Experienced executive with over 25 years international experience leading global marketing strategy and operations, and implementation of complex, enterprise-level digital projects in global matrix B2B environments.

ICON VP Global Marketing
(Dublin) June 2015 -

Responsible for leading all aspects of marketing strategy and operations for ICON plc, a global provider of drug and device development and commercialisation services to pharmaceutical, biotechnology, medical device and government and public health organisations. (MarCap $22B+). Reporting to Chief Commercialisation Officer.

  • Strategy: ‘Reputation to Relationships to Revenue’: Develops and implements a marketing strategy to support the achievement of ICON’s strategic & business development goals. Owns the development and execution of integrated annual calendar of marketing plans (campaigns, comms and conferences for market sectors, business units, therapeutic areas and large accounts), working with key executive stakeholders to identify key priorities and agree alignment on plans. Report on ROI and effectiveness of marketing strategy & plans through monthly executive, and quarterly and annual reports that include YoY metrics.

  • Brand: Developed and manage brand proposition and identity system to differentiate ICON, drive employee engagement and customer consideration. Ensure consistency of messaging and presentation across all channels and materials. Demonstrates competitive brand strength through market research and competitor benchmark metrics. Migration of 10 acquisitions, including $12B acquisition of competitor, to ICON brand.

  • Supporting sales: Develop and execute digital-centric campaigns that drive customer awareness, consideration and generate qualified leads for sales follow-up. Collaborate with Sales functions to ensure alignment of workflow and CRM system processes to drive flow of marketing generated leads effectively through the sales funnel, supported by marketing automation. Develop and maintain library of sales enablement collateral across all areas of the business for all stages of the customer buying journey. Developed internal Services Catalogue. Profiled by Salesforce as a 'customer success story'.

  • Media/Communications: ‘Protect and Promote’: responsible for PR and external media relations, including agency management. Build thought-leadership driven profile against key market issues. Ownership of media policy including risk scenario planning and development of standby statements to support handling of crisis communications scenarios in tandem with Executive Leadership. Deliver executive media training, coach executives on media profile and interviews. Media monitoring including competitive benchmarking on Share of Voice and sentiment metrics in target industry and general business media. Support Executive leadership in acquisition related communications (pre-announcement to integration planning) for employees, investors, clients and media, as well sensitive legal matters.

  • Digital: Implemented SaaS marketing technology ecosystem to support digital channels (DxP, websites, social media, AI powered client & market intelligence portal), efficient work operations management (event management, collateral design and production, enterprise brand and marketing portals), analytics/ROI (data dashboards on client engagement intelligence, campaign and advertising performance). Collaborate with IT on cybersecurity & other considerations for portfolio of marketing-managed websites (ICON, Accellacare, Oncacare, Mapi Research Trust, Volunteers). Responsible for data governance of ICON marketing database including data audits, standardisation, augmentation and meta-data. Developed employee social media guidelines and training.  

  • Marketing organisation: Commissioned marketing maturity diagnostic, built organisational capability and competence to deliver market impact - people, processes, technology and agency management. Defined organisational structure, resourcing requirements, production and reporting processes to ensure effective delivery of plans and achievement of goals. Recruitment, objective setting, effective coaching and performance management of geographically dispersed marketing team members. 

  • Budget: Manages multi-million dollar budget, including fiscal allocation against annual plans, liaising with Finance on budget reporting and forecasts, and Procurement on supplier and agency related MSAs, SOWs, POs and other paperwork. Commercial negotiations on spend including agency rates and advertising buy.

We use digital technologies and content production processes to develop content and campaigns that are tailored to different market segments and buyer personas.
— David Green, Sunday Business Post

IMPACT

As a result of this leadership:

  • Significant $B annual marketing-attributed contribution to sales funnel (figure was zero prior to being in the role).

  • Consistent dominant competitive media share of voice.

  • ICON is by far the most improved CRO brand over recent years with significant score improvements across all stages of the customer buying journey, by geography and by account tiers.

  • Quality of ICON thought leadership ranked in global top 10 professional services firms, just behind EY and PWC.

  • Received several awards, accolades from analysts such as Forrester, and profiled as a global best practice by Salesforce.

  • Invited to speak at conferences by global technology brands including Oracle, Salesforce, Acquia and WorkFront (Adobe).


KPMG Head of Global Digital Marketing
(toronto) Sep 10 - May 15

Responsible for global digital strategy and operations for KPMG, a $25B professional services firm operating in 156 countries. Reported to the Global CMO.

Created global digital marketing function new to the organization: defining and embedding strategy, organizational resourcing model, governance framework, global common processes, standards and technology toolkit, platform roadmap, driving market impact etc. Received several awards and analyst accolades as a global best practice in digital marketing.

Organisational capability:

  • Strategy: define and deliver digital marketing strategy, structured strategy inputs, internal digital maturity model, management reports on progress and impact. Also marketing strategy workshops in Beijing and Tokyo with national practice leadership.

  • Budget: managed double digit multi-million dollar budget, built business case to secure investment budget for new state-of-the-art digital platform (first brand to launch on Adobe Experience Manager)

  • Resourcing: defined organisational model (technology, content publishing, analytics, social media, user experience etc), recruited and led team of 40 based in Toronto and India supporting global network of national web teams with their country websites and global marketers with campaigns. Worked with psychologist on psychometric tests and coaching for diverse digital team

  • Technology: technology vendor selection, defining platform roadmap (web and mobile apps), release management (business requirements, functional specs, UAT, deployment, user training and documentation)

  • Contracts: worked with dedicated procurement manager on RFPs, technology vendors & agencies selection (Sapient Nitro, TAXI) pricing negotiations, MSAs & SOWs etc.

Organisational competence:

  • Governance: created multi-tiered global governance framework from operational to strategic considerations. Cited as global best practice by Forrester

  • Standards: developed portfolio of standards ranging from SEO, usability, accessibility etc. Monitor adherence to standards across all country websites on global web platform. Cited as best practice by ActiveStandards (now Crownpeak)

  • Training: skills/knowledge audits, curriculum design, development of courses, learning paths, classroom and webinar delivery to several hundred staff worldwide

  • Risk and compliance: embed operational procedures and maintain good stakeholder relations (IT security, legal, privacy) to ensure compliance with legal and regulatory requirements. Social media monitoring and crisis communications. Online brand monitoring (domain squatting, trademark infringment)

IMPACT

As a result of this leadership KPMG:

  • Experienced double digit YoY increases in measures of audience reach and engagement across web, social and mobile app channels.

  • Moved from global inconsistency to global alignment (up from 120th in 2010 to 18th in 2015, and best professional services website worldwide) and cited as a best practice for global consistency in digital channels by the Web Globalization Report

  • Received several awards, accolades from analysts such as Forrester, and profiled as a global best practice by Twitter

  • Dominated competitive share of voice at the World Economic Forum in Davos as a result of the WEFLIVE social media aggregation and data visualisation platform that I introduced in 2011

Social media is as much about the individual as it is about the brand. Empowering 145,000 partners and employees to use social media across a global network of member firms demonstrates our vision of enabling the business through our people. We want to encourage all employees to engage in social media; professionally, honestly and effectively.

Valideus, Consultant, new gTLDs
(london) Sep 09 - Jul 10

Worked with major global brands on new gTLDs ('dot brand' top level domains) e.g. feasibility assessments, application management. Participating at ICANN meetings, including the Government Advisory Council, on internet gTLDs policy


Deloitte, Global eMarketing Director
(london) Jul 06 - Jul 09

Responsible for global web strategy and operations, including digital marketing and social media. Reported to Global Brand Leader and then Global Communications Director.

  • Lead global team with responsibilities for global Deloitte.com web platform, email marketing, search engine marketing, web analytics and management reporting, social media strategy and online brand protection - supporting global network of national digital marketing individuals.

  • Negotiate global contracts and manage vendor accounts - exploiting economies of scale of the Deloitte worldwide network to secure discounted pricing and/or preferential terms of service, as well as influencing vendor product development roadmaps.

  • Specifying business and functional requirements for development of Deloitte.com global web platform to global IT, and defining all training documentation and internal communications for worlwide deployment.

  • Implementing processes and advising on global policies and vendor products to mitigate and protect Deloitte from risk issues such as online brand and trademark infringements, as well as compliance with regulatory requirements concerning privacy and data protection.

  • Led a competitive tender selection process, and project management of a digital agency (AKQA) to redesign user interface of Deloitte.com, to support a Deloitte global brand campaign.

  • Contributing to developing brand identity standards for digital media.

Senior Manager, Web & eMarketing, EMEA
Sep 02- Jun 06

Responsible for web publishing and e-marketing across Europe, Middle East and Africa. Reported to both the Global Internet Manager and the EMEA Marketing Communications Director.

  • Deployment of a Web Content Management system to 65 EMEA countries (and China), supporting 20 languages - creating consistent user interface and branding

  • Developed global common processes for web publishing, e-marketing, quarterly management reporting and support issues

  • Created internal e-marketing community, where none existed before: functional skills training, knowledge and competency development, regular internal communications and regional web workshops

  • Management of EMEA communications intranet

  • Member of project team on new global brand identity

  • Pioneered adoption of Google Adwords in the firm in 2003


Andersen, Internet Manager, EMEIA
(london) Jul 01- Jul 02

Responsible for Andersen and Andersen Legal websites across Europe, M. East, India and Africa. Following ENRON, the consulting division of Andersen rebranded to Accenture. Reported to both the Global Internet Marketing Director and the EMEIA Marketing & Communications Director.

  • Supporting global communications leadership on ENRON crisis communications

  • Supporting regional network of website managers on use of global web technology platform, training, etc.

Manager, UK websites
Jun 00 - Jul 01

  • Responsible for the UK websites of Andersen UK and Andersen Legal (Garretts)

New Media Editor, Knowledge Services
Apr 99 - Jun 00

  • Editorial responsibility for all content on the Andersen and Andersen Legal UK websites

  • Developed Knowledge Management intranet site


Informed Business Services, Head of Publishing
(london) Feb 95 - Dec 98

Informed Business Services was a niche business information and internet consultancy providing services to city-based and industrial blue-chip clients. Hired as a researcher in Feb 95 and later promoted to Head of Publishing. Reported to company owner.

  • Website development: pitching for contracts, account management and managing small team of web designers

  • Consultancy: projects included establishing an information brokerage in Sri Lanka for the United Nations (UNEDO), information management for GE Capital. Represented UK Internet Users Group at EU working group on illegal content in the internet (see article on UKIUG)

  • Research: original desk research projects for Financial Times and Cable & Wireless

  • Training: developed and delivered two courses - "Business Information on the Internet" and "Introducing Intranets"

  • Business development: Negotiated marketing agreements with the EBRD and several European business information publishers (GENIOS, ORT) to act as sole UK agent to resell information and research services to banks, law firms and consultancies in London's financial city


Armstrong Craven, Business Information Officer
(manchester) Aug 93 - Sep 94

  • Provided research to internal client base of executive recruitment consultants

  • Developed research resources to a fee based service for external clients