Experience

King London

• United Kingdom
• Retail Apparel and Fashion
• 1 - 100 Employee

• Global Sales Director

  • Nov 2015 - Present

  International Brand Development, Apparel & Fashion - Aligning International Partners / development of strategies to innovative Global marketing plans - Building international relations / manage and secure direct teams of sale agents/partners - Adopting a marketing-led approach to sales by matching latest / emerging trends - Driving growth plans - based on targeting international territories strengths and weaknesses - Growing sales, distribution networks by developing international industry contacts - Leading negotiations - targeting international growth with big box retailers - International B2B / trade marketing relationships - major retailers, online, independents - Introduced key account management strategies to maximise potential opportunities - Marketing/Photography: Creating all brand imagery for Ecommerce, look book campaigns, marketing material and international sales assets - Market/Pricing Positioning: Responsible for all brand pricing and positioning from factory costing, wholesale, and retail for the EMEA, NORDIC, APAC, NORAM and UK Territories Show less



MSL Agency Ltd

• United Kingdom

• Sales & Marketing Director (Fashion, Footwear & Lifestyle Brands)

  • Jun 2012 - Jan 2023

  BUSINESS LEADERSHIP: Built company from scratch to £1.5M annual sales by negotiating UK & ROI Distribution, Sales & Marketing Rights with California Board Sports and Fourstar Distribution ( major US brands, wholesaler and distributor in the sale of fashion, footwear and lifestyle brands worldwide). Focusing commercial activities using a marketing-led approach by making sure product selection is right. SALES & BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT STRATEGY - Aligning sales / business development strategies to innovative marketing plans - Adopting a marketing-led approach to sales by matching latest / emerging trends - Driving growth plans - based sales and commercial decisions on product selection - Growing sales, distribution & wholesaler networks by developing industry contacts - Building strong relationships with major brands / key players to expand B2B portfolio - Leading negotiations - preferential deals / volumes with UK & European Wholesalers - B2B / trade marketing relationships - major retailers, online (Amazon), independents - Introduced key account management strategies to maximise potential opportunities MARKETING & BRAND DEVELOPMENT STRATEGY - Ensuring a consistent approach to branding with core messages, imagery and POS - Building website propositions (70% discount clearance; EBay & Amazon channels) - Working with marketing agencies to innovate new ideas (i.e. commercial screens) - Strengthening brand presence with industry contacts by profiling new collections - Organising UK trade shows 3 times a year for Spring, Full and Holiday Collections - Holding trade shows around the country alongside key brands (Nike, Levi's, Vans) - Negotiating advertising deals with lifestyle magazines (Max Power, FHM, Kerrang) - Developing in-store POS merchandising concepts to support launch of new ranges - Creating new marketing materials (i.e. brochures); building social media presence Show less



The Ledge Trade Exhibition

• London

• Event Director (Trade Exhibitions; Action Sports & Street Wear)

  • 2011 - 2013

  EVENTS MANAGEMENT: Appointed Event Director for a series of trade exhibitions at London Olympia, including concept design / themes, planning, budgets, floor plans, teams, operations and execution alongside sales, marketing, branding and publicity to generate interest in UK & Europe. EVENT DIRECTOR (TRADE EXHIBITIONS) - Developed concepts, themes and propositions for a series of trade exhibitions - Targeted emerging trends in young fashion, urban / street wear and action sports - Created a 'Street Wear Village' concept to attract more than 100+ trade exhibitors - Led sales strategies, client relationships and deal negotiations to secure key brands - Generated greater presence across UK & Europe once key exhibitors were secured - Managed event planning, operations, budgets, teams and on-the-day execution - Sold exhibition space, plus led all branding, PR / media, advertising and publicity - Worked with media partners on advertising campaigns and social media presence Show less



Jett 26 Ltd

• Sales & Marketing Director (Fashion, Footwear & Lifestyle Brands)

  • 2005 - 2012

  BUSINESS LEADERSHIP: Led growth strategies, tactical approaches and business development plans to achieve annual sales in excess of £2.8 million (grew company from scratch). Re-negotiated UK & ROI Wholesale Distributions Rights with California Board Sports (a major US brand, wholesaler and distributor - 'Action Sports' fashion, footwear and lifestyle brands). BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT & GROWTH STRATEGY - Led integrated plans for Marketing / Branding and Sales & Business Development - Led capture plans, product launch strategies and relationship building (key players) - Captured (won) key accounts from major brands (i.e. Shuch, Littlewoods, Amazon) - Developed key account strategies, plus relationship building and contacts networks - Built UK & EU Wholesale Distribution networks - retailers, independents and online - Entered EU markets, notably France, Germany, Spain & Portugal (Vestel Watches) MARKETING & BRAND DEVELOPMENT - Defined brand propositions, led marketing campaigns and developed sales channels - Led advertising (i.e. lifestyle magazines), social media presence and website portals - Strong reputation for service, product selection and bringing new products to market - Tapped into emerging trends and managed relationship with California Board Sports - Used creative skills for brand concepts / themes, product images & new collections - Increased brand presence amongst key players (marketing-led approach to sales) SALES LEADERSHIP & GENERAL MANAGEMENT - Built high performance sales team to drive volumes and key accounts (sales targets) - Led team of 25 employees covering different functional areas (general management) - Recruited, trained, developed, motivated & coached employees (team-building skills) - Coordinated different business areas - Commercial, Operations, Shipping & Logistics - Developed After-Sales Service, Customer Service and Back-Office Support Processes - Scaled-up business activities by adding to portfolio (i.e. grew one brand to £2M sales) Show less



Projects Distribution Ltd

• United Kingdom

• Sales & Marketing Manager (Wholesale Distribution)

  • 1995 - 2005

  BUSINESS LEADERSHIP: Achieved rapid growth, high performance sales and UK-wide business development in building £multi-million turnover company completely from scratch. Negotiated UK & ROI Wholesale Distributions Rights with Osiris Shoes, C1RCA Footwear, IPATH, VOX, 88 Footwear, Ezekiel Clothing in the sale of 'action sports' fashion, footwear and lifestyle products around the world). BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT & GROWTH STRATEGY - Led business development plans, go-to-market strategies and commercial decisions - Built a profitable company - i.e. start-up, transition and growth (£multi-million sales) - Developed nationwide sales / distribution networks to expand geographical coverage - Employed 25 people (Sales, Marketing, Operations, Supply Chain & Customer Service) - Managed supply chain, shipping and logistics, including product lead times from China MARKETING & BRAND DEVELOPMENT - Defined brand propositions, led marketing campaigns and developed sales channels - Led advertising (i.e. lifestyle magazines), social media presence and website portals - Strong reputation for service, product selection and bringing latest products to market - Tapped into emerging trends and built strong relationship with California Board Sports Show less



Freelance Events Management & Consultancy

• United Kingdom

• Freelance Events Manager (Major Brand Launches)

  • 1995 - 2004

  FREELANCE EVENTS MANAGER: Asked by leading brands to develop concepts, themes and 'live' features for major UK brand launch events, notably for Sony PlayStation and Mars (Marathon to Snickers rebrand). Involved developing a programme of events to build brand presence and generate increased awareness amongst young followers (target demographic). EVENTS MANAGEMENT & BRAND STRATEGY - Evaluated latest / emerging trends to develop event ideas, concepts and themes - Defined brand propositions, target demographics, core messages and features - Integrated marketing / brand strategy covering targeted campaigns (UK-wide) - Planned events schedules, PR / media, advertising, POS & marketing materials - Achieved key deadlines, budgets and objectives, including PR / media coverage - Worked closely with IMG (a leading global marketing agency based in California) KEY PROJECTS (Global Brands) - Sony PlayStation Launch: Led 15-event programme across the UK ('urban feel'). - Snickers 'Game-On' Launch: Featured 'live' events at the Download Rock Festival Show less



SBUK Ltd

• London

• UK Events Manager (Action Sports Events & Marketing)

  • 1992 - 1995

  UK EVENTS MANAGEMENT: Managed a number of special events for snow sports, skateboarding and action sports at different venues. Included managing bookings (sales), negotiating venues, CRM databases and marketing support (PR, media, promotions, advertising, branding, imagery). PROJECT MANAGEMENT: Involved managing several projects, team leadership and overseeing on-site operations in the hiring, distribution and safe installation of specialist equipment for 'live' events at festivals (i.e. T in the Park / Boardmasters) and London Olympia / Earls Court. EVENTS INDUSTRY EXPERIENCE: Worked during academic studies before being offered a management position, so decided to leave university to concentrate on developing a career in business. Gained excellent exposure to events, marketing and project management, plus built strong relationships with key contacts and developed a growing understanding of the whole events industry (some contacts are still in place today). Show less