Tracy Sheldon
Managing Director - Executive coach, Business mentor & Interim Director
Managing Director of Brug Consultancy, formerly Marketing Director Europe for one of the World’s leading packaging companies serving the media and entertainment, cosmetics and personal care, home and garden and the healthcare and pharmaceutical industries. The company held market-leading positions in its businesses in more than 30 countries.
Originally from a creative background as a graphic designer with print, packaging and innovation expertise; currently member of the Institute of Direct Marketing and specialist in Integrated Marketing Communication (Dip IMC M IDM),successfully moved through the corporate world in to General management. Her career has spanned conceptual design, advertising, product innovation and development, managing global ranges for companies like Gillette and Unilever, and working closely on development of brands such as the Smirnoff Black launch.
As the General Manager for a Creative company based in London, servicing the entertainment industry with design, artwork and repro – controlled and strategically directed a £34 million turnover business, managing a team of 17 Directors/Heads of Department and 200+ plus staff. As European Marketing Director for a US group successfully formed a new marketing team in Europe; has worked across many markets, building and driving strategic change to ensure her business was the market leader.
Successfully delivered company turnarounds, developmental change, strategic mergers and built teams in design, localisation, print, sales and marketing. Thirty years experience in business, working in areas from brand and product innovation, marketing, mentoring and coaching through to strategic change management. Speaker in Brussels and Hamburg, a panellist on innovation webinars and speaker on social media and the use of marketing in business. Regularly provides talks to international MBA students as a business expert to share her own career development experiences and is a Young Enterprise advisor as well as providing free mentoring through a professional women’s network and board director of WomenCentre charity. Currently consults to senior executives, owners and businesses in areas from social media to brand, growth and marketing strategy.
Key roles held:
General Manager, Managing Director, Marketing Director, Head of design development, Operations Director, Innovation, product and people development, marketing, print, packaging, sales, people
To provide efficient, effective solutions and leave people with a smile and desire to work with me over and over again
362 contactsBrug consultancy bridges the gaps in small and medium enterprise focussing on Marketing and business solutions - making it simple and effective for start- up’s and medium sized businesses up to 200 people to develop their branding and implement creative marketing and business plans. Our aim is to develop strong solid processes so that businesses understand their customers, promote themselves and their products effectively and increase profitability.
• Interim consultant with BCU
• Director – womenscentre
• Licensee Forward Ladies – SFEDI mentor trainer
• Young Enterprise business advisor
• Creating ‘the Marketing machine’ – coaching and providing
process
• Workshops/training on developing leadership,
communication, change management, key marketing tools/skills and social media for business
• Coaching executives, teams and business owners
• Working with Universities, charities and public sector.
Developed the first Licensee area for Forward Ladies - the north's largest northern business support group for professional and working women
2008 - 2009AGI Media Europe – the number one Media Entertainment packaging company in Europe and a key business unit of MWV, a global leader in packaging and packaging solutions for the personal and beauty care, healthcare and pharmaceuticals, food and beverage, dispensing solutions, home and garden and media industries with 14 manufacturing site in Europe.
Achievements include:
• Created a young and proactive European marketing team.
• Developed a network of press and media contacts to ensure AGI Media promoted effectively and efficiently to budget.
• Developed and implemented effective marketing and communications strategy
• Delivered all key objectives – intranet, web site, email campaigns system implemented
• Successful product launches for DigiLite +, iCreate
• Company events successfully organised
• Marketing and telecom servers set up with centralised information covering all relevant business tools
• Set and maintained all company creative direction and branding – articles in Mediapack and speaker at Media Tech conference
• Headed up ‘Sustainability for Europe’ and successfully integrated with MWV sustainability network
• Achieved Credit in Dip IDM
• Training and management lead on Strategic Accounts assessing Key account plans
2003 - 2008October 2003 – January 2008
AGI Solutions is the European creative arm of AGI Media Europe creating design, artwork and repro for the entertainment industry with clients including Fox, Paramount, Universal, Disney, SCEE, Sara Lee and ICI to name but a few. We linked to 14 European manufacturing sites and I was key advisor to 2 sites and lead at 1.
Achievements include:
• Successfully introduced and implemented new systems and working practices to change mindsets and move company strategy in line with group vision and to meet and exceed market challenges. Increased profits by £4million from £200k in a period of 12 months (03-04) when previously the company was not hitting sales budget. Sales increased to 18.1million (04-05) to 27 million (06-07), 34 million (07-08) and 41 million (08-09)
• Implemented Performance Review process for 13 Directors and 4 Heads of Department - setting robust, challenging objectives linked to business needs. Generated buy-in to personal goals by coaching and assessing skill base to achieve successful results.
• Assessed company current financial situation, overheads, cost bases, job roles and value to the business verses accounts, sales and projected sales. Identified cost savings and areas for further investment within the business and produced management reports and recommendations. Saved £300k year 1 with proposals in place for year 2-5
• Introduced and implemented an environment of open and honest communication where initiative was encouraged to allow personal empowerment to seize opportunities
• Coached and facilitated Senior Directors to effectively delegate and increase the output from their departments. Universal from £4 million to £11.9 at peak (06)
• Identified core group values and wrote mission statement for the business. Passionately presented business vision to senior team and incorporated ideas. Highlighted practical objectives & core values cascading this throughout the business. This motivated and gave structure to group company vision.
• Managed team relationships and focused them on strategic decision making at an international level. This resulted in protecting UK interest in a global market
• Managed a team of 17 direct reports including Directors, House Account Managers, Production and Transport for an International Media Packaging Company. Re-wrote job profiles and responsibilities in consultation to efficiently run the business and create a management structure with centralised functions
• Set strategic plan for closure of one division, assessing core capabilities and successfully merging to one site. (staff reduction from 400+ to 175) Rebranded merged company and introduced outsourcing in India.
• Ran special projects to successfully set up a facilities management and POP business outside of the company with the aim of developing a separate standalone business
• Project lead on successful TUPE transfers for Warner and SCEE accounts
• Group graduate mentor
2000 - 2003AGI UK is the UK arm of AGI Media Europe specialising in the print and packaging area of the business.
Achievements include:
• Responsible for assessment, business plan and implementation of merger of UK creative divisions
• Negotiated suppliers contracts, building and developing relationships- Completed successful union (NGA) negotiations
• Experienced project management skills gained from running global accounts – headed up Fox and Universal accounts
• Managed Design Consultancy dealing with Global Brand markets, growing and developing team to increase profits by 100%+
• Key training and development skills in Account management, strategy and people development across multi language and mixed ethnic groups – key member of set up and assessment team.
• Completed leadership training modules successfully
August 2000 – 2003
Tinsley Robor labels are a business unit of AGI Media Europe, specialising in production of self adhesive labels for FMCG. Home Entertainment and toiletries market segments.
Achievements include:
• Business turn-around from a loss of £750k to profit of £4million. Controlled £3.5million of sales.
• Introduced new products to expand business and re-wrote quality manual to enable the introduction of new clients.
• Introduced Sainsbury’s, Asda, Tesco’s, Bodycare business. (£1 million+)
• Fundamental in gaining European label contract.
• Set up of print implant at customer site
• Successfully developed vision and strategy to drive business sales plans successfully introducing Bodyshop, Bodycare, Asda and Sara Lee label contracts
• Strategic lead on Major media and FMCG accounts responsible for sales
• Utilised as assessor on key leadership training programmes
• Second in command to MD acting as Production director with responsibility for all areas of production, client services and lead in to sales team
1980 - 1992Design & Brand Development Manager Jarvis Porter Personal Care 1992 – 2000
Jarvis Porter was the number one European supplier of self adhesive labels to major brand owners and FMCG clients.
Achievements include:
• Successfully managed and launched global brands for Unilever and P&G
• Lead on product, system and print innovations
• Member of Unilever supplier Innovation team
• Successfully increased sales year on year
• Headed up studio and repro teams and developed generic artworking system which reduced time to launch global brands and reduced production cost and time.
• Team lead on integration between print, design and manufacture, heading up all key project teams
• Account director and lead on introduction of Smirnoff Black brand for Diageo
• Account director and lead on introduction of Organics. Timotei and Lynx (AXE) for Unilever
Studio Head WPA Design Consultancy 1988 – 1992
WPA is one of the north’s leading design consultancy, with offices in Leeds and London
Achievements include:
• Worked directly to Managing Director
• Responsible for managing all aspects of the design studio
• Responsible for pitches, quotes and presentations
• Lead decision maker on Creative direction and briefs
• Direct responsibility for key accounts – LinPac, Tetley’s
• Responsible for all print buying and member of print buying association
Senior Finished artist Paul Whittaker Associates 1986 - 1988
Top advertising agency based in Leeds
Apprentice artist to studio manager Jarvis Porter Group 1980 -1986
European wet glue label printer supplying to key brands in wines and spirits sector