s direct web and aggregator motor insurance acquisition channels across the Direct Line, Churchill and Privilege Brands, I transformed the effectiveness of the quote and buy customer journey through a series of successful pilot activities, resulting in incremental uplift in conversion rates of more than 100% in target… Show more Customer & Channel Strategy, Direct Line Group October 2012 – December 2013I was responsible for driving step-change to the performance of DLG’s direct web and aggregator motor insurance acquisition channels across the Direct Line, Churchill and Privilege Brands, I transformed the effectiveness of the quote and buy customer journey through a series of successful pilot activities, resulting in incremental uplift in conversion rates of more than 100% in target sectors.Customer Journey Consultant, Green Flag Insurance July – September 2012I conducted an end-to-end review of all aspects of the Green Flag customer journey from acquisition, through servicing and claims to renewals, identifying opportunities to drive improvements in customer value and business metrics. Recommendations led to implementation of a customer journey change programme.Customer Value Consultancy, Direct Line Group May – June 2012I conducted a gap analysis of DLG’s customer management and data-driven marketing capability across their main insurance Brands of Direct Line and Churchill, from new business acquisition to customer retention. This resulted in a series of specific recommendations that contributed to the launch of the Group's Customer Interaction Change Programme. Show less

Leading a team of 35 marketing specialists, I was responsible for optimising the return on the MORE TH>N Marketing Budget, using insight driven analysis to identify the most effective channel and media mix.I improved marketing effectiveness across both MORE TH>N and RSA’s affinity business by more than 20% over 2 years, helping to significantly increase margin in a highly competitive market through real customer focus and data driven insight. MORE TH>N is now, not just one of the… Show more Leading a team of 35 marketing specialists, I was responsible for optimising the return on the MORE TH>N Marketing Budget, using insight driven analysis to identify the most effective channel and media mix.I improved marketing effectiveness across both MORE TH>N and RSA’s affinity business by more than 20% over 2 years, helping to significantly increase margin in a highly competitive market through real customer focus and data driven insight. MORE TH>N is now, not just one of the largest, but also one of the most profitable direct insurers in the UK.Industry-recognised for the innovative use of customer data in driving more effective marketing, I was runner-up in the 2010 Data Strategy Data Professional of the Year Award and responsible for the MORE TH>N team that picked up awards for best targeting solution and best use of data. Show less

Developed and implemented a clear customer strategy for RSA’s Retail and Affinity Business, optimising value from customer base, measured through cost-effective sales and high retention levels for target customer segments.• Increased the proportion of all new business sales from our existing customers to over 40%, reducing overall cost per sale by over 10%• Led the development and delivery of the MORE TH>N value segmentation model, subsequently applied across a number of affinity… Show more Developed and implemented a clear customer strategy for RSA’s Retail and Affinity Business, optimising value from customer base, measured through cost-effective sales and high retention levels for target customer segments.• Increased the proportion of all new business sales from our existing customers to over 40%, reducing overall cost per sale by over 10%• Led the development and delivery of the MORE TH>N value segmentation model, subsequently applied across a number of affinity partners.• Delivered an uplift of 15% in the proportion of customers recruited from high lifetime value segments.• Developed and delivered a targeted retention and loyalty communications programme that drove substantial uplifts in customer persistency (over 10 percentage point improvement for certain target segments).• Developed the in-house data services capability to support a highly effective direct marketing operation, from data analysis and insight to campaign selections and database management. This capability, previously outsourced at a cost of £500k, delivered annual savings of £250k and improved both the quality and quantity of our customer insight. Show less

Led the development and delivery of the Customer Marketing Plan for MORE TH>N, which represented 30% of total new business sales and an annual budget of £4million, and responsible for delivery of marketing consultancy to RSA’s affinity partners.• Managed the Marketing Database for MORE TH>N, which comprised 1.5 million customers and 15 million prospects, and delivered in excess of 1,000 targeted campaigns per annum, generating 40% of new business.• Managed the delivery of… Show more Led the development and delivery of the Customer Marketing Plan for MORE TH>N, which represented 30% of total new business sales and an annual budget of £4million, and responsible for delivery of marketing consultancy to RSA’s affinity partners.• Managed the Marketing Database for MORE TH>N, which comprised 1.5 million customers and 15 million prospects, and delivered in excess of 1,000 targeted campaigns per annum, generating 40% of new business.• Managed the delivery of marketing consultancy to support RSA Personal’s Affinity Business, which supported the winning of 3 substantial new clients and helped secure the retention of 3 major existing clients.• Led the teams which developed and delivered the customer research and satisfaction programmes in R&SA Personal. Show less