MD of FOXY Lady Drivers Club and FOXY Choice
Brighton, United Kingdom
MD of FOXY Lady Drivers Club and FOXY Choice
Brighton, United Kingdom
A professional Chartered Marketer, Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Marketing and a professional Strategic Marketer with experience in the automotive, leisure and travel industries.
I run FOXY Lady Drivers Club, a UK motoring support network for women drivers and FOXY Choice where we promote the best and female friendly garages and dealerships to women.
I am passionate about the need for better marketing communications in the motor industry. For example, motorists need to know how to choose the best and safest businesses for garage services such as MOT's, car servicing and repairs.
I want to see independent and down to earth information about this to actively encourage customer choice and healthy competition between independent and franchised businesses. There is a place at the table for both as long as we match the right customer and her expectations, using creative communications.
I think the motor industry should be using the recession as a time for strategic planning. There are many sales opportunities that are being missed because businesses are doing nothing for themselves. For example, there is a yawning female service gap called mistrust and to bridge it the industry and individual businesses need to understand what their target female audience REALLY wants...
Get the aftersales services working and the new car sales will follow, providing the trust is there.
Few understand the female customer in her many different guises, despite the evident value of her business. That is quite a challenge in such a male oriented industry
Quality initiatives in the UK motor industry; female friendly motoring services; online marketing; branding; public speaking; marcomms; mystery shopping; marketing the UK motor industry to women
(Automotive industry)
December 2004 — Present (5 years )
FOXY Lady Drivers Club is the UK's only everyday motoring association for women and FOXY Choice is a marketing package for female friendly garages and dealerships so they can promote their superior standards and services to women drivers in their area.
(Marketing and Advertising industry)
January 2005 — July 2008 (3 years 7 months)
Chair of the Sussex branch of the Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM Sussex) from 2006 to 2008. Involvement in CIM branches is rewarding, challenging and stimulating. I can maintain CPD points for Chartered Marketer status whilst networking in good company and keeping up to date with the latest marketing insight and best practice.
(Consumer Services industry)
1991 — 2001 (10 years )
-i/c programme of special interest and activity holidays in the UK
-i/c strategic marketing plan for £16m UK sites network (200 units/c500+employees)
-i/c all marketing communications and new pricing plan
-Established new quality control system and mechanism to improve performance
(Consumer Services industry)
1989 — 1991 (2 years )
-Developed new School Tours coaching programme
-Set up new adult group business
-Acted as MD of new business prior to business owner, Mecca plc, being acquired by Rank Organisation and merged with Butlins...
(Consumer Services industry)
1986 — 1989 (3 years )
Family run company underwent reverse-takeover then acquired by plc who added two main competitors to leisure portfolio. Had senior marketing, sales and HR responsibilities through this period of change.
MBA , Strategic Marketing , 1996 — 1999
Family, friends, Marketing to women, Newcastle United winning anything, theatre & travel
Chartered Institute of Marketing, Institute of Travel and Tourism
My business, FOXY Lady Drivers Club, has received the following Awards since set up in December 2004-
Winner, Home Business Awards, 2008
Regional Finalist, HSBC Start-Up Stars Awards, 2007
Runner Up, The Daily Telegraph's Trailblazers' Business Awards, 2006
Small Business Award Winner, SAGA Magazine, 2005