Deidre is a travel documentary photographer, specialising in cultural and adventure travel images, particularly Central Asia and the silk road. Originally from Canada, she is based in London, UK. She is a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society and a full member of the Association of Photographers.For more information, please visit: http://www.deidresorensen.com

Deidre is a senior strategy consultant / project director working independently. She consults for clients throughout the UK and globally, usually at executive and Board level. She has extensive experience in general corporate strategy, consumer insight and organisation and has worked across diverse sectors, but with a focus on consumer and healthcare. Projects have included (but not limited to):Multinational FMCG companyWorked with the CEO and CMO to communicate, reposition and gain buy-in for a new operating model, as part of a restructuring of the corporate centre and the operating businesses.Global healthcare providerDesigned and led 5 month engagement to develop a new strategy for CEE/MEA/Asia- Hired and acted as internal client for a consulting team in Asia, working with them daily to conduct deep market studies- Developed, alongside senior management, a proposed new strategy and repeatable model - Presented to global CEO and CFO and wrote multiple Board papersGlobal electronics manufacturer, EMEA divisionLed 4-month team engagement to develop first phase of a new consumer-led strategy, as part of a consumer business turnaround, with read-outs to global management European healthcare companyLed team engagement to develop a digital strategy for a consumer-facing healthcare business, through a co-creation workshop-based approachMultinational consumer goods companyLed 8-month engagement, advising the CEO and senior management on:- Redesigning strategic planning processes and strategic direction overall- Organisation and ways of working- Category strategiesFinancial services companyLed client relationship for 16-month engagement across multiple strategy and organisation projects, working with CFO and CEO, bringing an overall picture of how the projects fit together.Led specific client projects during this time:- Redesigning organisation, legal and governance structure- Overall corporate strategy- Financial investment sector strategy

Deidre managed a wide variety of projects across the consumer goods, mining and oil & gas sectors, conducting visioning exercises, planning JVs and mergers, and reviewing / renewing corporate and organisational strategies. She worked in Brazil, South Africa, Australia, and the UK.

Deidre reported to the Chief Financial Officer, as part of Finance senior leadership team in a new role created to bring increased strategic focus at this level of the corporate structure. Deidre was responsible for strategic planning for the UK & Ireland business, one of the largest business units globally, working with and through all areas of the business to bring together an overarching vision and strategic plan. In addition, she led and conducted analysis of M&A opportunities, including pipeline management, opportunity assessment (strategic and financial) and deal structuring, alongside external consultants and bankers.

Deidre was employed within the Senior Civil Service as a Strategy Adviser in the Department of Health. This was part of an initiative that sought to bring experienced business people into senior government roles to inject commercial thinking and new ideas into policy making and departmental management.Deidre set up and led a department-wide Customer Insight Unit with the aim to inject customer focus into strategic planning and policy development through providing senior executives and Ministers of the Department of Health and National Health Service with deep end-user understanding. Deidre developed and managed a team of 7+ advisers and analysts, conducting multiple projects, including a large-scale study, as part of the White Paper, "Your Health, Your Care, Your Say: A New Direction for Community Services", published by the Government, January 2006.Deidre also initiated and completed an internal strategic review for the Permanent Secretary (department head), examining customer-focus within the Department of Health; she recommended a strategy for ‘embedding the customer’ throughout the department, which was approved by the Departmental Board, and published, in part, by the Treasury and the Cabinet Office.Deidre was also part of a Whitehall-wide (government-wide) group of business people / customer strategy experts who worked together to bring a greater understanding of the end user into government policy and ultimately service delivery.

Deidre worked as an adviser to the CEO, reporting directly to the CEO and Board of Directors, in a newly created role focused on business development and strategy. In this capacity, she:Analysed business opportunities and advised on corporate strategy, including organisational structure and overall business definition for a publicly listed US$80M Chinese Medicine (retail and consumer healthcare) company.Completed an in-depth study of the US healthy lifestyle market, consumer attitudes and behaviours, and competitor positioning to identify expansion opportunities as a “western” face of the business.Developed and recommended a strategy for the future business direction of a US beverage/retail subsidiary, including refocus of branding and distribution network. Facilitated transition of management.

Deidre partnered with former major global bank CEO to create new venture focused on advisory services, capital raising (for companies and funds) and investment for financial services companies.She directed the capital-raising portion of the business, analysing new transactions and funds, structuring information flow and assisting with due diligence.She also completed business development and strategic consulting assignments examining new opportunities in proprietary trading, credit derivative products and risk management.

Deidre was an associate, consultant and acting project leader at BCG in both Southeast Asia and Toronto. She worked on assignments in Singapore, Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia, India, Canada, and the United States. She helped establish BCG's presence in Singapore, which was a small new office when she joined, allowing her to be part of a founding team and gain experience across the spectrum of consulting and business development activities. BCG sponsored her MBA in France and she thereafter returned to Toronto where she was not only doing client-facing work but also publishing reports and thought-pieces and acting as an internal global training node for financial and market modelling.Selected examples of projects include:- Sept 11th Economic Impact Study for the New York City Partnership, quantifying the economic impact of September 11th on the Travel and Tourism industry of NYC. (New York City)- Supply Chain Strategy for an international beverage client, which realised $5M in annual procurement savings, earmarked another $5M for savings in the future, and developed a negotiation strategy and new process requirements. (Canada)- Snack Foods & Beverages strategy for global manufacturers, including evaluating the market opportunity in Asia for a European confectioner in light of the Asia economic crisis, and examining new product opportunities for a global beverage and snack food company in India. (Pan-Asia)- Telecom Market Entry strategy for a global handset manufacturer rolling out a new cellular technology. (Pan-Asia)Selected publications included:- "The Next Chapter in Business-to-Business eCommerce: Advantage Incumbent." Co-authored with project team. 2001.- "Winning the Online Consumer 2.0." Co-authored with project team. 2001.- "Fast is Good, but Smart is Better." An Opportunity for Action in Consumer Markets. Co-authored with George Stalk. 2000.