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Supporting brand, customer and cultural transformation

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With over 25 years working in hospitality and travel, I am a strategic, commercially-minded and collaborative business leader with extensive experience driving growth and transformation across consumer-facing businesses.

 

I have a proven track record of developing organisational capabilities, influencing strategy and leading business change - but always with the guest at the heart. Known for aligning owners, leadership teams and cross-functional stakeholders around a shared purpose and vision, my expertise centres primarily around building brand strategy and customer-centric propositions that translate into commercial performance.

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I have set up DMC to support the next generation of hospitality businesses through growth, maturity or transformation. 

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Areas of Expertise

Broad commercial expertise across multiple business disciplines, I help translate ideas into practical frameworks, plans and outcomes.   

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I work best in partnership with others, and believe that the best ideas and solutions come from dynamic collaboration.  My methodical and analytical approach, is combined with an empathetic, supportive nature that builds trust and strong relationships, .  

 

I capture, synthesise and enrich the thoughts of those I work with, to deliver meaningful impact and change.

Aligning business leaders and their teams around a common purpose, objectives and strategic priorities, linking to operating models and everyday decision-making

Codifying brand & culture through diagnosis, positioning, architecture and identity to enable brand management to exist beyond the marketing team, be translated through the employee proposition and delivered throughout the organisation 

Combining data, behavioural science, human judgement and story-telling to turn insight into clear strategic choices, plans and action 

Plotting the key moments of emotional connection along the customer journey, identifying areas of need, opportunity and innovation

Translating brand objectives into executional plans through the marketing funnel from awareness to conversion and from experience to advocacy - applicable as much to employees as customers   

Beyond my own specialism, I have access to an extensive network of talent — creative, digital, media, research, operational and much more.

Services

Whether your business is navigating a period of change or transition, has a leadership gap or is looking for an independent sounding board, I can tailor the way in which I can support.

Advisory

Trusted counsel to owners/founders, CEOs and leadership teams — providing strategic guidance, balanced perspective and helping to make the complex simple. 

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Fractional/Interim Leadership

Hands-on leadership of brand, customer or insight functions during transitions, transformations or bridging capability gaps — embedded in the business, not observing from outside.

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Project Consultancy

Focused engagements — brand repositioning, strategic planning, customer/employee propositions or insight programmes — scoped to clear outcomes and timelines.

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Testimonials

I have been very fortunate to work with a number of talented people over the years.  And even more fortunate that many of them have said some kind things about me...

… able to think at a highly strategic level…and has an incredible ability to take people on a journey through his articulation of ideas and concepts.

…takes an analytical, thorough approach, ensuring no stone goes unturned in his thinking and decision making.

… a genuine care for people and a desire to collaborate and add value.

About Me

Following a childhood dream to run a hotel and a love of advertising having picked up a VHS of the 100 Greatest Ads back in the mid-90s, I have successfully combined the hospitality mindset with the disciplines of marketing learnt through University and under some inspirational leaders in my early roles at Carlsberg and Virgin.

 

At Virgin Trains I played a significant role in the Commercial team around the time of the development, launch and evolution of the new fleet of Pendolino trains, before moving on to an emerging but relatively unknown restaurant brand called Nando's.  Over 16 years, I contributed a meaningful impact to Nando's development and evolution from challenger brand to one of the most iconic names on the High Street, seeing it grow from 100 to 450 restaurants in that time, named as the UK's most loved restaurant brand and be voted as one of the best places to work.  Through roles across brand, marketing, customer and insight, and as a member of the senior leadership team throughout my time, I was involved in strategic projects across the full business spectrum for both the UK and Global business - experience which I took with me when I returned to that childhood dream of running a hotel.  

 

Well, maybe not running, but supporting the transformation of a historic hotel business in Russell Square, London.  Imperial London Hotels was one of the oldest, independent hotel businesses in London, with its roots dated back to the mid-19th Century.  Despite its long history, in 2022, dusting itself off from the traumas of the COVID pandemic, it was back in start-up mode, gradually opening back up its portfolio of 8 hotels.  Having led the transformation of the brand — repositioning identity, culture and guest experience - helping to improve both guest and employee experience ratings, and evolved brand & marketing strategy,  I took on a broader commercial remit in 2023, driving significant revenue and RevPAR growth over three years. I also facilitated and authored the group's 3-year strategic plan, and helped to shape three standout openings (The Imperial, Arcus Rooftop, The London Pub), as well as launch Bloomsbury London, a landmark destination marketing partnership.

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