Howard Marsh
howard.marsh@intermacsolutions.com
Mobile: 07786 115233
Surrey/London.
Profile
Highly commercial and operational Senior Interim MD with blue chip Sales & Marketing background. Strong leadership skills
and international credentials with extensive experience in business turnaround, sales & marketing strategy, culture change
and operational improvement. Has held Pan European responsibility and worked in the UK, Germany, Austria and Japan.
Speaks fluent German.
SECTOR EXPERIENCE
SKILLS & ROLES
Consumer Electronics
Chairman, European VP , MD, S&M Director
IT hardware
Sales & Marketing, Business Development
Household Durables
Corporate Strategy, NPD, Non Exec
Retail
Business & Culture Change/ Turnaround
FMCG
Customer Service (Pre/Post Sale)
Achievements
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Managing Director £100m 150 employee business
VP European Sales Strategy
Chairman Sony Germany
Delivered company restructuring, reducing costs 34%, reversed Sales decline, improved efficiency.
Restructured & Refocused sales team lifting Av. Sales per Customer 200%
Solid operational experience with P&L responsibility for turnover in excess of £100m
Delivered growth Strategy and Minimum Standards of Operation for 500 Retail Stores across Europe
Managed €1.5 bn Sales & Trade Relationshisp with Pan European accounts, Metro, DSGi, Kesa Carrefour.
Led project to completely reset all dealer commercial terms and conditions across Europe, €120m savings
Marketing Director £ 1bn 450 employee business
Trustee of UK Pension Scheme, Chairman of Investment Committee
Worked & lived in West/Eastern Europe, Japan
Fluent in German.
NED Experience
Non Exec Director Board of Trustees Sony UK Pension Scheme (2007- ongoing)
o Chairman of Investment Sub Committee
Chairman of Sony Germany Supervisory Board
Non Exec Director PGC Ltd
Interim Experience
Headphone Centre Ecommerce (Apr2012-Feb 2015)
o Established and built online ecommerce business www.headphonecentre.co.uk
o Developed & implemented Google Adwords Campaigns using Google Analytics to improve Click Through Rate
o Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) & keyword programmes developed
o Negotiated Product Supply & Credit terms
Sony Pictures Germany- Interim Sales Director (May 2012-Oct2012)
o Investigated existing Salesforce practices which led to
 Revision of basic trading terms, conditions and pricing for customers
 Change of selling culture and processes within Sales team
 Improved control over monies invested in dealers
o Changed Budgeting process to include Strategic Thinking from Sales team
o Reviewed and implemented changes to how promotional money allocated & spent
o Developed P&L by Customer which led to change in strategic approach to volumes sold, investment funding and
customer support
Sony Pictures Home Entertainment (June 2011)
o Ad Hoc project around Pan European Account
FeONIC Plc – Interim MD FeONIC Consumer Products Ltd (November 2010 to April 2011)
o Mandate to commercialise and bring new technology product to market
o Developed 3 year Business Plan for investor funding proposal
o Established distribution online and through distributor network
o Ran PR Agency pitch, developed launch campaign & strategy
Permanent Career
Sony Europe (Mar 2006- Nov 2010) €9bn, 5000+ employees
VP European Sales Strategy Group.
o Delivered a restructuring strategy for an integrated sales and marketing organisation in CEE region with cost savings of
€10m pa and improved efficiency.
o Managing €1.5bn revenue cross border Pan European Accounts - Metro, DSGi, Auchan, Euronics, Carrefour and Kesa,
renegotiating terms to deliver 1.5% margin improvement.
o Led a successful pilot in UK with E&Y, for new Dealer network trading terms and conditions, now extended across
Europe to deliver €120m pa profit improvement.
o Delivered growth strategy and introduced operational standards for 500 Sony own brand stores across Europe, a
template Sony are now taking globally.
o Introducing Tools for better commercial decision making across Europe and culturally changing mind set of sales teams
to focus on improved account profitability.
o Contributing as a key member of a senior cross functional team to completely restructure Sony Europe including
outsourcing of IS and accounting with €20m pa targeted savings.
Sony Austria Managing Director (April 2003-March 2006) £100m 150 employees
o Reversed a 3 year sales decline, moving company to third best performing subsidiary from previous eighth position in
Europe.
o Increased market share in all categories, particularly in the buying groups by 3%.
o Grew sales by customer from €20k to €65k by reducing direct accounts from 1200 to 400, giving increased sales focus
on each account and improving productivity.
o Reduced costs by 34% from €21m down to €14m by outsourcing the service division and other functions and reducing
overall headcount from 140 to 92 staff.
o Developed management team and changed company culture from acquiescent to taking responsibility.
o Restructured trading terms with the Buying Groups, improving company margins by 1.5% and generating €350k
reinvestment monies for identified growth initiatives.
o Grew sales with Buying Group’s to €30m, the best performance in Western Europe.
Sony UK Sales & Marketing Director (1997-2003) £1bn, 450+ employees
o Developed a premier tier of independent dealerships
o Led launch of a major new market segment in Computer Products, growing ‘Vaio’ branded sales from start up to a
significant £250m over 3 years.
o Led Home Video and Audio products to No 1 market leadership.
o Led successful launch into the Digital Still Camera market.
o Restructured organisation to move from silo to a unified structure.
o Managed £60m marcoms spend for consumer, trade advertising and promotional activity.
o Grew revenues by 100% to £1bn in 5 years.
Sony UK Customer Service Director (1995-1997) 160 employees
o Restructured the organisation, turning round the Sony service centres from £1.2m losses to profit by reducing staff
headcount by 30% and introducing new procedures.
o Led the 6 person sales team managing 300 external service centres.
o Set up a Customer Call Centre, moving from outsourced to in House, improved customer satisfaction and reduced costs.
o Generated significant efficiency improvements and overall £1m pa cost savings.
Sony UK Group Product Manager (1990-1995)
o Established TV’s as no 1 in the market by improved distribution, premium price positioning and new product launches.
o Led launch into the Video market becoming clear market leader.
Braun AG (Gillette) (1980-1990)
o Roles included
o Financial Analyst, Product Manager
o Global Brand Marketing Manager inc. New Product Development based German HQ
Qualifications:
Languages:
BSc. Physics, Maths - Leicester University
Dip. Management Studies - South Bank University
Member Institute of Interim Management
Fluent German
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