Browse profiles
Malt welcom

Welcome to Alister's freelance profile!

Malt gives you access to the best freelancers for your projects. Contact Alister to discuss your project or search for other freelancer profiles on Malt.

Alister Comrie

Business growth

Can work in or around Reading

  • 51.45293
  • -0.982898
  • Suggested rate € 750 / day
  • Experience 7+ years
Propose a project The project will begin once you accept Alister's quote.

This freelancer is available full-time but hasn't confirmed their availability in over 7 days.

Propose a project The project will begin once you accept Alister's quote.

Location and workplace preferences

Location
Reading, England, United Kingdom
Can work onsite in your office in
  • around Reading and 50km

Verifications

Freelancer code of conduct signed
Read the Malt code of conduct

Verified email

Languages

  • English

    Native or bilingual

Categories

Skills (7)

Alister in a few words

As a marketing and business growth professional, I help organisations exceed their expectations by delivering tangible B2C and B2B sales and marketing strategies, solutions, and engagement methods.

Areas of expertise include retail, brand, and customer experience implementation, omni-channel marketing, combined with global and local stakeholder and team relationship management, performance optimisation, and third-party supplier management.

Added to this is a proven track record of success in enhancing brand engagement, business development and turnover growth, improving operational excellence, identifying and curating business opportunities, driving sales and marketing programmes.

I have strong communication skills combined with an ability to build robust relationships with clients, stakeholders, partners, and suppliers to achieve ambitious business objectives and goals.

I am currently open to new Marketing and Business Growth Consultancy roles where I can bring this experience and these skill sets together to help drive business performance and organisational growth in new areas.

Experience

Tenancy360 (part of Account Technologies)

Engagement Director (UK)

High Wycombe, UK

April 2021 - January 2023 (1 year and 9 months)

My role within this PropTech start up business was to drive all aspects of the sales and marketing mix to create new partner engagement opportunities including:
• Team planning and recruitment of 11 staff to meet operational requirements to achieve growth targets
• Business strategy development
• Sales and marketing positioning and implementation planning
• Development of all sales and marketing materials including a mobile first website, social media presence, sales decks and B2B live events
• Activation of all aspects of the sales process including management of third party call centres Key achievements:
• 86 new business wins offering future revenue opportunities of over £14m
• Marketing strategy and sales funnel developed to achieve 120 new client wins per annum to exceed growth targets

Equilibrium Marketing

Marketing & Business Growth Consultant (UK, USA & ASIA)

2503 Wilma Rudolph Blvd, Clarksville, TN 37040, USA

August 2015 - April 2021 (5 years and 8 months)

Within this fully integrated marketing consultancy I was responsible for all business functions including pitching for and winning new business, client consultation on a project-by-project basis, implementation of marketing programmes and full financial management. Additionally, when required I built and managed bespoke teams of up to 50 multi-disciplined, specialist professionals to deliver projects against specific client needs. Disciplines include strategic marketing and planning (including new market initiatives), formulation of omni-channel experiential and retail strategies, digital engagement, NPD, brand development, B2B & B2C new business development and affiliate partner programmes. New business wins and achievements:
• Account Technologies: Led the marketing requirements to present the company's range of brands and products targeting customers across multiple on and off-line channels, including two new product launches for Tappily which successfully transitioned all customers to a new loan platform, and Tenancy360
• Account Technologies: Established and ran an in-house digital design agency comprising of seven front and back-end developers and designers delivering 53% cost savings p.a.
• Account Technologies, AccountScore and Fun Space Books: Project lead on full turnkey solutions for nine international B2B events to raise brand awareness for B2B and B2C products
• The Wine Cellar: Evolved and managed the retail programmes across the USA to successfully deliver 12 new retail stores
• VASHI: Managed the roll-out of five new UK retail environments
• Oak Furnitureland: Developed and implemented USA growth plans across multiple States to facilitate their potential expansion across the east coast
• People for Research: Instrumental in new market growth initiatives across Europe, North America and Asia to assess business growth potential
• We Are DGB & Bang On Books: Non-Executive Director roles to advise on launch and growth strategies

Bang on Books

Non Executive Director (UK)

Reading, UK

October 2019 - January 2021 (1 year and 3 months)

Creating new market and vertical sector growth opportunities for personalised stories.

We Are [DGB]

Non Executive Director (UK)

London, UK

April 2019 - January 2021 (1 year and 9 months)

At We Are [DGB], we bring senior management, sales, events and marketing experience to social enterprises and impact entrepreneurs, who are focused on profiting for purpose, to help them do better business against their do-good missions.

Maasai Marketing Services

Marketing & Business Growth Director (UK, USA & ASIA)

Berkshire, UK

January 2009 - August 2015 (6 years and 7 months)

Established and grew my own global shopper marketing business of ten permanent staff and over 40 freelance specialists offering multi-disciplined solutions before selling the business to the other Directors once fees of £1 .3m p.a. were achieved. Growth was achieved through my own new business wins, plus the addition of senior team members and a private investor. Services included integrated brand, shopper and key partner consultancy, marketing planning and implementation for Apple, Montblanc, Michael Kors, Godiva, Heinz, Ericsson, De Beers, Laithwaites Wine, The Wine Cellar, TTi Group, Smash Box and MEM. Also global consultancy roles with Momentum Worldwide, DAD Retail, MRM, Lloyd Northover and Green Room Retail. Responsibilities within Maasai included:
• Full financial management (forecasting, cash flow, profitability, and growth)
• Human resource management (team of ten)
• Supplier management
• Operational management
• International new business development and client/project management Key achievements:
• 16 major new business wins for Maasai
• Attained third party investment to facilitate expansion of the business
• Negotiated and secured deals with suppliers that saved up to 31% on previous supplier costs for clients
• Enhanced business up to £1 .3m in fees p.a. and successfully sold the business

idX Corporation

Development Director (WORLDWIDE)

London, UK

June 2006 - December 2008 (2 years and 6 months)

Initially a North America and Asia-only based organisation, my role was to establish idX as a global leader in the design, manufacture, distribution, and installation of retail environments. The role primarily focused on the development of multi-faceted business development strategies for mid-to-high end retailers and brands operating across global markets. This included creating sales and marketing materials, sales contact strategies and the creation of bespoke teams able to deliver against new global sales opportunities. Utilising this approach to launch idX as a new proposition onto the European market, over £47m worth of tenders were accessed ('06-£4m,'07-£33m,'08- £10.1 m) for Yale, Reebok, GANT, Ben Sherman, NIKE, Polo Ralph Lauren, Abercrombie & Fitch, Levi's, The Body Shop, GAP, Laura Ashley, Kookai, Crabtree & Evelyn, Footjoy, Callaway, Microsoft, CarphoneWarehouse, Golden Lady and Tristate. As well as developing a database of over 210 key contacts. The development of sustainable retailing initiatives resulted in additional future revenue streams from John Lewis, Kookai and Crabtree & Evelyn. After in-depth analysis of the supply chain infrastructure, I proactively spearheaded a full vendor review process (with global scope). The result being an eastern and western European supplier base of 12 companies able to offer savings of between 18-42% on domestic pricing.

Maasai Marketing Services

Marketing Consultant (USA)

85 E Wacker Dr, Chicago, IL 60601, USA

August 2005 - May 2006 (9 months)

Strategic retail planning for The Wine Cellar.

WPP 141 Worldwide

Business Director (EUROPE & WORLDWIDE)

London, UK

July 2004 - July 2005 (1 year)

Primary duties focused on development and growth of the Retail Environment Design Group resulting in significant new business wins and continuous month-on-month commercial growth. New business wins:
• Vodafone (Europe)
• Motorola (Worldwide)
• Germanos (Europe)
• Boeing (Worldwide) Existing client management:
• BP (UK)
• GlaxoSmithKline (Europe) Awards:
• 2005 - WPP Network Client of the Year (Boeing)

Mi Marketing

Director & Head of New Business (EUROPE)

Pangbourne, England, United Kingdom

January 2000 - July 2004 (4 years and 6 months)

My brief was to transform this below-the-line agency into a credible international, integrated marketing operation. The first phase was completed within seven months during which there were a number of significant new business wins, new media partnerships forged, and more effective client servicing teams created. Key focus was placed on driving the continual review and improvement of all aspects of operations including:
• Assessment and evaluation of all client business and revenue growth initiatives
• Expansion of the agency's core skills into new disciplines
• Driving all aspects of the new business strategy
• Restructuring the client servicing, creative and production departments and development of a Best Practice programme and staff retention programme
• Review and improvements in the supply chain These changes resulted in new business wins generating additional gross income of over €2.5m and increases in existing billing of 43% in the first year and 21%-26% in subsequent years. Key disciplines included international retail environment design, channel support programmes, dealer incentives, training programmes, direct marketing, advertising (press, poster, radio and digital), sales promotions, cause related marketing, NPD, experiential marketing, literature, and CRM. New business wins:
• Sony & Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications (EMEA)
• BBC (UK)
• Miele (Europe) Awards:
• 2002 - ISP Gold & EFSP Gold for Sony
• 2003 - ISP Gold for Sony

Ammirati Puris Lintas, Publicis Technology, Hakuhodo

Earlier career roles (EUROPE & WORLDWIDE)

London, UK

September 1989 - December 1999 (10 years and 3 months)

Ammirati Puris Lintas: Senior Account Director (EUROPE & WORLDWIDE) Clients: Iridium, Compaq, PricewaterhouseCoopers, Timberland, Montblanc New account wins: BT, Finlandia Vodka Publicis Technology: Account Director (EUROPE) Clients: Olivetti Personal Computers, CompuServe, Psion Dacom Hakuhodo: Account Executive/Manager (EUROPE) Client: NEC Ltd (Europe)

Education

  • Management studies

    University of Westminster

    In-progress

    Management studies