Experience

Shawbrook Bank

• United Kingdom
• Banking
• 700 & Above Employee

• Group Marketing Director

  • Nov 2021 - Present

  I help tell the story of Shawbrook by putting a spotlight on the ingenious ways in which we create opportunity for our amazing customers, every single day.

• Growth & Communications Director

  • Feb 2019 - Nov 2021

  Lucky to work somewhere that encourages its people to stretch, grow and evolve. In this role I have the opportunity to shape the story of our Business Finance Division by informing our strategy, matching our capabilities and commercial goals with customer insight and needs. But also responsibility for telling our story through the full marketing comms mix. A great challenge within an exciting and ambitious fast growth business.

• Marketing Director, Business Finance

  • Feb 2017 - Feb 2019



Santander

• Spain
• Banking
• 700 & Above Employee

• Head of Marketing Communications

  • Mar 2015 - Feb 2017

  At Santander UK I am responsible for Marketing Communications across the bank, including our Retail, Wealth and Corporate businesses. Managing a team of talented marketers and a small rosta of agencies, I am proud of the award winning work we produce and the positive impact it has on our strategic objectives. Highlights include leading the communications launch of both Santander Cycles and Apple Pay; maintaining the profile of and demand for the 123 Current Account despite some significant headwinds; breaking new ground with customer communications via personalised video; re-engineering our agency operating model, delivering more integrated work more efficiently; and creating ways of working internally to ensure greater alignment across channels and functions. Show less



Santander UK

• United Kingdom
• Banking
• 700 & Above Employee

• Head of National Marketing

  • Feb 2014 - Mar 2015

  Santander Commercial & Corporate Bank is a relatively new entity, focussed on challenging the UK commercial banking sector. Despite rapid early stage growth, its proposition lacked clarity and differentiation. So my role has been to re-design our B2B marketing strategy, shifting our focus from 'me to' sector-based advertising to content and experiential-based activity, in order to make Santander famous for helping ambitious businesses prosper. By effectively communicating the unique elements of our offer and galvanising our people around a simple purpose, Santander is now the first choice alternative for ambitious entrepreneurs. Show less



Vitality

• United Kingdom
• Financial Services
• 700 & Above Employee

• Head of Technical Marketing

  • Feb 2013 - Feb 2014

  Healthcare and insurance are highly complex. At Vitality (previously PruHealth) my role was to simplify both – helping to shape our customer and intermediary communications and to inform product development. My focus was largely on the intermediary and corporate audiences. For the latter, I led the development and delivery of ‘Britain’s Healthiest Company’, a qualitative and quantitative research-based awards programme to recognise excellence in Employer health programmes. BHC (now Britain's Healthiest Workplace) provided both a promotional platform and a tangible demonstration of our unique proposition - health insurance combined with an incentive-based wellness programme. I also developed and delivered Corporate Vitality Consulting, a methodology and digital tool for consultants to use to demonstrate the importance of investing in employee health. This was offered to selected intermediaries, which involved a comprehensive training and roll-out programme. Whilst at Vitality I also spent time in South Africa at the parent organisation (Discovery) and presented on UK employee health at a global Vitality conference in Johannesburg. Show less



Bupa

• United Kingdom
• Hospitals and Health Care
• 700 & Above Employee

• Head of Customer & Strategic Product Development (CSPD), Head of e-Commerce (Interim)

  • Oct 2010 - Feb 2013

  C&SPD was established to provide a focus on longer term strategic growth activity within Bupa Health & Wellbeing. Leading this team, I have responsibility for innovation, distribution strategy and joint ventures – each of which have the potential to significantly impact the future direction and growth potential of Bupa in the UK. Whilst in this role, I devised the first methodical cycle of innovation that BHW has embarked upon in 60 years and successfully took four completely new products to market, including an entirely new product category: self-pay ('Bupa on Demand'). During a period of change I also had interim responsibility for our e-Commerce team, which I re-structured and created new processes to drive a) greater commercial alignment, b) improved efficiency in delivery, and c) new quality benchmarks by using external sources of insight and expertise. Show less

• Head of Healthcare Products & Innovation

  • Oct 2010 - May 2012

  In my first role at Bupa Health and Wellbeing, I had responsibility for a portfolio of business lines generating +£100m in revenues per annum including: Bupa Travel Insurance, Dental Insurance, Cash Plan and our Health Assessment portfolio.Despite their relatively small turnover, relative to the core Health Insurance business, these products were potentially highly profitable yet largely over-looked. So my first task was to re-position a mix of ‘cottage industries’ with very little commercial governance, focus or ambition into a portfolio of services worth £100m. I then influenced the Executive to secure resource, investment and focus on these products within the wider business, resulting in significant revenue and profitability growth. Product development plans were then put in place across each business line, leading to significant year-on-year performance improvements. Plans included the development of a host of new products and product variants (in response to insight and market demand), and the decommissioning of old and poorly performing products to simplify our offer. Most significantly, a full strategic review of Bupa Travel Insurance was conducted and the conclusions helped to secure Executive endorsement to radically transform the operating model and scale of ambition for this business. Show less



RBS

• United Kingdom
• Banking
• 700 & Above Employee

• Head of Advertising & Media

  • Sep 2001 - Oct 2010

  Overview Set the ATL agenda for both the NatWest and RBS brands throughout the UK. Leading a multi-disciplinary team (across London and Edinburgh) to create and deliver multiple integrated campaigns to drive both brand metrics and direct product sales. Achievements > Designed and delivered annual multi-£m ATL plans for both NatWest and RBS, driven by customer and market insight and econometric models to achieve robust commercial targets > Evolved a new integrated NatWest brand campaign (“Helpful Banking”) after comprehensive re-positioning work (in previous role – see below) that required C-Suite engagement; development and roll-out of new brand guidelines; the production of all-new on and offline ads; and a new digital strategy, incorporating PR and social media. > Developed and launched a new advertising campaign for RBS (“here for you”), designed to re build trust, credibility and affinity with the brand in the wake of the economic crisis; > Ownership and management of key agency relationships, establishing robust new processes and performance measures, and negotiation of new contracts; > Devised and implemented a new strategy for acquiring youth and student customers using social media, cultural entrepreneurialism and by rewarding creative participation (including a strategic partnership with Microsoft, MTV and George Sampson). Show less