Black Lab Group was established by Adam Rees-Taylor in 2007. Adam is a senior marketing professional offering extensive experience gained across a range of industries and brands.

 

Adam's experience encompasses all marketing disciplines and demonstrates delivering customer centric, profit focused marketing in UK and international markets with a particular track record in de-regulating and newly competitive markets. 

 

He has expertise in integrating marketing with sales, service and operational functions in consumer and business markets.

 

Adam is able to utilise broad general management experience, natural leadership and coaching skills to deliver results.

 

He has undertaken roles in a number of industry sectors and for a range of major brands.

 

Industry experience includes:

  • Financial Services
  • Professional Services
  • Utilities
  • Higher Education
  • Membership Services
  • Charity/Not for Profit
  • Luxury Goods

Brand experience includes:

  • HSBC
  • NatWest
  • RBS
  • Mastercard
  • Visa
  • Royal Mail
  • Scottish Power
  • Centrica
  • British Gas
  • University of Strathclyde
  • IGEM
  • IAPWA

 

http://uk.linkedin.com/in/adamjrtaylor

Marketing Skills

 

•       Marketing Strategy

•       Brand and Reputation Development

•       Private, Public and NFP Sectors

•       Stakeholder Management

•       Business to Consumer Marketing

•       Business to Business Marketing

•       Product and Service Marketing

•       Proposition Development

•       PR and Media Relations

  

Management Skills

 

•       Business Strategy and Planning

•       Income and Budget Management

•       Change Management

•       Stakeholder Management

•       Internal Communications and Networking 

•       Interim Leadership 

•       Team Recruitment and Restructuring 

•       Team Coaching and Development

 

 

Career Summary

 

Director, Black Lab Group

Director, University of Strathclyde

Marketing Consultant, Energy Saving Trust

Marketing Consultant, NatWest

Head of Strategy & Marketing/Head of Business Marketing Centrica/British Gas

Head of Business Marketing, Scottish Power

Misc junior and middle management roles in Financial Services and Communications

 

Career History

 

BLACK LAB GROUP, Director

Jul 08 - date

Consultancy role delivering director level strategic marketing projects for a range of clients.

Responsibilities: interim management, projects in branding, marketing strategy development, proposition review, business development, stakeholder engagement and research.

Recent Projects:

Institute of Gas Engineers and Managers
- £5m turnover, 4,000 member, professional membership organisation
- Marketing strategy review
- Facilitation of website redesign and re-launch www.igem.org
- Recruitment of Head of Marketing (12 staff)

Wand Agency
- £2.1m turnover, 16 staff multi channel marketing agency www.wandagency.com
-
Business development and strategic pitch assistance
- New business(c£0.5m)gained inhotel & leisure, services and finance sectors 

Other projects include:

·        Development of marketing strategy for UK University
·        Delivery of brand review strategy for UK University
·        Marketing strategy development for animal welfare charity
·        Brand evolution strategy input for luxury good retailer

 

UNIVERSITY OF STRATHCLYDE, Director 

Jun 04 - Jul 08

Board level position responsible for the development and commercialisation of the University's marketing and communications, and restructure of central marketing teams and strategy.

Responsibilities: development of marketing strategy and input into strategic plan, management of marketing teams (60), communications and campaign activity.

Achievements:

•        Development and delivery of University marketing strategy and input into
          Strategic Plan

•        Re-development of brand and core communications including web

•        Management of divisional budget (£5m), marketing budgets (£3m) and
          supplier network

•        Improved University recruitment; year on year 2% growth for UK and
11% for international students

•        Delivered improved student retention through enhancement of
student experience

•        Enhanced relationships with key influencers and external stakeholders

•        Development of alumni relationships (100k) and fund raising campaigns (c£3m)

 

ENERGY SAVING TRUST, Marketing Consultant       

Sep 03 - Jun 04

Consultancy role as Head of Home Energy Marketing within leading Energy advice charity targeting the consumer, trade and local authority audiences.

Responsibilities: redevelopment of marketing strategy, review and restructure of marketing team, budget review and liaison with government funders and external stakeholders.

Achievements: 

•        Revision of marketing strategy and tactical campaign plans

•        Management & restructure of marketing team (15)

•        Management of agencies and c£27m marketing budget,

•        Review of proposition & brand strategy

•        Negotiation of annual government budget funding & reporting to
government funders

 

NAT WEST PLC, Marketing Consultant   

Apr 03 - Sept 03

Consultancy role as Head of Business Strategy & Marketing within the Retail Banking marketing department, focusing on the business product and customer portfolios.

Responsibilities: review of customer proposition and product portfolio, enhancement of customer experience, restructure of marketing team, liaison with sales and customer service channels.

Achievements:

•        Review and development of strategic marketing and operational plans

•        Management of strategic marketing agencies

•        Redevelopment of customer propositions

•        Implementation of revised recruitment and retention campaigns

•        Coaching of marketing team (10)

 

CENTRICA PLC - Head of Marketing and Strategy/Head of Business Marketing

Aug 00 - Apr 03

Head of Marketing and Strategy    

For Centrica Business Services, a newly created division of Centrica, encompassing OneTel, The AA and British Gas Business customer bases (1m+) Internally promoted.

Responsibilities: development and delivery of marketing strategy, development of bundled product and service propositions, integration of marketing teams, liaison with sales and support channels.

Achievements:

•        Delivery of marketing strategy and tactical plans

•        Development and launch of an umbrella brand and new product brands

•        Recruitment and management of agency roster (ATL/BTL/PR) and £6m budget

•        New product innovation and development of propositions and value
added services

•        Consultancy to international operations (Belgium, Netherlands, Spain, US etc)

•        Input into cross group CRM, contact and segmentation strategies for
1m+ customer base

Head of Business Marketing

For British Gas Business to target acquisition and retention of customers in the business energy market, the second largest income stream and customer base for Centrica.

Responsibilities: development of marketing strategy for business market, establishing marketing team, recruitment and management of team, development of brand for market re-launch.

Achievements:

•        Realignment and promotion of the British Gas brand to the (3m+)
business market

•        Management of brand, recruitment and retention campaigns and £4m budget

•        Creation of a product development and added value services development process

•        Delivery of award winning research and national public relations campaigns

•        Re-development of B2B website and interactive strategy

•        Creation of CRM database, segmentation & risk driven retention strategy for
800k customers

 

SCOTTISH POWER, Head of Business Marketing

Sep 98 - Aug 00

Newly created role for Scottish Power to exploit the newly deregulated energy market in the UK.

Responsibilities: development of marketing plans, recruitment of team, delivery of sales and marketing communications.

Achievements:

•        Management of marketing activity for the small business market, across
         all channels

•        Integration with sales agents, telesales, direct marketing and new media

•        Campaign management, P&L responsibility (£2.5m), and retention &
          acquisition targets

•        Development of product & service enhancements

 

Prior to Sept 98

 

Junior/middle management roles in Financial Services, Advertising and Communications

 

ROYAL MAIL, Marketing Manager                                                    Feb 97 - Sep 98

Travelling Sabbatical                                                                      Aug 96 - Jan 97

WORLDVIEW MARKETING AGENCY, Account Director                 Jan 96 - Aug 96

HSBC, Misc junior marketing roles incl. graduate trainee               Aug 90 - Jan 96

http://uk.linkedin.com/in/adamjrtaylor