I am the Marketing Director for Exit Factor in the UK and a Partner in Exit Factor Reading. We get SME businesses running well day-to-day. We make sure they’re well governed. Even if the business owner is not planning to exit in the near future, we’ll help them get ‘exit ready’ so that when they do decide it’s time, it can be a smooth transition.
My professional history includes big businesses:
- Nine different roles during my eleven years at Sony.
- Only 21 companies in the world that employ more people than Sodexo where I worked as a director of the benefits and rewards division in the UK.
- I was given the title of Global Marketing Director at BBC Worldwide when I was on holiday
And small businesses and start-ups:
- Succession Plus
- CMO with The Panoply (floated on AIM in December 2018)
- MD of Gx (payments industry)
- MD of the Emerging Payments Awards
- Marketing and Sales Director of Arkade (music distribution)
I am a frequent speaker at events. These include regular slots at the University of Reading, industry events, and Arts Council funded initiatives. My presentations focus on building value and sometimes refer to when I sold £85 million of camcorders in a year, bought £1m worth of BA tickets for one of the largest Fly Free promotions in the UK and I was responsible for the marketing of 1 million Walkman in a year.
Big brands
Big brands: here are some of the major businesses, organisations and brands that I have worked with during his career:
Argos, BBC, Boots, British Airways, BT, Comet, Co-operative, David Attenborough, Delia, Discman, DSGi, Duravit, EastEnders, Harrods, Hitachi, HMV, House of Fraser, MOD, Noddy, Old Grey Whistle Test, Only Fools and Horses, Question of Sport, Sodexo, Sony, Sony Centres, Teletubbies, Tesco, Top Of The Pops, Tweenies, UKBA, University of Reading, Virgin, Vivaboxes, Walking With Dinosaurs, Walkman, Wallace and Gromit, Waterstones, WHSmith, Woolworths.
Odd accolades & facts:
- UK Arena Promoter of the Year and Hot Ticket of the Year, 2001
- Marketing Society ‘New Product of the Year’ award for Teletubbies
- Honorary life member of the Institute of Videography
- Co-founder of the Reading Fringe Festival
- Independent Audio Dealer of the Year, 1985
- 30th great-grandson of William the Conqueror – well, it’s odd and it’s a fact