Macphie is a £40 million privately owned company, which manufactures and markets food ingredients to the bakery and food service markets, both in the UK and to 23 countries internationally. Bakery Solutions accounts for over 60% of company turnover and almost 70% of contribution.

Responsible for devising and implementing marketing and communications strategy and all organisation marketing, communications and public relations activities and materials including publications, media relations and client acquisition, budgets and forecasting within in the Bakery Solutions and International Divisions.

Advertising: Strategy, campaigns and creative work including concepts, preliminary artwork, strap lines, art direction, media planning, booking and rate negotiation
Communications: media relations and PR, design, authoring, and production of supporting materials and website content; Design and implementation of media spokespeople matrix.
Performance monitoring of media performance and customer perception of communications and advertising through external research agency
Development of standardised tools and templates for marketing and communications and materials for use by Business Development Managers
Market, customer and competitor research
New Product Development: Bakery Products. I also led the project team on healthy eating.
New market and customer development
Devised and Implemented Competitor Monitoring System
Customer presentations and Event Management
Market Research; TNS, Trends, Global NPD, Flavours

Responsible for 1 Assistant Category Manager

In the past year, we have generated £240,000 of PR in target publications within one year, (compared to £65,000 generated in the previous year by our PR agency); improved advertising, negotiated rate card discounts of 25% and 33% with key media, generated £10,000 worth of free advertising. Improved media profile and helped re-align customer perceptions of the company. Developed a string of successful new products, becoming regarded as a leading authority on the UK Bakery Market within a relatively short period of time. Last year I successfully launched 14 new products, up from an average of 3-4 a year before I joined.

Petrotechnics develop and market safety software and services to highly hazardous industries. Client base is large, blue chip multinationals, such as Shell, BP and ExxonMobil. Each sale tends to be in the region of £0.5 -£1.8 million, including software, consultancy, implementation, training and support.

Responsible for all Marketing from strategy and planning through execution and measurement including:
Advertising: concept, preliminary artwork, art direction, media booking
Design: for all collateral materials electronic or paper based
Exhibitions: stand design, booking, staffing, and logistics
Communications, Media relations and PR
Market, customer and competitor research
Worldwide market selection and development: geographical and sectoral,
Identification and relationship building with potential partners
Co-ordination and submission of tenders
Product and service development

Responsible for 1 Market Analyst, 1 telemarketer and 2 part time Marketing Assistants

During my tenure, Petrotechnics significantly expanded its customer base, from a single customer to a position of holding 60% of the UK market in three years, and scoring several successes internationally. Located partner in Brazil, and had identified potential partner for the Canadian Market. Won several prestigious awards, including the 2003 Scottish Software Product of the Year, the Institute of Petroleum Technology Award and The IchemE Safety Award. Designed new trade stand and managed our presence at all shows in unexplored markets. Following a successful 2001-2, which saw an increase in turnover of around 60%, in the 2002-3 the company doubled turnover to £2.8 million.

The Fairwater Group is a diverse holding of companies spanning sub-sea sonar data analysis, slimming classes, software development and sandwich manufacture with around 700 full and part time staff. I held a number of positions within the group, sometimes concurrently.

April 1998 - September 2000
Managing Director Softworks (Part of the Fairwater Group)

Softworks is a small, bespoke software development and network house. I had full P&L responsibility, and dealt with all aspects of general management, sales, business development, project management, marketing, staff and corporate development. I was responsible for a staff of six developers and support staff.

Softworks was a loss making part of the group with a poor reputation for customer service and project management. In 30 months, I built the company into a strong team, with exemplary customer service, which delivered attractive and technically excellent software on time and within budget. When I left, Softworks had become the most profitable part of the Fairwater Group (at a net profit level, before management fees) with an 18 month pipeline of work and a client base which included companies such as Danop, Abbot Group, Gordon & McPhail, RBS, and the Peel Group.

April 1997- June 1999
Assistant General Manager Fairwater Group

My responsibilities were mainly in special projects such as Acquisitions, Corporate Development and Business Improvement. This position was held concurrently with my Marketing role and being Managing Director of Softworks.

In this role, I was involved in the start up and management of Coda Technologies (now Coda Octopus), providing initial marketing and branding strategy and execution, and in coaching their own Business Development Manager.
Coda focused on automating the geophysical acquisition and reporting of sub-sea sonar data acquisition. The Coda DA (Digital Acquisition system) was one of the first commercially successful and technically capable PC-based systems on the market. Starting in the North Sea, the Coda Pipeline Inspection system (PI) revolutionized the way that routine pipeline surveys were carried out. Very quickly, Coda gained a reputation for producing powerful and innovative software and its range of geophysical tools was widely adopted.

August 1996- June 1999
Group Marketing Manager Fairwater Group

All aspects of marketing for all group companies including TV and Print work, service development, new company set up and initial marketing.

January 1995- July 1996
Marketing Manager Scottish Slimmers

April 1993- December 1994
Marketing Executive Scottish Slimmers

Scottish Slimmers is part of the Fairwater Group. During my time with the organisation, we moved from third to first place in the Scottish market, competing successfully against HJ Heinz, the owners of Weight Watchers, on a third of their budgets. We then became the third largest slimming company in the UK through extending our services under different branding, and a programme of acquisition.


Design and Development of Eating Plan Packs
Rebranding of the company, development and roll out of new corporate image on all materials from class materials to
Advertising: Storyboarding and production of TV ad campaign which produced an uplift in new members of 118%, over a record breaking previous year. Media booking for TV campaigns.
Design and media booking of campaigns in over 300 local and national publications and over 70 outdoor sites
Communications: production of member newsletter every six months, co-ordination of mailing to 10,000 members, PR campaigns and features in national and local press and women’s interest consumer magazines.
Design and monitoring of website.
I undertook research into dietary trends and medical research in the field of weight control, and was involved in developing the eating plan for vegetarians.