University of Suffolk

ICSV-CNAM

University of East Anglia

Education and Professional Development Highlights

Director of Communications

Specialised and experienced in bringing innovation out of the tech labs and into the mainstream. Creating next trends and generating new profit centres. Business acceleration and growth. Strategic and tactical marketing planning and delivery
●	Corporate IT and mobile
●	Information security and online identity
●	Networked industries Telco / Power / Financial Services / Retail 
●	Working across FinTech, GovTech, HealthTech, RegTech
●	UK, Pan-European and beyond
●	Fifth entrepreneurial experience as self-employed freelance https://www.josephspear.com/

Clients include Mvine Limited. [https://www.mvine.com/] Digital Innovators since 2004. Trusted by BT Group, TM Forum and other leading customers to create digital business marketplaces, deliver cyber-secure customer experience platforms and engineer digital identity infrastructure. BT Approved Supplier. Reporting to Frank Joshi. 

Portfolio of responsibilities covering strategic positioning in the digital identity sector. Tactical campaign planning and delivery of direct and indirect communications. Research, define and surround the prospective customer cohorts and customer influencers including market analysts and think tanks and prominent personalities. Planning and delivery of tactical activities at Conferences and Exhibitions. Design of remarkable content for use in campaign websites, microsites and comms collateral. Highly successful placement of opinion pieces in selected mainstream media and tech titles. In 2023, delivered tactical press relations for partnerships with certified Identity Service Providers (IDSPs) timed to coincide with launch of new go-to-market salesplay called ‘MvineID’. 

Elected to serve as Chair of techUK Digital Identity Working Group, 2021-2023. 

Lead applicant in winning funding bids with Innovate UK and European Space Agency. Intricate knowledge of process and requirements of assessors, monitoring officers and technical officers.

based in UK

Director of Communications | Fractional CMO | Interim CMO | Innovator | Investor | IM Mentor

KCOM is a FTSE250 company with an annual turnover of over £350M, 1,500 staff and offices in major locations across the UK. 
●	Personal results included direct input in decision making and to the transformation of the entire business from multiple brands to a single business from 04 April 2016, working alongside the Executive Leadership Team as part of the “One Business” Senior Leadership Team
●	Devising progressive Go To Market for 6 value propositions into 10 industry sectors for digital integration and managed services
●	Marketing lead currently responsible for our value proposition of Public Cloud into Transport & Travel, Private Healthcare, Legal & Professional Services
●	Negotiating and delivering marketing activities generating strong sales pipeline opportunities and new customers with propensity to spend £1M per year or more
●	Left the business during the plc-wide re-organisation and transformation

KCOM

Head of Marketing, Enterprise

Subsidiary of the KCOM Group delivering high-end consultancy, integration and management of business-critical IT systems for large enterprises operating in regulated markets which delivered a top line sales CAGR 16.3% against 3.7% CAGR sector average (in fiscal years 2009 to 2016) and net positive in 32 consecutive quarters. Reporting firstly to Director of Sales & Marketing then later to Chief Technology Officer. 
●	Personal results included new logo wins averaging 3 per quarter through planning and execution of sales and marketing campaigns to Banking, Financial Services, Insurance, Telco, Utilities, Transport
●	Full responsibility for programme management of new business acquisition focused Lead Generation marketing campaigns, including the costing, planning and delivery of all tactical activities
●	Input into development of new value propositions working with the CTO and Lead Consultants
●	Led Analyst Relations (AR) and Press Relations (PR)
●	Go To Market Proposition Development for Cloud, Big Data Analytics and Business Intelligence, API Management, Identity & Access Management
●	Establishing and maintaining commercial-side relationships with key partners and vendors including Amazon Web Services, Microsoft, Computer Associates, Red Hat, ForgeRock, IBM UK, Oracle
●	Salesforce.com (SFDC) system administrator
●	Successfully completed my MBA in 2010
●	TUPE to KCOM plc in 2016

SMART421 LIMITED

Head of Marketing

Independent consulting based UK including customer acquisition and customer retention campaigns, product design, product and corporate sales and marketing
●	Personal results included creation of a start-up business unit with a £300K asset base, risk mitigation, improved governance, P&L advisory, strategic revenue recognition between divisions
●	Fourth entrepreneurial experience as freelance consultant until being hired by Trevor Loker, Director of Sales and Marketing at Smart421 to deliver an ambitious business growth plan

Communications and Marketing Lead

Subsidiary of Symtrax Holdings, Inc. an international software business focusing on key growth sectors within software solutions for business intelligence, ERP output management, document and content management and web search solutions for IBM mid-range and multi-platform markets, which saw double-digit percentage growth in sales turnover to €2.6 M in 2005 and 2006. Member of the management team reporting to Group CEO, tasked with strategic and operational marketing delivery
●	Personal results included a return on investment ratio 3:1 through multi-channel sales and marketing programmes averaged across France, Germany, Spain, The Netherlands and UK
●	Improved customer acquisition through refining of the marketing and sales processes. Tracking leads and referrals through to closed won sales, modifying operations to meet key performance indicators 
●	Implemented higher visibility branding, devised and commissioned collateral and undertook planning and delivery of integrated marketing campaigns (offline/online/affiliate/webinars/events/phoning/PR). Organised and scrutinised deliverables from third party lead sources
●	Negotiated a new tactical alliance with a US technology partner leading to a new product launch of a business reporting solution aimed the SAP ERP market across EMEA and USA 
●	Leveraged partner programs with IBM PartnerWorld Industry Networks (PWIN), Oracle Partner Network (OPN), Microsoft Gold Certified Partner, Infor/Mapics/Geac Alliance Partner and optimised use of market development funds, targeting new prospects in key customer segments
●	Led cross-functional teams and managed the individual and team productivity of my direct reports until I resigned to relocate with my family to the UK

Symtrax

Head of Marketing EMEA

Independent consulting based France (during the same period, undertook a 2-year business degree)
●	Undertook fixed-term contract as Director of Business Development international photographic licensing, selling rights-managed images to new markets such as Tasmania and the Nordics
●	Delivered multi-channel pre-launch strategy and launch of a technology start-up in the global shareware mainstream which went on to become the multi-award winning digital publishing brand Aquafadas.com acquired in 2012 by Canadian e-reading company Kobo, part of Japanese eCommerce giant Rakuten
●	Third entrepreneurial experience as freelance consultant until being hired by Bernard Aldebert, CEO at Symtrax to build a plan to attack multi-platform markets and new revenue

based in France

Working for French subsidiary of Coherent Networks International, United States (acquired by Steleus, then by Tekelec, then by Oracle in March 2013) selling IT services in geospatial tech for large industrial clients (France Telecom, Louis Dreyfus, EDF, Numéricable, Bouygues Telecom, Scottish Power, Transco) and Government sector (DGI, i.e. the French HM Revenue & Customs; DGA, i.e. the French Ministry of Defence). Hired to lead a new marketing division targeting telecom/cable operators and energy utilities. Reported to the Director General in a management tripod with the Development Director.
●	Personal results included generation of a new sales pipeline valued at £1.4M within a 6-month timeframe by hunting influencers and decision makers through multi-touch marketing activities including online, telemarketing and key events across mainland Europe
●	Identified and initiated strategic business and technology alliances with BT Syntegra, GE Smallworld, Xansa, ICL Fujitsu, ESRI, LeT Systems and LAT45/Metasolv, as well as progressing a longstanding partnership agreement with Bentley France for their Microstation GIS technologies
●	Led technology transfer and co-led European operations for the ‘CNi/FastGate’ business unit until it was divested to Osmose Utilities Services, Inc and the remainder of the business sold to Pixelius (which was then sold in 2011 to Groupe FIT, based in Nantes, France and was rebranded in 2017 as GEOFIT)
●	After the business was placed in new ownership, left to work freelance based in France

Network Mapping Facilities SA

Marketing Lead (Telecoms & Utilities)

Independent publishing business specialising in consumer products for the UK gift trade and for export markets.
●	Personal results included sales revenue improvement exceeding 20% in each of two consecutive years through managing a network of 18 sales agents covering all parts of the British Isles
●	Managed supply chain partners acting as category managers of non-foods FMCG for large UK grocery multiples e.g. Tesco
●	Provided major input into new product design, branding, development and launch, defending and progressing market share within the independent retail sector
●	Led improvement projects for CRM system, business processes and performance analytics until Summer of 2000 when I relocated with my family to France to begin building my international career

Leonard Smith Publishing Ltd, United Kingdom

UK Sales & Marketing Manager

British technology group concentrating on computerised accounting and financial systems, which delivered growth in sales revenue 40% in value and 200% in volume each year for 3 consecutive financial years. Hired by and reported to Alistair O’Reilly, managing director
●	Personal results included internalisation and re-alignment of marketing budget, savings on direct costs of marketing activities and an increase in the number and loyalty of resellers in the UK and Ireland
●	Established an in-house department, with full responsibility for planning and producing high impact targeted publicity and lead-generating marketing campaigns
●	Developed a network of prime contacts and a press list of top journalists. Managed analyst relations and press relations including press briefings, photo calls, lobbying and corporate hospitality. Researched and wrote customer case studies which were later compiled into a book
●	Built new revenue streams in strategic vertical markets through targeted campaigns until resigning to gain experience in a new sector 
(In 2006 the company was restructured as Access Technology Group and in March 2011, the company completed a £50m management buyout with backing from private equity group Lyceum Capital and later rebranded as The Access Group)

Access Accounting Ltd, United Kingdom

Marketing Manager and Public Relations Officer

A value added reseller (VAR) of Apple hardware, software and networked management systems, selling to SMBs, midmarket and public sector organisations across territories of East of England and London/City.
●	Personal results included gross profit maximisation through the development of new business units selling integrated computer solutions and maintenance/support contracts
●	Second entrepreneurial experience on appointment as company director through a management buy-out in 1994 until 1995 when the gross margins in Apple hardware rapidly collapsed from 40% to under 10% and the decision was taken to leave the business and to join software authors Access Accounting where I was hired by Alistair O'Reilly

Oyster Business Systems Ltd, United Kingdom

Senior Project Manager

Held 5 different positions in 4 agencies, covering all professional disciplines including the management of key accounts, the productivity of creative studio teams and the workflow of production departments.
●	Personal results included meeting strategic targets set by clients in financial services, pharmaceuticals, publishing, public sector healthcare, agriculture and the charity sector
●	First entrepreneurial experience as company director until being hired by John Beech, Managing Director at Oyster to build sales and marketing

Joseph S.