This is my dumping ground for all kinds of stuff from a work perspective.
Here’s my CV:
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UX Strategic Director with over fifteen years of experience developing work that delivers a strong return on investment aligned to client objectives. Expert in concept, strategy development and delivery of 360 holistic campaigns. Proven ability to motivate and inspire creative and technical teams to deliver superb creative work under tight deadlines and to budget.
Specialisms:
Application and Platform Development, Customer Retention and Acquisition Strategies – B2B and B2C, Social Media, Brand Strategy, Product and Service Marketing On/Offline.
Core Skills:
• User Experience: Front-end strategic interface design, site usability studies, web statistics analysis.
• Information Architecture: Site map development, content strategy development and integration.
• Cross platform web development: E-commerce, F-commerce, Social Media, Mobile/inapp purchases (iPhone [Objective C] and Android) and advertising campaigns.
• Developing: Business plans, brand awareness programs, editorial content, strategic website plans, SEO and PR.
• Researching: Markets, trends, consumer profiling, personas/end users, new and ahead of the curve technology.
• Executing: Innovative strategies and concepts that increase brand awareness sales and profitability.
• Managing: Teams, clients, projects, developers, suppliers, budgets.
• Creative: Art direction, corporate identity, illustration, photography, typography.
Across Sectors:
Financial Services, Retail, Arts, Charities, Education, Health, Public Sector and Quangos.
October 2010
Head of Digital Strategy Studio North, Manchester
Lead, mentor and inspires creative teams drawing together Art Directors, Web Designers, Copywriters, Content Strategists and Technicals to produce beautiful and intuitive experiences from concept to execution. Solutions must be both innovative yet usable and within budget all the while being aligned with client objectives. Has been directly responsible for winning over £1m new business and accounts over the last 12 months.
• Champions digital culture especially social media to both clients and staff.
• Provides strong conceptual, creative direction and leadership for client presentations, new client acquisition, and new business pitches to sell ideas and work alike.
• Maintains high standards for execution and attention to detail in all aspects of our work
• Works collaboratively with Account and Project Managers to set timelines, resourcing plans, and deliverables.
• Creates presentations quickly and effectively that strategically communicate and/or sell in creative concepts to existing and new clients.
Accounts won this year:
Brother Europe, SAGE, UBM Aviation, Sodexo, Fylde Borough Council, Fine Bedding Company, ACDC Lighting
Ongoing:
AMEC.COM, BCL Legal, System One Travelcards, Every Can Counts, Trolex, Various Councils
March 2008 – September 2010
Head of Ideas/Strategy KMP, Stockport
Responsible for:
• Understanding customer needs, as well as business and functional requirements.
• Collaborating with creative and technical teams to validate design assumptions.
• Conceptualise and prototype innovative, highly usable applications.
• Complete responsibility for how users will interact with websites and mobile applications, such as Mobile Web, iPhone, Blackberry and Android.
• Collaborating with visual designers and Marketing teams to ensure that visual designs meet the objectives of the user experience and fit with both the overall brand and UX vision.
• Evangelising user-centered design to create best in class user experiences.
• Developed expert-level knowledge of competitive and complementary products and bringing new ideas to the team.
• Gauged the usability of existing products and services recommending suggestions to advance them.
• Developed (and educated clients) Social Media Strategies, Platforms and Campaigns that delivered significant return on investment.
Accounts:
ASDA, Adidas, Barclaycard, British Gas, IMI, Littlewoods, Makro, Manchester Airport, Microsoft, Marks&Spencer Money, Open University, TUI, Thompson, Virgin VIE, Wegewood, YELL.COM, Chester Zoo.
Awards:
Various Manchester Airport (Twitter Strategy).
Various Manchester Airport (iPhone App).
Various TUI (Social Media Platform and Facebook Campaigns).
February 2003 – December 2007
Creative Director Mando Group Limited, Liverpool
Responsible for:
• Developed integrated strategic communications for both on and offline.
• Responsible for the management of team growth, project resource planning, delivery innovation, and project and team profit/loss responsibilities.
• Created design strategy/vision, identify UI requirements, define project approach and scoping and author the user experience strategy.
• Accountable for the user interaction models, workflows, information architecture, schematics, prototypes and interface guidelines.
• Worked hand in hand with web designers and developers to deliver the final product
• Leading and winning New Business Pitches.
Accounts:
Schools Food Trust, Heart of Mersey, Health and Safety Executive, Liverpool 08, 08businessconnect, Mercia Partnership, Capcom, Square-Enix, Rare Fashion, MMU, NHS, NHSU, Enterprise Nation, Thrislington Cubicles, Trade 1st, Enterprise Nation, Royal Liverpool Philharmonic, Mersey Partnership, Merseytravel.
Awards:
IPA Best of Global Health Award (Digital) July 2007 Big Chip Digital Award (Mercia World) Commended Public Servant of the Year Awards 2006 Heart of Mersey: 4000 reasons campaign 2 x Heist Awards (MMU) Bravo Award: Branding (FACT) Big Chip Digital Award Accessibility (MMU) Lemas (Legal) Award for best brand.
March 1999 – January 2003
Head of Brand Strategy and Creative Development Park Group plc, Liverpool
Responsible for the strategic vision, planning and execution for the groups flagship brands. Charged with developing communications that would re-establish Park brand as market leader within five years and to raise awareness/grow the High Street Gift Voucher brand in the B2B incentive market and build upon the successful retail arm through off and online marcoms.
Results:
• Park became Number 1 in its market sector in less than 3 years.
• High Street Vouchers became Number 2 just behind M&S.
• Developed innovative online customer acquisition strategies eg: Park Bingo in 2002.
• Developed successful online CRM systems that enabled customers to self serve there accounts saving the company significant amounts of money eg: Call Centre and admin.
April 1993 – February 1999
Design Manager Times Mirror International, London, Philadelphia, New York and St. Louis
Responsible for the management of the European student brand, design, research and development across various media such as: Textbooks, CD-Rom, POS, Advertising and Web. Charged with developing and executing strategic domestic and international paper based and digital marcoms. Acted as consultant to mentor US branch offices.
Results: • Won over 40 educational awards, 22 global.
• Developed an online remote proofing system in Perl to save both time (internal post to the states) and money as a result saving over six figures in postage costs annually and thus speeding up the publishing process.
Education: 1998 CIM
1986 – 1990 Bolton Institute of Higher Education Higher National Diploma in Design: Advertising, MERIT 1990
National Diploma in Design PASS 1988 A level: Art History B 1987
1981 – 1986 Little Lever High School
7 0 levels: Maths B, English B, English Lit A, Human Biology A, Art A, Computer Studies B, Geography B
