Senior Brand Strategist | Experience Architect | Creative Director | Merchant | Thinker

OBJECTIVE

Seeking challenges which optimally leverage unique combination of strategic and creative skills, demonstrated conceptual insight and global marketplace experience re: brand strategy, creative direction, interactive development, customer network models, community building, viral marketing, merchandising, product ideation, information architecture and the orchestration of an integrated and holistic customer experience. Would especially relish opportunity to apply Network Model (see below) to economic benefit of existing premium brand(s).

EXPERIENCE

September 1999 to Present
REMO GIUFFRE (New York & Sydney)
Consultant Strategist & Thinker
Since 1999, first in the United States and now in Australia, I have worked (usually on a project or retainer basis) with a broad range of clients and brands on issues relating to: product ideation, brand strategy & passionate community development. US clients included worldlyinvestor.com where I completed a 6 month full time contract during which I re-engineered their customer experience. Since returning to Sydney in 2002, major clients have included: The Nuance Group (global airport retailer) & the Australian Agricultural Company. In both cases I reported directly to the CEO in the preparation of contracted deliverables.

January 2000 to Present
REMO GENERAL STORE (ONLINE) (New York, California & Sydney)
http://www.REMOGeneralStore.com/
Founder & CEO
Developed strategies and detailed plans for next generation retail branding venture that was launched as an Alpha site in March 2000 and subsequently as a transaction Beta in July 2003. Current site is ideal manifestation of a unique and empirically developed Network Model that has been a central focus and obsession for many years. Put simply, new model incorporates the Internet to position interconnected customer network as both development engine and marketing engine for the relevant product offering(s) and the brand. Business model (broadly applicable outside the context of the REMO General Store) generates metrics dramatically superior to those generated by traditional online push models where the Internet is used simply as another channel for sales and marketing. This Network Model literally reverses everything that typical retailers and consumer marketers do e.g. marketing drives from the inside-out, development from the outside-in. As a consequence: merchandise gross margins are high (and actually get higher over time), customers are deeply (and naturally) loyal, acquisition costs are extremely low, customer retention is high and operating profits are ultimately very healthy.

October 2000 to Present
GENERAL THINKING, INC. (New York, California & Sydney)
http://www.GeneralThinking.com/
Founding Thinker
General Thinking is the sponsor of an ongoing (yet currently dormant) initiative to gather online a global network of Thinkers ... something akin to a "guild" of high quality and like-minded people ... drivers of excellence. General Thinking was initially conceived as a fresh demonstration of the Network Model referred to above. I have been responsible since the launch of General Thinking for envisioning the experience, architecting the information, planning all development, and driving the overall business vision.

August 1998 to August 1999
ORGANIC, INC. (New York)
Brand Strategist
As Organic's first ever branding specialist, I worked with a cross-section of Organic client brands (e.g. Music Boulevarde, Zagat, Eyeweb, barnesandnoble.com, Fragrance Counter, Iomega Direct, Prodigy) on issues relating to: service ideation, conceptual modelling, online branding and the integration of total customer experience.

November 1997 to August 1998
FROGDESIGN, INC. (Sunnyvale CA)
Director of Branding & Strategy
Worked with diverse range of frog clients (e.g. Honda, Lufthansa, Ravensburger, MicronPC, AT&T Labs, Motorola) on issues relating to brand strategy and the integration of complex strategic design and communication programs: product design, graphic design & new media development.

May 1988 to May 1997
REMO CITY VENTURES PTY LIMITED (Sydney)
Founder & CEO
Founded the REMO "General Store" in Sydney in 1988 as the focus for a unique retailing & communications venture. Developed "REMO" into a thriving, highly regarded and diverse brand of quality general merchandise. Grew retail sales from the single landmark Store by over 45% per annum to A$4.5m in 1994 (60% REMO branded). Simultaneously built an international catalogue mail order business serving a community of 100,000 passionate customers located in more than 70 countries throughout the world. REMO is regarded as one of the world's most innovative retail brands and Remo (the person) has been described by the media variously as: "style merchant", "design guru" or "Australia's most creative shopkeeper". The REMO press folders are thick with both Australian and international editorial e.g. US Catalog Age declared the copy writing in the 1993 REMO Catalogue to be "truly the best in the world."

Selected REMO media here.

May 1987 to May 1988
NETWORK MEDIA LIMITED (Sydney)
Director of Strategic Development
Evaluated new business opportunities for listed public holding company of a range of entertainment and media businesses based in both Australia and the United States.

June 1986 to April 1987
WALLPAPER, INC. (New York)
Communications Consultant
Researched and wrote business plans and marketing plans for a broad range of media industry clients.

June 1985 to September 1985
NEWS AMERICA PUBLISHING, INC. (New York)
Marketing Analyst
Worked as a Marketing Analyst at Murdoch Magazines. Involved with both circulation and promotion strategies for New York magazine. Also participated in the launches of Automobile, Premiere & American Elle.

July 1983 to August 1984
BAKER & MCKENZIE (Sydney)
Associate Attorney
Areas of practice during my brief but happy time at the firm included: joint ventures, mergers, acquisitions and new capital raising; but probably best remembered for having founded "MemoRandom" ... the firm's weekly internal newsletter.

SLIDE SHOWS

Vision, Ideation & Strategy: Sample Diagrams

Network Branding & Communications Model

EDUCATION

May 1986
COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY GRADUATE SCHOOL OF BUSINESS (New York)
MBA: Marketing, Organizational Behaviour & Communications Management
Dean's Honor List. Beta Gamma Sigma.

March 1983
UNIVERSITY OF NEW SOUTH WALES (Sydney)
LL.B (Corporate & Securities Law)

March 1981
UNIVERSITY OF NEW SOUTH WALES (Sydney)
B.COMM (Accounting, Finance & Systems)

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION