NTT DATA | AI in the workplace: the case for micro-augmentation
AI will transform productivity in the service sector. Success will depend on carefully designing solutions that augment human skills, knowledge and experience.
About me
I'm a writer, editor, content strategist and storyteller, skilled at building narratives in the clear, precise language that drives engagement.
I work along the entire funnel and across formats: product and solution marketing, thought leadership, ABM, lead generation, launches/events and multi-channel campaigns.
HR professionals call me a T-shaped generalist-expert: a pattern recogniser who synthesises new information rapidly. I bring to the table a wide range of ancillary skills including financial analysis, quantitative and qualitative research, marketing, sales, SEO and social, design, software development and more.
I operate as a manager or as a specialist, working in both creative and data-driven teams. My clients include agencies, media owners, start-ups, scale-ups and large corporates. I build enduring relationships with subject matter experts, who help me do my best work.
Based in London (UK): currently open to freelance assignments, contracts and
the right kind of FTE opportunities.
Owned and branded content
Here's a selection of long-form content I have created for in-house marketing teams, agencies and media owners. If you want to know more about my approach to content strategy, short-form or anything else, do get in touch.
NTT DATA | How AI is accelerating product development for telcos
This asset describes how AI-based micro-augmentation is allowing telcos to modernise legacy code, accelerate time-to-market and turbocharge product development.
Temenos 1 | Gradually, then suddenly: the risk of ageing core systems
The title -- a reference to Hemingway's description of bankruptcy in The Sun Also Rises -- introduces the first of three assets arguing that European banks need to focus urgently on digital transformation.
Temenos 2 | Hey, big spender: escaping the legacy budget squeeze
Spending IT budget on operations and regulation is non-negotiable. For many banks, there's only one way out of the budget squeeze: modernising legacy systems and going cloud native.
Temenos 3 | Core modernisation: the key to transformation
The third of three substantial blog posts created for Temenos. This asset describes how modernising core systems creates the conditions for breakthrough digital transformation in the banking sector.
Arm | Software, not hardware, is the key to enterprise AI
This white paper encourages IT executives to examine one of the reasons why in-house AI projects have become so expensive: the inefficiencies created by proprietary tools and platforms.
Softserve | The missing link in manufacturing: real-time data
A research-based white paper looking at how manufacturers are addressing digitalization and automation. The findings suggest variable progress. Not your typical sunlit uplands scenario.
EPAM | Why automated cloud cost controls aren't a one-time fix
The brief for this white paper assumed a relatively high level of operational involvement in cloud management among business decision-makers. An interesting challenge.
Huawei @ MWC 2023 | Innovation & business strategy roundtable
Producing and moderating a roundtable with senior executives from Huawei's enterprise business in front of 200 journalists at Mobile World Congress.
Triblio | ABM pros in Europe have big problems with US intent data. Here’s why.
Something different: a challenging, controversial and detailed technical post I wrote for Triblio, the SaaS-based ABM platform in collaboration with senior product executives.
Triblio | 4 questions buyers should ask intent data suppliers
Content that prompts buyers to ask direct questions of the competition works well in high-growth markets where service offerings are evolving rapidly.
Dell | Reimagining the workplace
1,000 word thought leadership piece on workplace UX and CX for the CIO-branded Dell-VMware microsite Be Ready For The Future.
Dell | Productivity in the distributed enterprise
This thought leadership piece for Dell-VMware microsite uses in-house survey findings to explore Gartner's concept of the distributed enterprise.
M-Files | How legacy technology undercuts hybrid working
This survey of professional services firms across Europe suggests that persistent use of legacy technologies is obstructing digital transformation.
Triblio | Solving the five big challenges posed by ABM
Content strategy should leverage marketing investments to the maximum. Here's a blog post that achieves this by exploiting a research study to the maximum.
Microsoft | The state of financial services in Africa
White paper produced for Microsoft Africa in March 2021: an initial effort to clarify Microsoft's post-pandemic positioning in financial services.
Microsoft Africa | Resilience in the pandemic era
A sponsored blog post written for Microsoft and published on CIO.com in March 2021. Part of Microsoft's effort to define its regional positioning after Covid-19.
Triblio | Buyer's Guide: 5 questions to ask ABM platform vendors
A highly successful asset for mid-funnel buyers evaluating their purchasing options. This is a revised version of my original white paper, updated and expanded for a European audience.
Temenos | Out of the branch, into the app: rethinking digital channels
A substantial white paper explaining customer engagement software from banking software vendor Temenos, written at short notice under crisis conditions.
Tanium | Do enterprises really understand what's happening on the network?
Research-based project for Tanium that confirmed the vendor's messaging by researching attitudes to security among enterprise professionals in Europe, North America and APAC.
Adobe x Microsoft | How data privacy empowers great CX
A white paper with an outspoken tone of voice, written for The Living Enterprise, a large-scale standalone website produced on behalf of Adobe/Microsoft and published by CIO (Foundry).
Adobe x Microsoft | Ethical AI: best practice
A white paper on AI ethics written for The Living Enterprise website 20 months before the public release of ChatGPT in November 2022 triggered a vast wave of genAI investment (and anxiety).
Dynatrace | Containers & multicloud: the challenge of scale
Widespread deployment of microservices brings with it the need to monitor and analyse hundreds or thousands of services that consume compute power.
Red Hat x Cloudera | Enterprise analytics: ideal vs. reality
This asset addresses the crisis of underperformance in data centers running analytics workloads. A strong narrative underpinned by great input from subject matter experts.
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Editorial
Producing thought leadership that consistently engages decision-makers is challenging. I learned how to do this by writing and editing for Wired, the Guardian, Press Gazette, CIO and Computing. I have included a few editorial favourites here, including interviews, blog posts and columns.
Nokia's last stand: can the 147-year-old company design its way back?
Marko Ahtisaari, Nokia's 43-year-old chief designer, is imitating a couple he witnessed in a restaurant on Valentine's Day, who were absorbed by their handset screens instead of each other. . .
This car drives itself
At 8.20am on a Sunday morning, on a ten-lane carriageway that runs towards the Brandenburg Gate from west Berlin, hundreds of drivers are doing what comes naturally. . .
Fon wants the world to become a giant Wi-Fi hotspot
The sun is shining on a March morning in London, and Martin Varsavsky appears relaxed in jeans, a white shirt and a navy blue jacket, as though he's heading to the beach near his Menorca home. Varsavsky's dress sense is low-key, but his business style isn't.
EU cookie law: stop whining and get on with it
Growth occurs as a series of jolts: your first kiss, your first drink, your first pay packet. As the tech industry matures, it's no different. But some people aren't too good at dealing with change. . .
Love Google. Hate Facebook. Here's why
Yesterday, I had a lot of tabs open on my desktop when I came across a couple of useful presentations. What happened next surprised me: I was given the choice of logging in via Scribd or Facebook. . .
The future of trade publishing: niches for enthusiastic eccentrics
The closure of 23 trade magazines at Reed Business Information in the US seems to have shocked industry commentators. . .
Photo by Aimee on Pexels
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A cash machine for the masters of the universe
It’s the job of a banker to measure risk, and then place a price upon it. The problems start when you look at this process from the perspective of the real economy. . .
Claire Enders: 'I'm not an advocate, I'm a sceptic'
In the offices of Enders Analysis, Claire Enders is laying into Ben Bradshaw, the new minister for culture, media and sport. Bradshaw, she argues, is an "amateurish" figure. . .
More newspaper editors should live on streets like ours
I haven’t yet carried out a full ID check, but I’m becoming convinced that there’s a national newspaper editor living on our street. . .
Image credit: Alexander Isreb/Pexels
Image credit: Alexander Isreb/Pexels
Where I come from
I started out committing acts of journalism in newsrooms. In the 2000s, I worked as editor of Computing, managing a 25-strong editorial team that produced a 150,000-circulation weekly newspaper for IT professionals. I went on to become the title's publisher, managing costs and revenues, overhauling circulation and selling the story to advertisers.
I subsequently launched Fullrun, a successful subscription-based website and events business for the tech marketing and PR community.
I have worked as a contributor to The Guardian, a columnist for Press Gazette (Media Money) and a feature writer and columnist for Wired (The Great Transition).
For more than a decade, I have worked as a copywriter and content strategist for B2B vendors, agencies and media owners.
What I do
(Copy)writing
Short form and long form, on deadline and on point: white papers, ebooks, content hubs, blogs, social, email, web copy and ad copy. From outbound emails to 5,000-word hero assets.
Content strategy
I develop campaign concepts, commissioning and managing production from start to finish. I audit content portfolios, seeking out overlaps, gaps and misalignment. I pinpoint what needs to be commissioned, retired, replaced or adjusted. I'm accustomed to collaborating with SEO professionals. Great content strategy requires a rare mix of skills. Drop me a line to discuss your needs.
Video and audio
I work with videographers, animators, designers, illustrators, podcasters and presenters. My job is to supply narrative structure: from discussion guides that get participants in the zone to storyboards and editorial management.
Events
I'm a skilled moderator, panelist and interviewer. I bring out the best in panelists and engage audiences. You define the objective, I'll deliver the interaction.
Research
Great research opens the door to uniquely powerful content. I have spent a decade working on quant research projects for one of the world's leading tech media owners. I'm skilled at defining the audience, drafting the questions, cutting the
data and building out content.
Repurposing
Customer journeys change. Product lifecycles accelerate. Functionality is updated incrementally. These trends challenge the logic of Big Bang content lifecycles. Repurposing, updating and localising existing assets can be a cost-effective response. But doing this well requires a mix of editorial precision, audience insight and skilful messaging. Happy to discuss!
Account-based marketing (ABM)
I acquired an in-depth understanding of ABM during a lengthy engagement with one of the segment's leading platform vendors. Narrative skills play an underrated role in ABM: I bring the eye of a content strategist to bear on one-to-many and one-to-few campaigns.
Training
I have developed and delivered multiple training courses. I have taught journalists how to mine financial statements for stories. I have helped B2B marketers to understand content and the dynamics of the technology industry. I also prepare senior executives for print and video interviews across EMEA, working in a wide range of different cultural and political contexts.
Editing
I grew up on the backbench, rewriting, fettling, fact-checking, resurrecting buried ledes and re-building inverted pyramids. In the 21st century, these skills are increasingly rare, but remain vital.
Pre-pitch advisory
I work with senior agency executives on major tech industry pitches, helping them to understand strategic dialogue at the highest levels inside the target organisation. My briefings draw upon deep industry knowledge, insider contacts and financial disclosure. My work has shared the credit for some big account wins. Get in touch if you'd like to know more.
Get in touch
Pipeline slowing down?
Thought leadership stalling?
Feeling the need to talk content?
Drop me a line.
I'll typically get back you pretty quickly (workload dependent!)