CHARLOTTE THOMAS Address Telephone Email Crossways, Aston Tirrold, Oxfordshire OX11 9DH +44 (0)7949 262 541 charlottekthomas@yahoo.com Profile A commercially-minded senior director with more than 20 years’ experience in strategic global marketing and communications for luxury brands, supported by experience of high-end brands across most categories - from international luxury fashion houses and Bond Street jewellers through premium drinks brands to highperformance cars. A member of the IoD and the PRCA. LinkedIn profile includes references from industry professionals: ttp://uk.linkedin.com/in/charlottekatethomas Career History 2013 – present • Senior marketing and PR consultant, advising the owners and CEOs of a portfolio of luxury retailers and services including Winser London (Kim Winser’s new womenswear brand) and The Carlyle Group/Caraeno (high-end residential property development in St. James’s) 2012 –2013 • Rosehip Marketing and communications for luxury brands: www.rosehip.co.uk Founding Director Includes the freelance role of Director of Marketing & PR for Winser London Luchford APM Marketing and communications for luxury brands Interim Managing Director Appointed to solidify the existing 30-staff communications agency and to set up a new marketing division o Won and directed first piece of agency’s marketing business: exclusive period property development on The Crown Estate in St. James’s, London SW1, with global marketing brief to support the sale of exceptional, high-end residences to an international UHNW client base Successfully completed brief on time and within budget: research, brand work and identification, appointment & management of: Design agency for design and production of branding/identity and marketing collateral Editor, publisher and illustrator for production of coffee table book Digital agency for build of new website and app CGI company for high quality interiors imagery 2011 –2012 • Edmiston & Company Superyacht sales and charter Director of Marketing & Communications (Executive Board Director) Briefed to grow the sales and charter businesses through marketing to new and existing international UHNW customer base 2010 - 2011 • Rosehip Marketing and communications for luxury brands Founding Director Senior consultant, advising the owners and CEOs of a portfolio of luxury retail and service businesses including Bruce Oldfield Couture, Think Sicily (award-winning luxury villa agency) and Sweaty Betty 2006 - 2009 • • • Delivered new prospecting brochure, sales brochure and two new mobile apps Identified and briefed New York and London PR agencies, ready to appoint Identified and briefed creative and advertising agency Wrote, negotiated and activated international media and FBO plan Trained up inexperienced team and introduced new systems Aquascutum Global Marketing & Communications Director (Company Director) Appointed to reposition the business as a global luxury fashion brand and to increase sales in line with business plan through marketing and communications Reporting to the President & CEO, Kim Winser OBE, managing a communications team of ten in-house staff (global marketing, graphic design, archive and visual merchandising teams) plus all UK agencies (PR, creative, media buyers, online/e-commerce, CRM, store architects) and a global marketing and PR network Responsible for global communications campaigns: strategic mix of promotions, sponsorship, events, fashion shows, DM, CRM, online, visual merchandising, advertising (creative plus international media plans), PR and branding; and operations including e-commerce planning, store design and international roll-out ‘Made in England’ global campaign delivered +50% UK sales in Q1 2009 LFL High-profile Shanghai event with Pierce Brosnan heightened brand-awareness in Hong Kong and China and resulted in 15 new store openings Quality international editorial increased six-fold in first 18 months Delivered new globally-consistent advertising to new strategic media plans Launched new website and online CRM programme Substantially increased brand-awareness and womenswear sales via Harper’s Bazaar ‘At Work’ supplement and Businesswomen Awards partnership; and enabled successful roll-out across Asia BAFTA Film Awards 2009 partnership delivered £1.2million-worth of editorial Award-winning store windows, globally consistent for the first time 2005 - 2006 • • • • Briefed to reposition Pringle of Scotland as an authentic luxury fashion brand through global marketing and communications Reported to the CEO, Kim Winser OBE; managed in-house PR team, marketing team and graphic designer plus four PR agencies and international media buying agencies Responsible for creation and placement of advertising campaigns, Milan runway shows, events, sponsorship, DM, print, online, PR and rebranding Delivered to brief on time and within budget 2005 • Rosehip Marketing and communications for luxury brands Founding Managing Director Senior communications consultant for Bruce Oldfield Couture which included the organisation and publicity of The Bruce Oldfield for Crimestoppers Party at Spencer House, St. James’s for clients Lord Ashcroft KCMG and Bruce Oldfield OBE 1999 - 2005 • • Pringle of Scotland Head of International Marketing and PR Left to join Pringle CEO on the board of Aquascutum Aurelia Public Relations Luxury brands PR agency (30 staff) Management Board Director (2001–2005), previously Account Director Director of Luxury Brands Division with additional responsibility for generating new business Clients included: Krug Champagne, Sotheby’s, Vertu, Versace, Jaguar, Montblanc, De Beers/DTC, Bulgari, Tiffany & Co., David Morris, Christian Dior Haute Joaillerie, Georg Jensen, Diageo (premium collection), Bruce Oldfield Couture, The Prince’s Foundation, Macmillan, NSPCC o Doubled Krug UK sales without advertising in 2 year period o Repositioned Sotheby’s to attract new generation of collectors (5,000 quality London prospects introduced in 12 months) o Delivered in excess of £1million value of lifestyle editorial for Jaguar X-Type launch 1997 - 1999 Nexus Choat Public Relations (consumer brands PR agency) Account Director 1996 - 1997 Town House Publicity (television and theatre PR agency) Account Director 1994 - 1996 Hotel Palazzo Belmonte, Italy (luxury hotel) Set up and managed in-house press office 1991 - 1994 Lynne Kirwin Associates (television drama and theatre PR agency) Account Executive Qualifications London Business School Finance for Senior Managers Certificate (2010) Affiliations Institute of Directors, Public Relations Consultants’ Association University University of Durham: BA Hons., Combined Arts (graduated 1989) School The King’s School, Canterbury: Four A’ Levels, two AO’ Levels (1985) Languages Italian (competent, previously fluent), French (conversational) Interests Photography, interiors, cycling Nationality British