Head of Design and Experience

streamGo Limited
June 2021 – March 2022

Key Responsibilities:

• Create online event experiences to entertain, inspire, engage and inform attendees 
• Push the boundaries of what is possible with digital and hybrid events
• Foster an environment of design excellence and innovation
• Develop a framework for future attendee experiences in the metaverse

Achievements:

• Delivered interactive online events for clients such as the NHS, the World Health Organisation, TextHelp, University of California, ThermoFisher, GlaxoSmithKline, SIG Combibloc and The Kings Fund. 
• Lead the development of a new accessible and scalable design framework for creating events in the company’s platform.
• Worked across front and backend teams to develop new functionality in the platform to improve attendee experience, such as social engagement features for live streams leading to over 30,000 interactions in a single event.
• Engaged in a training program with in my team to enhance their skills and worked across the business to improve internal communications, client relations and promote skills sharing.
• Outlined and implemented new and valuable KPIs for client events based around attendee experience and utilising event data for further improving all events.
• Worked as product manager with an internal working group on the development of a new chat system that works across all browsers and devices, including iOS and Android apps being developed and deployed in tandem. 
• Developed the branding and interface for a new standalone product called VideoScout, built on the platform’s on demand streaming technology.

Head of Digital

Cool Blue Brand Communications Limited
March 2018 – June 2021 

Key Responsibilities:

• Help our clients grow their organisations with solutions to better support their employees and customers
• Change the thinking within organisations to bring in innovative solutions from systems automation to interactive experiences 
• Deliver measurable improvements across agreed KPIs for campaigns, digital marketing activities and all aspects of the organisation’s performance

Achievements:

• Project lead for the bed maker Sleepeezee, delivering award winning websites and improving direct to consumer sales with the Travelodge product and launching new products to market.
• Delivered an e-commerce platform for the national interiors wholesaler The Libra Company, that in July 2020 accounted for record braking sales, while also launching a direct to consumer brand and website. The solution has a custom built integration with their ERP system and deployed on a fully scalable cloud infrastructure.
• Nominated for a Building Innovation Award for a product for the property sector. The app took 3D BIM models and translated them to an Augmented Reality experience, allowing customers to configure their properties and even take a tour before the property is built, all without the need for a headset.
• Worked with Thirteen Housing Group on a pilot program for a new employee engagement platform. Built as a Progressive Web App, we were able to test the system across a wide range of devices and user types in the organisation. It was also able to integrate with third party software such as Microsoft Office 365.
• Working with Balfour Beatty PLC, delivered a first of its kind solution to create engagement in their apprenticeships campaign. We combined ‘vintage’ video games to create a game with a single player mode as well as a competition mode between people to play at national events. The system included encrypted data capture, which gathered significantly more applicants than expected KPIs and any past campaign.
• Understanding the challenges of Downing Students after developing their new website, we worked with their internal teams to develop an integration with their building management software to bring real-time pricing through to the website. This solution saved more than 100 work hours for three people, every three months to produce the same information.

Head of Digital

Blumilk
March 2015 – March 2018 

Key Responsibilities:

• Bringing technology and marketing expertise together to create exceptional customer experience
• Overseeing and directly working on all kinds of projects with innovation and creativity
• Investigating, testing, developing and sharing knowledge of current and future technologies, methodologies and trends
• Training staff and clients in a full spectrum of issues, from marketing and communication strategies to digital marketing and new and emergent technologies and techniques

Achievements:

• Developed products from the ground up with stakeholders at all levels of businesses. 
• Delivered multiple new online platforms for the Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust.
• Worked with internal stakeholders to deliver projects for Northern Powergrid, Thomas Cook, SSE and Northumbria Water.
• Introduced modern management methodologies (including Agile) to development and deployment of everything from code to campaigns.
• Established four key tenants of digital marketing that form the basis of all projects; Web design and development, digital advertising creation and management, digital content creation (including VR, AR and motion graphics) and special operations projects (such as bespoke software solutions).
• Standardised and increased residual income from products including consultation retainers as well as hosting and maintenance agreements.
• Up-skilled the internal team at all levels within the business when it comes to digital skills and critical design thinking.

Marketing Designer and Web Developer

CA Group Limited
December 2008 – March 2015

Key Responsibilities: 

• Devise, develop and implement marketing strategies
• Conceive, create and deploy marketing communications 
• Translate information to marketable messages to build brand and product strength
• Enhance stakeholder perception of the company, its products and services

Achievements:

• Undertaking and delivering the company’s first re-brand in 30 years.
• Working hand in hand with the engineering team to bring products to market with complete branding, computer generated renders, PR and websites.
• Generating visually rich, photo real 3D stills and video for print, interactive brochures and web use.
• Full design from concept to completion of all literature, promotional items, exhibition stands and event management.
• Designing and developing multiple generations of websites, increasing user engagement by over 50% with each generation.
• The third generation of websites included the building of multiple websites for each division of the business. All required the sites to have consistency in branding, user experience and performance that all linked back to the parent website.
• With a deep understanding of search engine optimisation, was able to keep each of the sites on the front page of Google using white hat techniques.
• Built and deployed a framework for on-going marketing and PR activities. This adaptable framework compensated for issues being rescheduled with negligible impact to workflow or on public and customer perception.
• In transitioning from a traditional sales team, built a support system for the new project development engineers to aid in their transition from back office roles to client facing. This included customised marketing material, promotional messages for use in emails and an event in the Canadian Embassy in 2012 as a profile building exercise.
• As a part of endeavouring to improve all members of staff, training seminars on public speaking were given to members of staff, including the business directors.

Creative Consultant / Store Manager

The Consultancy (with a printing.com franchise)
March 2005 – December 2008

Key Responsibilities:

• Designing and producing marketing communications 
• Developing and maintaining customer relationships
• Devising innovative marketing and branding solutions

Achievements:

• Worked largely with start-up businesses, helping them in presenting themselves professionally.
• Delivered impressive and effective design solutions at affordable prices and with high quality printed materials and web design. 
• Helped launch over 20 businesses in the North East and across the UK. 
• Worked on projects for retail, financial institutions and health care clients