Interim projects

Interim Business Director (inc strategy and creative planning) - Top 10 UK Agency May 2006 – June 2008

• Responsible for the 360 ° strategic and day-to-day management of major financial services client in UK and Globally inc coordination of advertising (all audiences), collateral, online, PR, publishing, research

• Created and launched in Oct 2006 – 65% prompted awareness, highest consideration in the sector (including Client's retail bank)

• Researched and wrote creative briefs for – Press, TV and radio ads, events, literature, online and internal communications – UK and selected global markets

• Managed collateral design, writing and production – external and internal business sectors, products and services

• Integration of PR into overall campaign with Client's internal PR team and agency groups PR specialists – UK and global

• Created and managed research including:

• Pre launch research and evaluation of strategy, propositions and executions; setting KPIs

• Communication evaluation and refinement through ad tracking research

• Business and consumer research and refinement for Client's key core product – Financial Personality Assessment and Investment Philosophy

INTERIM Brand Consultant - 2006

• Invited to join expert witness team to provide brand, fragrance and retail marketing expertise. The case was a dispute between a major global brand owner and an international trading house

• Independent qualitative and quantitative research evaluated for the plaintiff's counsel

• Wrote branding case that the defendant was “trading off”

• The case found in favour of the plaintiff and made new case law

INTERIM Executive Director of Marketing and Fund raising – Top children's charity 2004 - 2005

• Member of the Executive Management Team reporting directly to the CEO

• Managed the department of over 300 during the loss of the incumbent Director, a change of CEO and overall change in Executive Management Team (EMT) structure

• Restructured the Fundraising function following the EMT changes to reflect the strategic fundraising objectives and refocus attention on the achievement of 2010 targets

• Chaired the Whole Organisation Marketing Group

• Revitalised the retail strategy and implementation

• Led the marketing and fundraising in the whole organisation Finance Function Review

INTERIM Advertising Planning and Project Director for top London centred international advertising group June – September 2004

• Member of the new major banking client team across Personal and Business banking

• Wrote creative briefs for mortgages campaign, branch activity packs across mortgages, credit cards and business switching and migration strategy

• Designed and commissioned branch migration research

• Project planner and consultant for Marcoms strategy and planning for global secure remote card payment platform

• Project planner for the evaluation and redefinition of client's commercial communication collateral

INTERIM Marketing Director - Top 20 UK charity 2003 - 2004

• Appointed to evaluate the brand, its strategy and income - generation organisation in order to redefine the role of the next permanent marketing director.

• Recommended a radical approach to brand building and income generation strategy which resulted in the reorganisation of the marketing function, major new investments in the charity's national contact centre and brand building strategy.

• Set in place the template and research required to introduce a segmented approach to brand scorecards and on-going evaluation tracking.

• Managed a brand and "enterprise" valuation for the client's brand to aid internal communication and leverage commercial licensing opportunities.

• Consequently, the charity has appointed a new Director of Marketing and Income Generation. The organisational changes are in place and all projects are successfully underway.

INTERIM Brand Consultant - 2004

• Invited to join expert witness team to provide brand, fragrance and retail marketing expertise. The case was a licensing dispute between a major global licensee and an international retail brand.

• Papers and arguments were submitted for the consultancy's expert witness and their client's legal team.

• The case found in favour of defendant

INTERIM Account Director and B2B Researcher - 2003

• Bridged the gap in the consultancy's management team for a major new FTSE 250 client.

• Working directly with the PLC board, the project was to evaluate and reposition the brand. Conducted B2B research interviews amongst the board of directors, senior managers and a selection of the client's major customers to define potential brand positioning.

• The results were used to develop alternative positionings and are currently subject to further research and development.

INTERIM Brand Consultant and Account Director - 2003

• The client is a men's tailored product designer, manufacturer and major supplier to Marks and Spencer

• Conducted a complete market feasibility study into the corporate wear sector including original research and business introductions. Resulted in setting up a corporate wear operation.

• The client also supplies branded and own brand tailored goods to all major department stores.

• Conducted a brand evaluation based on B2B research with all major clients. Resulted in the redefinition of marketing and own label strategy

Stephen Gilbert Interim Solutions Tel: +44(0) 208 690 5431 Mobile 07930 473 777
e-mail: stephen@gilbertltd.com