Thomas Aastad Email & Phone Number

London, Gb

London, England, United Kingdom

London, England, United Kingdom

Studio Aastad helps companies drive brand and business growth by implementing marketing and communications strategies, measurements and partnerships that challenge the status quo, charts new territories and transform customer perceptions.Building on 20 years of experience in brand marketing and communications and with a broad international network, I help companies develop their brand strategy, strategic partnerships, measurement metrics, creative and commercial collaborations, social and digital plans and communications strategies.Having worked in-house in leadership roles at global companies, including Swarovski, Time Inc and LinkedIn, and collaborated with reputable brands like Jaguar, Harrods, Brioni, Alexander McQueen, Veuve Clicquot, Guggenheim, Tory Burch to name a few, I provide a series of brand marketing and communications consultancy services to my clients:BRANDING: Brand Strategy, Brand Experience, Brand Building & Awareness, Brand Launch / Re-Positioning, Brand PartnershipsMARKETING: B2C / B2B Strategy, Digital & Social Marketing, Linkedin Strategy, Cultural Marketing, Brand & Content Marketing, KPIs, ROI & MeasurementsCOMMUNICATIONS: Strategy, Content Creation & Planning, Copywriting & Editorial, Thought Leadership, PR & Creative Agency Access & Introductions, Events, Network Access PARTNERSHIPS: Global Network of Contacts, Strategic Partnerships, Creative Collaborations, Product Collaborations, Influencer & Creator Collaborations, Cultural Access & Introductions, Contract & Fee NegotiationsPROJECTS: Project Lead Management, Change Management, Public Speaking & Workshops

London, England, United Kingdom

- As part of a long-term strategic vision, I led a major USD 145m business transformation project in LinkedIn’s advertisement business across EMEA. By creating and implementing a solid communication, CX journey and change management strategy, we maintained full business continuity while successfully transition thousands of advertisers and growing our revenue in all markets- Shaping and growing LinkedIn Marketing Solution's partner programme to ensure businesses across EMEA can leverage our technology and service providers to improve their marketing performance on LinkedIn- Managing USD 60m in annual revenue, and contributing to 20%-73% yoy growth in my partner markets- Providing consultative business and strategic support for key partners to ensure they operate at parity with our internal teams, including driving comprehensive education programmes and resources, marketing initiatives and strategy, establishing global best practices and enabling end-customer and agency success- Successfully creating and executing an internal and external communication plan, aimed at clients, media agencies and saleshouse partners, for a major business transition project to enable full business continuity and seamless CX during a period of change.- Winner of the 2022 EMEA Channel Partner 'One LinkedIn' Award

London, England, United Kingdom

I was appointed to lead the Global Brand Experience department which has been instrumental in the relaunch, rebrand and repositioning of Swarovski under the creative direction of Giovanna Engelbert in 2021, including:- The successful launch of 27 experimental ‘Instant Wonder’ stores globally, fully in line with the new attainable luxury brand positioning and delivering high NS increases in key markets- The development of a new pop-up and disruptor strategy and concept - The development of a new customer events strategy and concept- Leading all communications workstreams in Swarovski’s CX transformation program - The development of a new strategy for the Kristallwelten Museum, Austria, to internationalise it as a global brand experience

London, United Kingdom

- Reporting directly to Nadja Swarovski, member of the Swarovski Executive Board, I oversaw the development and execution of Swarovski's communications strategies and key strategic, creative and revenue-generating initiatives, collaborations, partnerships and projects in the art, design and architecture fields globally. This included collaborations with some of the world’s most renowned designers, artists and architects, incl Zaha Hadid, Daniel Libeskind, Yayoi Kusama, David Adjaye & Marc Newson, partnerships with leading cultural and educational institutions, retailers and showrooms, and initiatives with globally recognised and respected art, design and architecture biennales, fairs and festivals to drive awareness and elevate the Swarovski brand and create new commercial opportunities for the Group. - Developed and executed numerous successful communications strategies for multiple business units across the Swarovski Group, including Swarovski Professional (B2B), Swarovski’s consumer goods business (B2C), Swarovski Optik and Swarovski Tourism Services. - As part of my leadership role in Swarovski’s global corporate branding and communications unit, the following global departments reported directly to me from the start of 2020: corporate communications, social & digital, sustainability & Swarovski Foundation communication, and editorial. - Managed the launch of premium home décor brand Atelier Swarovski Home in 2016. As the brand continues to grow, I have been leading the development of the brand’s range and design strategy, designer relations, product development, marketing and communications (editorial value €2-3m per year) and working very closely with the commercial team to grow the business. - Heavily involved in development and execution of communication strategies for major Swarovski licensing partnerships that deliver considerable revenues for the Group, including major real estate initiatives.

London, United Kingdom

London, United Kingdom

- Truly international, hugely influential and part of Time Inc (until 2018), Wallpaper* is the world’s most important design and style magazine. In 2012, I set up new a department ‘Special Projects’ to oversee all of Wallpaper* magazine’s major global, revenue-generating partnerships, special projects as well as brand extensions and collaborations in close collaboration with senior Wallpaper* editors and creative team. - Developed and managed all aspects of the successful international tour of the award-winning Wallpaper* Handmade exhibition from October 2013 to May 2014. The tour kicked off across 16 of the famous Brompton Road windows of luxury Knightsbridge store Harrods in partnership with iconic British car manufacturer Jaguar. I subsequently took the exhibition to Miami, Shanghai, Milan and New York, again in partnership with Jaguar, generating considerable revenue for the magazine.- Developed and managed countless Wallpaper* partnerships with international luxury brands, including Brioni, Alexander McQueen, Jaguar, Harrods, Bulgari, Poltrona Frau Group, Kvadrat, Jil Sander, Tory Burch as well as cultural institutions such as Barbican (London), ICA (London), RCA (London), V&A (London), UCCA (Beijing) and many more.- Overseeing and developing the magazine’s interior design service, Wallpaper* Composed, including communication strategy for each completed project. Revenue up 100% yoy 2013/2014

London, United Kingdom

- Having previously worked with Wallpaper* on a number of projects, I was approached by the magazine to take on the Marketing Manager role. Reporting directly to the Publishing Director, my remit has been to develop innovative marketing and PR initiatives to maximise relationships with clients and ensure high-level revenue delivery in order to enhance and grow Wallpaper’s sales and brand awareness.- Leading all of Wallpaper’s multi-faceted events on several continents, successfully managing outside event, PR and production agencies, and in charge of the marketing and PR budget, I have delivered project revenues of over 40%. - I have developed strong relationships with the Editor-in-Chief, editorial team, production, publishing, subscription marketing and finance teams, and acted as an ambassador for the brand by instigating and maintaining both new and on-going partnerships with clients, advertisers, key cultural institutions / organisations and international media / press. For the latter, I have built an extensive global press database and secured broad press coverage in international print, online and broadcast media.

London, England, United Kingdom

- Reporting directly into the Embassy’s press and cultural attaché, I developed and executed the Embassy’s communications strategies and partnerships across design, architecture and fashion as well as managing all social and digital platforms- Completed professional media training and acted as a spokesperson on behalf of the Norwegian Embassy in connection with a number of projects, including live interviews on TV and radio- Responsible for media relations in connection with numerous visits to the UK by members of the Norwegian Royal Family and government and in charge of precision planning with strict security requirements and royal protocol, whilst simultaneously catering for journalists, photographers and broadcasters’ needs to secure coverage.- In close alignment with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, I led the development of the Embassy's social media strategy since March 2010 with the London-based agency Komodo PR & Digital Communications to promote Norwegian current affairs, art, design, music, fashion, literature, theatre and film. The project was a resounding success for the Embassy and was nominated for the prestigious 2011 EMEA Sabre Award.- Led the development and execution of renowned design exhibition 100% Norway, overseeing all aspects of the exhibition, including its budget, team of external architects, design agencies, PR agency, event agencies, curators and other suppliers. Secured press coverage of Norwegian design worth around £3 million between 2009- 2011 together with London-based PR agency Camron.

Hays, a FTSE 100 company (2005), one of the UK's largest recruitment groups with about 4,000 employees and offices worldwide. I worked in the company's marketing department in London for three years and was promoted twice.- Successfully planning, developing, overlooking and managing all national online marketing programmes for several major Hays brands in the UK as well as in Ireland, France, Spain, Portugal and Canada. The programmes generated significant revenues for the company.- Project managing short- and long-term marketing campaigns involving both offline and online initiatives, including collaborations with finance magazines.- Working closely with the Hays PR team and in charge of writing numerous articles and editorial on behalf of the company or its directors for national trade publications.- Managing a team of three, and attending Board meetings to present campaign results / future projects.

London, United Kingdom