Claire S

Running my own business and working with various clients, my aim is to ensure a transfer of knowledge and skills to enable theIR set up, to deliver and grow their business. This can be achieved through best business practice, specific initiatives such as marketing strategy, or business optimisation and efficiency initiatives. Utilising my extensive experience in different organisations and industries both international and local, I want to direct my clients’ businesses forward to achieve their vision and growth targets.

Clients: Fry’s Family Food, Threeby3, and UBT.

Assist business leaders to make smarter marketing decisions that turn their tactical marketing resource into a strategic business function and help build sustainable and long-term revenue.

In the SME sector, apply corporate thinking and experience to the strategic marketing challenges, helping them understand and build best practices in their own businesses.

Responsible for the expansion of a new eCommerce business, including NPD and the eCommerce platform upon which they will be sold. Developing a business plan and having full P&L responsibility.

Proactively implemented NPD processes, driven by research and insight, that deliver a best-in-class approach for the launch of a new range of products. Ensuring the correct positioning of the products and articulating the performance characteristics, before liaising and directing the marketing function to advertise and promote the products.

Responsible for the portfolio strategy and management of the collective’s stable of plant-based brands. These include Fry’s Family Food, Oumph!, Like Meat and No Meat. Success was seen in innovation delivered to market, and increased brand awareness, driven via PR, print, digital and in-store activations. Reported to Marketing Director Australia | Budget Responsibility: 1.5M.

Developed and executed the Portfolio Strategy and brand marketing plans to achieve business and brand objectives, communications strategies including media, key messages, trade campaigns, community initiatives, and stakeholder engagement internal, external, and with agencies.

Engaged retail trade partners to drive a collaborative approach, delivering presentations to drive brand initiatives, innovation, and joint business plans. Evaluating brand campaign initiatives and post campaign reports to ensure ROI KPIs were achieved. Designed all communication and presentations for all stakeholders.

Managed all commercial components, marketing buy and spend requiring detailed audit and risk evaluation stakeholders.

Responsible for the portfolio strategy and management across a number of iconic brands. The Liquids portfolio accounted for 40% of the Lactalis retail business and consisted of White Milk and Juice which combined deliver 400M per annum. The core brands include Pauls, Zymil, Farmhouse Gold, and Harvey Fresh.

Paul's brand is found in over six categories in the supermarket supported by a total marketing portfolio investment of 3.7M. Develop strategic marketing communications plan including ATL and BTL marketing and communication campaigns. Leadership, mentorship, and training of the Assistant Brand Manager. Drove internal and external stakeholder engagement to ensure successful relationships.

Massmart Holdings LTD is a South African organisation that owns local retailer and wholesaler chains. It is the second-largest distributor of consumer goods in Africa, the largest retailer of general merchandise, Liquor and home improvement equipment and the wholesaler of basic foods. Massmart has 412 stores in S.A. and 12 other Sub-Saharan countries. Wal-Mart has a majority shareholding of 51% in Massmart. MDD has over 90 departments, valued at 1.3B. The split between general

merchandise and food is around 80/20 whereby food has 19 category departments, valued at 313M. The Total Africa business is valued at 226M, with Food having a 50% contribution.

Responsibilities

Developed Category Strategies using a template-driven process of market and customer analysis. Review and analyse consumer and shopper research to generate category insights. Utilised insights to formulate key category drivers, those areas where the opportunities for the category, supplier, and retailer would deliver the greatest financial return.

Developed a Strategic Category Leadership program which included being a SME, this was in line with the new operating model which the organisation undertook in 2018. The new model meant a change in ways of working, change management and training.

Facilitated and conducted training workshops to roll out the new training programme. Over 50 participants went through the programme in two months over a course of six sessions.

Develop Divisional Strategies cascaded down from the new company operating model and long-term strategic objectives, working with the Business Development Director across both General Merchandise and Foods divisions.

Developed 47 Category Strategies in the Food and Liquor Division which accounted for 78% of the departmental turn over driving growth of 8% in value.

Evaluate key success factors based on Category Strategies developed and executed by the Category Buyers.

Initiate and develop relationships between the Category Buyers and Suppliers, ensuring the right conversations were held to support and drive a culture of collaboration as opposed to just “trading”.

Consumer research was used as a rationale for decision making and plans were built with quantitative KPIs.

Abbott Nutrition (January 2018 – October 2018): Abbott approached Claire to launch a range of new products into the retailer sector of the market. The infant formula market is valued at 270M in South Africa. Nestle is the market leader, followed by Aspen pharmaceuticals and then Abbott. Abbott had a range of premium products in the infant milk category, however the sector that they participated in only represented around 8% of the total category. The project development launch I led of the Similac Advance range meant that Abbott could enter into the mid-tier portion of the market which was 80% of the category.

Project Lead and Consultant for the launch of Similac Advance; delivered strategy, developed brand marketing campaign, managed key stakeholder relationships locally and internationally.

Developed a customer retail programme covering all category management aspects of the launch.

Beiersdorf (May 2014 – April 2015): Beiersdorf approached Claire to fill a maternity contract and to manage the Female Face Care category valued at 29M. Proposed a change opportunity for business optimisation, category departmental restructure, writing of job descriptions to close vacant positions, recruitment, interviews and training; the outcome was higher divisional ROI and business efficiencies. Mentoring and training of Customer initiatives and Category Management.

Project Lead and Consultant for the Female Face Care category initiatives and trade marketing.

Delivered go to market process including commercial business propositions, trade presenters, rationale.

Strategic and Tactical launch support packages tailored and aligned to the retailer objectives.

Research and Analytics to develop customer insights driving increased shopper engagement.

Managed relationships with internal and external stakeholders including agencies and global import counterparts.