More questions than answers, a world turned upside down, and an interest in the power of brands led me to The Value Engineers.
Throughout lockdown, I was fortunate to work with some of the most well-respected strategy, digital innovation and sustainability consultancies as a business development partner. I was opening doors with the brands my clients wanted to be working with and helping them to start conversations about the gnarliest challenges those brands were tackling.
It was a brilliant introduction to the world of brands and strategy – and a turbulent time for the brands I was talking to. I saw first-hand how Covid had left many businesses scrambling to innovate their offer and rapidly identify new revenue streams – initially to stay afloat, and then to set themselves up for future growth.
Being part of those conversations at such an early point in my career was an enormous privilege. It was also a lightbulb moment for me.
With all weekend plans cancelled, I threw myself into the Chartered IPA Foundation Certificate in Marketing and Advertising, learned to tell my Byron Sharp from my Jim Stengel, and found myself with more questions. Why did Blockbuster go bust while Netflix exploded? How do you get past the hype to identify the genuine opportunities for growth? What’s the relationship between purpose, sustainability, and profitability – and how is it changing?
And so I came across The Value Engineers. I couldn’t believe my luck. Tackling complexity head-on and recognising the opportunities it presents is characteristic of all the work that The Value Engineers do – and the range of qualitative and quantitative insight, targeted innovation, marketing strategy and brand strategy captured my attention immediately.
There’s so much to learn, and I can’t wait to get stuck in.