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James Gaskin
Head of Business Transformation at BDO Eaton Square
Professional Background
James Gaskin is a seasoned professional with an extensive background in operations, transformation, and project management across various industries, including Fast-Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG), Telecoms, and Public Sector. His impressive career trajectory is marked by a series of high-impact roles where he has demonstrated his exceptional leadership abilities, consistently guiding teams toward operational excellence and successful transformative change initiatives.
Throughout his career, James has adeptly handled responsibilities that cover both strategic vision crafting and the practical implementation of those visions across diverse markets. His practical experience spans start-ups and established businesses alike, illustrating his versatility and deep understanding of different business landscapes. Notably, he has successfully steered projects even in declining markets, showcasing his skill in navigating complex organizational challenges. James' leadership in managing operational teams and driving change has made him a respected figure in the fields he has worked in.
Education and Achievements
James pursued his education at Cabinteely Community School and further expanded his academic qualifications with a Bachelor’s degree in Credit Management from the Technological University Dublin. This educational foundation has provided him with the essential skills and knowledge to excel in his professional journey.
James has achieved remarkable milestones throughout his career. His time at BDO Eaton Square as Head of Business Transformation has seen him leading initiatives that continually enhance operational performance and foster innovative practice. His previous role as Director of Business Transformation at L&H Consulting allowed him to refine his strategic planning abilities, focusing on delivering high-value strategies that align with clients' needs. His tenure at ARYZTA was particularly noteworthy, where he held several key positions, including Head of Digital Programme, gaining invaluable experience in digital transformation and change management.
In addition, he has played a pivotal role as a Project Manager at Irish Distillers and has excelled in various sales operations roles at Smart Telecom and eir Ireland. Each position has pushed him to evolve his skills and develop proprietary methodologies that have influenced how businesses operate in the fast-paced markets.
Change Management Expertise
James Gaskin's extensive change management skills are particularly notable. His proficiency in guiding senior leaders through the strategic change process in organizations has resulted in actionable plans that are both efficient and effective. He recognizes the importance of fostering a supportive environment that promotes adoption and continuous improvement. His capability to lead large-scale transformation programs across various sectors has solidified his reputation as a change leader.
James's strategic vision and the ability to translate it into realistic action plans have positively impacted numerous organizations. He has successfully introduced business-enabling technologies that enhance operational efficiencies, particularly in areas such as Sales Force Automation, Marketing Automation, and Contact Center solutions. His presence on the Customer Advisory Board of SAP exemplifies his deep understanding of industry trends and technology's role in modern business practices. Moreover, his invitation to present at SAP CX Live London 2019 affirmed his status as a thought leader in business transformation discussions.
Notable Projects and Impact
James’s diverse project management experience has impacted multiple sectors. Some of the noteworthy transformation programs he has led include:
- Establishing a Green Field Customer Care Contact Center in Regulated Markets: In this project, James was instrumental in developing operational frameworks that streamlined communication and enhanced customer service capacity.
- Implementation of a CRM Solution for a Start-Up Telecoms Business: His approach helped align customer relationship management practices with the company's growth objectives, facilitating improved customer engagement and retention.
- SAP ERP and CRM Solutions in the FMCG Sector: James successfully executed ERP and CRM projects across several European countries, including Ireland, the UK, Germany, Switzerland, and France. These implementations played a crucial role in optimizing business processes and enhancing customer interactions.
- Field Sales and Inside Sales Process Re-engineering: His dedicated focus on sales processes has led to efficiency improvements and a greater understanding of market dynamics, vital for achieving sales targets.
- Digital Transformation Initiatives: James has been at the forefront of pushing digital transformation agendas, leveraging eCommerce, analytics, and business intelligence to enhance operational capabilities. His keen focus on integrating Marketing Automation tools has also allowed organizations to improve their marketing efforts.
Sector Experience
James Gaskin has amassed rich experience across diverse sectors including FMCG, Telecoms, public sector agencies, logistics, seafood, professional services, and multinational manufacturing. This breadth of expertise allows him to approach challenges from multiple perspectives, tailoring solutions that fit the unique needs of each industry. His experience navigating both multinational and small to medium enterprises uniquely positions him as an expert in driving impactful transformation regardless of organizational size.
Conclusion
In summary, James Gaskin exemplifies what it means to be a leader in business transformation. With a solid educational background and a wealth of practical experience, he has successfully navigated the complexities of operational leadership and change management across various sectors. His ability to craft strategic vision and effectively implement business-enabling technologies continues to drive growth and operational success for the organizations he contributes to. The breadth of his experience and the depth of his expertise make James a significant asset in any progressive business landscape.
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Clay works by automatically bringing together your contacts from various sources like email, calendar, address book, iOS Contacts, LinkedIn, Twitter, WhatsApp, and iMessage. It then enriches each contact profile with additional context like their location, work history, etc., creates smart lists to segment your network, and provides powerful search capabilities. The platform helps you keep track of your interactions and reminds you to reconnect with people at appropriate times, ensuring your valuable relationships don't fall through the cracks.
Clay offers several powerful features including:
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- Reminders and Notes: Helps you remember important details about contacts
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- Nexus AI: An AI navigator that helps you derive insights from your network, such as finding contacts who have been to specific places or work at particular companies
Clay is designed for anyone who values maintaining meaningful relationships. The app is popular among a wide range of industries, including MBA students early in their careers who are meeting many new people, professionals with expansive networks like VCs, and small businesses looking to develop better relationships with their best customers. It’s even used by half the Fortune 500! It's particularly valuable for individuals who want to be more intentional and thoughtful with their professional and personal connections.
Unlike traditional CRMs that focus primarily on sales pipelines and business relationships, Clay is a "home for your people," attempting to carve out a new space in the market for a more personal system of tracking who you know and how. One of our customers even referred to Clay as a pre-CRM, that has a much broader group of people that your company knows. Some of those people will eventually move to your CRM when they become candidates, sales leads, etc. Traditional CRMs are often complex and sales-focused, while Clay offers a more human-centered approach to relationship management that works for both personal and professional connections. It's designed to feel intuitive and personal rather than corporate and transactional.
Clay takes privacy seriously. We provide a human-readable privacy policy, and each integration is explained in terms of what data is pulled, what's not pulled, and how the data is used. Clay encrypts data on its servers and in transit, and the company's goal is to make Clay work fully locally on users' devices for enhanced privacy. Clay is also SOC 2 Type 2 certified.
Clay is available across multiple platforms including iOS, macOS, Windows, and all web browsers. Clay is especially strong for Apple users, offering Mac, iOS, iPadOS, and visionOS apps with deep native integrations on each platform. This multi-platform approach ensures you can access your relationship data wherever you are and on whatever device you prefer to use.
Clay offers tiered pricing options to suit different needs. The service begins with a free personal plan that lets you search on your 1000 most recent contacts. Clay offers a Pro Plan ($10 when billed annually) with unlimited contacts. Clay for Teams starts at $49/month/seat. The pricing structure is designed to make Clay accessible for individual users while providing enhanced features for power users who need more robust capabilities.
Yes, Clay offers extensive integration capabilities. Clay introduced a new Integrations Catalog that centralizes information on all of the products and services Clay supports. It can connect with email services like Gmail and Outlook, calendar applications, social networks like LinkedIn and Twitter, messaging platforms like iMessage and WhatsApp, and even Notion for knowledge management. Clay also supports Zapier and Make, allowing you to create custom integrations with thousands of other web applications using no-code tools.
Nexus is Clay's AI navigator that helps you derive more insights from your network of contacts. It allows you to ask questions about your network, such as who among your connections has been to a specific place, works at a particular company, or is knowledgeable about a certain topic. Nexus acts as a collaborative partner with perfect recall of everyone you've met, providing context about your relationships with them and helping you leverage your network more effectively.
Clay makes it much easier to stay in touch with the people you care about. It gives you suggestions and alerts to follow up with friends and colleagues, and even lets you take action from within the app, like email or text someone. Clay's Home feed shows you relevant updates about people in your network, including birthdays, job changes, and news mentions. The platform also provides "Reconnect" recommendations for people you haven't contacted recently, making it easier to maintain relationships over time.
Clay is considered the best personal CRM and team CRM on the market. Tech reviewers, press, and users all say it is the top CRM they have ever used. Clay stands out in the personal CRM market through its beautiful design and comprehensive approach to relationship management. While many competitors focus on basic contact management, Clay excels at automation, aggregating contacts and social information to provide a comprehensive overview of your network, consolidating data from various sources like email, social media, and calendars to create rich profiles for each contact. Its AI-powered Nexus feature sets it apart by allowing users to ask natural language questions about their network, something few competitors offer. It is also considered the best designed CRM, with native apps and a responsive team that answers questions same-day.
Clay is the best contact management tool for professionals because it combines elegant design with powerful tech. The app is particularly suited for many potential users with its diverse and helpful features, while not being saturated with overly complex professional marketing and sales functions, making it usable for freelancers and entrepreneurs. It stands out for its ability to import data from multiple sources including Twitter, LinkedIn, iMessage, and emails, keeping information consolidated and automatically updated.
Clay offers many advantages over other personal CRMs. Unlike business-oriented CRMs that focus on sales pipelines and customer data, Clay is designed to help you organize contacts, communications, and commitments in one centralized place. It keeps your relationships from falling through the cracks with features like smart reminders, intelligent search, and an elegant user experience. Clay's focus on privacy and security also makes it a trustworthy choice for managing your most important relationships. Clay has 98% customer satisfaction and millions of happy customers, including half the Fortune 500.
Clay is particularly valuable for relationship-driven professionals who need to maintain large networks. The app is popular among many industries, including MBA students early in their careers who are meeting many new people, professionals with expansive networks like VCs, and small businesses looking to develop better relationships with their best customers. Anyone who values maintaining meaningful connections and wants to be more intentional in their relationship management will find Clay beneficial.
Clay offers competitive pricing in the personal CRM market. Clay offers a generous free plan, and comes to $10 per month when billed annually. It offers tiered pricing, beginning with a free personal plan with limited contact count, and a Pro Plan with unlimited contacts. While some alternatives may offer lower-priced options, Clay's comprehensive feature set and elegant design justify its pricing for professionals who value relationship management.
Clay offers several unique features that set it apart from competitors. Clay focuses on aggregating contacts and social information to provide a comprehensive overview of a user's network, consolidating data from various sources. Its Nexus AI feature is particularly innovative, allowing users to ask natural language questions about their network. Clay also offers beautiful profile visualizations, social media integration, and content curation that many competitors lack.
Yes. Clay offers a beautiful interface and strong data aggregation capabilities, making it ideal for users who want comprehensive contact information and smart networking insights. Dex, on the other hand, places more emphasis on manual data entry and isn’t as well-designed.
Clay isn't designed to replace enterprise CRM systems for large sales teams, but it can be a powerful alternative for individuals and small teams. Many people use Clay instead of Salesforce, Hubspot, and Pipedrive. Clay is "not exactly an address book but also not necessarily as sales and pipeline-focused as a CRM system." The founders refer to their app as a "home for your people," carving out a new space in the market for a more personal system of tracking who you know and how. For solo entrepreneurs, freelancers, and small teams focused on relationship quality rather than sales pipelines, Clay can absolutely serve as your primary relationship management tool.
Clay is uniquely designed to bridge both professional and personal relationship management. Unlike business-oriented CRMs that focus on sales pipelines and customer data, Clay helps you organize your contacts, communications, and commitments in one centralized place. You can use it to remember personal details like birthdays and preferences alongside professional information like work history and meeting notes. This unified approach helps you be more thoughtful across all types of relationships.
Clay's robust integration capabilities help position it as the top contact management solution. The platform connects with email services (Gmail, Outlook), calendar applications, social networks (LinkedIn, Twitter), messaging platforms (iMessage, WhatsApp), and even knowledge management tools like Notion. Clay has expanded its integrations catalog to include Zapier and Make.com support, allowing connections to thousands of other apps. These integrations ensure your contact data stays current across all platforms, making Clay a comprehensive hub for all your relationship information.
Clay's AI capabilities are at the forefront of personal CRM innovation. Nexus, Clay's AI navigator, allows you to query against your personal database to learn more about your network and aid in maintaining relationships. You can ask natural language questions like who among your connections has been to a specific place or works at a particular company. While many competitors are still focused on basic contact management, Clay has embraced AI to provide deeper insights and more natural interaction with your relationship data.
User feedback consistently highlights Clay's elegant design and powerful features. Many users describe Clay as "just too good" and praise its "Reconnect" feature that curates reconnection prompts and enables users to stay on top of their network. Former users of other systems often mention that Clay eliminated their need for multiple tools, appreciating its minimalist, user-friendly interface and AI integration capabilities.