Meet the Mentors – DKE Virtual Mentoring Day – February 2020
Date: 14th January 2021
Click here to book your place.
Registration closes on Wednesday 20th January
The DKE Virtual Mentoring Day returns on Tuesday 2nd February. The event is organised by the Digital Knowledge Exchange and is a one-day opportunity for Yorkshire businesses to receive expert one-to-one consultations on all things digital.
In this article, you will be able to read more about the mentors who are providing support to businesses on the day. They share our passion for encouraging businesses to do more with digital technology to drive productivity, competitiveness and ultimately business growth.
Clare Watson
Clare is an experienced Operations Director with 16 years’ experience managing technology-led businesses. For the last 10 years, she has been managing an award-winning software house. In this time, she grew the business from 12 to 23 people, launched multiple SaaS products and led the company to achieve Microsoft Gold certification, an accreditation awarded to only the top 1% of Microsoft Partners worldwide.
With a wealth of experience in building and leading multi-disciplinary teams, she has delivered over 100 commercially strategic and complex online solutions. This includes e-commerce, inventory management, marketing platforms, white label solutions, web product merchandising, content management, employee incentive schemes and e-learning. Focussed on driving growth opportunities for her customers, she has always been at the coal face of analysing complex business ideas.
Gareth James
Video marketing should now be the most important part of your marketing toolkit.
However, it is not just about having a video for your business; It’s about integrating video into your marketing strategy…
It will not be long before businesses without a video will be the odd ones out and falling behind.
At Clockwork Eye Gareth has been studying the trends, behaviours and attitudes of people in the way that they interact with corporate video. After all, no-one at lunchtime thinks “Hmmm, I think I will go and watch a good solicitor’s video.” He understands that content must engage with your target audience at the point that they need you the most and has developed tried and tested video marketing strategies that work.
Gareth has also been instrumental in developing video marketing training programmes that he has delivered at workshops run by Clockwork Eye and have been contracted out to organisations such as the Digital Knowledge Exchange.
Jackie Black
Jackie Black director and virtual communication skills consultant, set up her company: Digital Business Communication Ltd in November 2014 with the aim of highlighting the need for greater digital competence, especially among Generation X. She has, for a long time, been passionate about promoting how important it is to be digitally fluent in today’s high-tech world and has been delivering training programmes on working virtually for the last 6 or 7 years.
Jackie mainly delivers workshops and webinars online but also works with teams or individuals on site. Most recently she worked with Sales teams and Food Scientists from a leading international FMCG company in Hungary. She worked with them to improve their online presentations and conference calling skills.
The current Covid-19 situation has meant that many people have been forced to embrace some form of virtual communication, whether it be a family Zoom catch up or a Skype business meeting. Remote working has quickly become the norm, but sadly not everyone has the skills or practical knowledge to work as effectively as they could. Jackie offers customised training in virtual presentation skills, video conferencing and virtual team management. Training can be delivered either face-to-face or online using platforms such as Zoom, MS Teams, or Skype according to client needs.
James Garner
James is a technology company founder with a focus on ubiquitous computing, personalisation, semantics and digital ethics. James is passionate about the study of how people interact with computers with a goal to build the future.
From 2007–2011 thousands of teenagers learnt to code with James’ software ‘DS Game Maker’. After working for PlayStation R&D and Beamery, James joined Entrepreneur First’s 10th cohort and kicked off his formal career in entrepreneurship. James has helped two-person startups and companies the size of Arcadia Group get to where they need to be.
In 2019, James co-founded Sticky (sticky.to): “As CEO my mission is to build the future by transforming discovery and disrupting retail… with stickers.”
James Mellor
James has directed and produced a wide range of corporate films, promos, commercials, documentaries and short films. He started Rainbow Trout Films back in 2010 to offer a range of filmmaking services to his clients. Several of the films have gone on to win multiple international awards. In 2019 He created The Northern Video Company to serve Manufacturing, Engineering and Logistics businesses. Based out of Halifax, UK they work with clients and partners all around the globe.
James has been in the film & TV industry for over 20 years and has had the good fortune to work on many Film and Television productions including Harry Potter and The Prisoner of Azkaban, Last of The Summer Wine, London’s Burning, Doctors, Rocket Man, Wheeler Dealers, Car of the Year & The Real Holiday Show.
James directed and produced the documentary series ‘The Inflight Food Trip’ which launched in 2020 on Amazon Prime Video. James directed a short film called ‘Wheeling Dealing’ back in 2004, which has been shown at Cannes in the Short Film Corner and at the BFI Disability Film Festival along with many other film festivals.
Janet Bebb
Janet is a highly regarded social media marketing trainer, speaker and consultant.
One of only 25 Accredited Facebook #SheMeansBusiness Trainers in the UK and works with Facebook through Enterprise Nation. Janet is a certified Facebook Blueprint Digital Marketing Associate and a badged Facebook Trainer for Facebook Blueprint.
Recognised as one of Enterprise Nation’s top 50 UK Growth Advisers in 2015 and has over 15 years’ experience in business and enterprise support.
Janet & her team support SMEs and larger corporates with social media marketing, strategy and planning, social advertising campaigns, social media management, in-house and open social media workshops, 1:1 social media training, social media onboarding and digital reviews.
Social Progress were Regional Finalists for the Chamber Awards in November 2017 in the category of ‘Best Use Of Social Media’ and finalists at the National UK Blog Awards in 2016 & 2017, under the category of ‘Social Media, Marketing, PR & Comms’.
Jonathan Scott
Jonathan is currently the co-owner of Northern Media, a successful Google accredited digital marketing agency, established in 2009. Prior to that, Jonathan had various senior sales and account management roles, within the advertising, telecoms and software sectors, both in the UK and across Europe.
Today, Jonathan’s role at Northern Media is overseeing the business development and account management teams. With a hands-on approach, Jonathan plays an active role in shaping clients marketing strategies, putting together marketing budgets, producing business cases, return on investment analysis, campaign performance analysis and relationship building. Jonathan is also a strategic growth coach and has been providing coaching as part of the ‘Business Resilience Programme’, to help business owners develop marketing strategies to bounce back from COVID-19.
Jonny Ross
Jonny Ross is founder and digital marketing specialist at Fleek Marketing an award-winning digital marketing company. Fleek works with a wide range of B2B and B2C businesses, and both public and third sector organisations.
Jonny has over 23 years of experience in small business and over 21 years’ experience in digital online technologies. Specialising in SEO, Data, User Experience and digital marketing.
Marco Sarussi
Marco specialises in helping SMEs rank at the top of Google. Specialist Skills: SEO, web design and digital strategy. Green Gecko Digital are the #1 organic result on Google for SEO in Leeds – we practice what we preach.
When Marco isn’t at Green Gecko, he loves flying and holds a private pilot license. Fun Fact: Marco created an e-commerce business when he was 14 that generated over £15,000 in revenue.
Nick Cohen
Nick started in his Financial Services career straight after graduating from University, in a research and analysis capacity and quickly became interested in the advice side.
After a number of years in the analysis role, he took a change of direction to work in the family business where he learnt a lot of the additional skills now used in today’s client-facing advice role.
Since returning to the Financial Services world he has worked with numerous individuals – both Employees and Business Owners. By using a combination of expert knowledge, cash flow modelling, risk profiling, and various other software; he is able to help guide clients on a journey towards a financially secure future in the most tax-efficient way possible.
Nick specialises in helping people starting out on their journey (at whatever age that may be) and with nearly two-thirds of UK adults saying that stress over money has affected the mental health of someone they know (moneyadviceservice.org.uk) he has a particular interest in the link between finances and wellbeing.
Nigel Cliffe
Nigel is an experienced multi-channel marketer with over thirty years’ experience in combining the best of marketing with the best of technology to drive improved business performance.
As a result of using LinkedIn successfully since 2007 to drive engagement and new business for many clients, Nigel formed Value Exchange Ltd in 2013 specifically to train others on how to repeat the same success.
As founder and principal consultant, he is a regular trainer, entertaining speaker and engaging presenter on the subject of LinkedIn. Nigel provides a strategy and practical advice to enable individuals and businesses the ability to improve their personal brand and their lead generation process.
A start-up specialist himself, having established over 30 businesses in his career, Nigel has worked with a wide variety of clients, from one-man businesses through to FTSE 100 companies, universities, charities and central Government, mostly in the UK, but also sometimes internationally.
You can get to know a lot more about Nigel from his current activity on LinkedIn!
Rachel Moore
Rachel’s social media career was somewhat unexpected and began back in 2008 when she decided to take her first business online.
With a background in advertising, marketing, sales and having been a shareholding director in a Leeds based ad agency, Rachel still found the whole “online” transition a challenge. At the same time, she also found it truly fascinating and very quickly became totally engrossed with what businesses could achieve without having to pay agency prices!
Fast forward to today, Rachel not only trains businesses how to use Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and Twitter effectively, she also helps with the management of social media accounts, conducts social media audits, builds websites, helps with lead generation, general marketing and trains on the likes of blogging, automation, Mailchimp, content creation and strategy too.
Rachel does all of this through various methods including live group workshops, private 1-2-1’s in person or via Zoom, in-house group or team training, online video courses, private Facebook groups and speaks at public events.
Rachel’s main focus has always been to help businesses across the UK demystify and use social media effectively to help increase their visibility, sales and profits in a non-jargon, friendly, approachable and affordable way. Find more information about Rachel Moore Social Media here.
To take part in the DKE Virtual Mentoring Day, your business will need to be based in the Leeds City Region (Leeds, Bradford, York, Kirklees, Calderdale, Wakefield, Harrogate, Selby and Craven) and registered to the Digital Knowledge Exchange, to check your registration status please call us on 0113 426 0535 or email knowledge@digitalenterprise.co.uk
Click here to book your place.
Registration closes on Wednesday 20th January
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