Phil W.
About me
| Phil W. | |
| History | |
| History | |
| Undergraduate | |
| Alcuin | |
| 1983 | |
| United Kingdom |
My employment
| Marketing Consultant/Director | |
| Major Brands and national public sector bodieslic | |
| United Kingdom | |
| Advertising, marketing and PR | |
| 1983 |
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A day in the life of a Marketing Consultant/Director in the United Kingdom
I started my career through a grad scheme at the global market research leader Nielsen, and have used agencies, direct ads and personal referral to gain work opportunities in a varied career.
Briefly describe the organisation you work for
Have worked in private and public sector marketing, business development and commercial roles ,full time and consultancy-MARS, Nielsen,Del Monte, NHS, Education, and Hospitality, and govt depts for last three.
Can be immensely satisfying as its essentially application of analysis and then crafting pragmatic and innovative solutions, bringing people on side to do so.
These functions replicating a lot of what you have done in your time at YORK!
What do you do?
Some Areas my work has covered
Building innovative new organisations , markets and brands for Mars, Del Monte, Pfizer, created a new national brand at Learndirect and marketed to membership of individuals (2m) and businesses (>200k).
Cutting-edge communications - has covered ground-breaking advertising, media, events, digital acquisition and partnership marketing, B2B experience and campaigns based on national and local insights. Major public sector digital initiatives - Learndirect & NHS Choices(NHS national patient website)
Insightful strategy and analysis - highly data literate with a proven ability to analyse market behaviour, based on training at Nielsen- the global market research leader. Led major segmentation exercises for Mars, in the UK education market, the health research market and for fire safety in Europe, as the basis for strong and successful growth strategies.
Innovative new business and services - based on real customer needs and insights , delivered over £40m of new business including consumer products , sales to businesses of training and health services , licencing and distributor agreements, and negotiated £ multimillion supplier and government contracts.
Relationship management – operating at board level, achieved objectives by maintaining the confidence of stakeholders, non-executives and senior management at parent companies, customers and suppliers, and with teams at government departments. Negotiated strong partnerships with national and regional bodies for joint promotion and reciprocal services.
Budget and financial skills - including managing a financial turnaround at First Alert, developing company value during a management buyout at Del Monte.
Reflecting upon your past employment and education, what led you to your current career choice?
I started my career through a grad scheme at the global market research leader Nielsen, and have used agencies, direct ads and personal referral to gain work opportunities in a varied career.
Is your current job sector different from what you thought you would enter when you graduated?
It always is-but not necessarily worse!
Describe your most memorable day at work
Whilst at Learndirect Online Training (which was public/private intiative) I was pleased to secure a six month deal to sponsor' Who wants to be a millionaire' TV show.It was first time public body used sponsorship and secured at one quarter of its normal price.
On a day which the then education minister was speaking at our conference the Daily Mail ran a front page critique of the deal. The recovery involved dealing with govt PR, the press and stakeholders to rebut criticism and prove efficacy in uptake of our courses.It was a tense day but satisfying as it involved almost all aspects of dealing with an adverse piece of media and turning it around.
Are there any challenges associated with your job?
Researching marketing, defining strategy and being involved in creative communications or commercial solutions
The challenges usually involve dealing with people- changing pre conceptions, dealing with politics (small & large P), the unwavering certainty of some peoples belief of a (wrong) route in private sector and (sometimes!) resistance to action/new ideas in the public sector.
What’s your work environment and culture like?
Depends on the company.Variety of sectors, company sizes, involvement in different geographies, great bosses, shit bosses....like life really!
What extracurricular activities did you undertake at university and what transferable skills did you develop through these?
Wrote for University Paper - Nouse
Publicity Officer Alcuin JCR
History Soc Member
Comms and organisational skills
Along with History degree this has developed communication skills , writing , analysis and differentiating the important from less so.
What would you like to do next with your career?
N/A
What top tips do you have for York students preparing for today’s job market and life after graduation?
Your skills , interest and passion can often be met in varied careers so don't preclude them too early. Also start something as you may not yet know you exact career target and by doing so you can get experience and entry to other opportunities.
What topics from students are you happy to answer questions on?
Options for careers in marketing , research and allied industries.
Public sector opprtunities(including central govt) in commercial and planning roles.
International marketing.
Hospitality roles
General planning, interview process prep, general support
Next steps...
If you like the look of Phil’s profile, the next steps are down to you! You can send Phil a message to find out more about their career journey. If you feel you would benefit from more in-depth conversations, ask Phil to be your mentor.