Sophia Furness
Sydney,NSW
Summary
Passionate about all things marketing, Sophia is a motivated business professional bringing over 20 years of B2B marketing experience offering an innovative approach and a unique flair to her work. Dedicated and personable with extensive experience in managing multi-market marketing budgets and marketing activity. Well-versed in training, educating, motivating and supporting staff members.
Results-driven and detail-oriented team player with strong interpersonal skills. Ability to handle multiple projects simultaneously with a high degree of accuracy.
Overview
20
20
years of professional experience
Work History
Owner
My Brand Marketing Communications
01.2014 - Current
- Build, manage and execute B2B marketing plans for small and large organisations across APAC and Europe.
- Help clients tell their brand story in meaningful and compelling way.
- Review and evaluate all elements of clients' business offering to measure all brand funner metrics and build marketing strategy aligned to business objectives.
- Produce and edit content for opinion pieces, interviews, blogs, videos, articles, ad campaigns and websites.
- Align marketing tactics to sales strategy, building bespoke sales decks, client pitches, case studies, customer spotlights and communication templates.
- Manage event sponsorships and speaker engagement opportunities.
- Collaborated with sales team to increase brand awareness and enhance business development by building and maintaining relationships with key accounts. (Incl. eDM activity)
- Develop and manage annual marketing budgets across APAC.
- Write engaging and compelling marketing, advertising, and website copy.
- Established and managed relationships with external data providers and research vendors.
Global Communications Director
OOh! Media
04.2006 - 11.2013
- Developed and implemented short- and long-term communications strategies across ANZ, Singapore, Europe, USA and Canada
- Wrote content for press releases, website and social media campaigns.
- Oversaw website copy and social media platforms.
- Created and implemented internal and external communication plans to establish consistent and timely messaging.
- Managed media relations and campaigns to address public communications.
- Coordinated and directed public relations activities to align with corporate strategic goals.
- Collaborated with internal stakeholders to design strategies for messaging and communications.
- Built and strengthened relationships with members of media in order to promote positive coverage.
- Executed comprehensive marketing plans that consistently achieved targets for increased revenue, as new market entrant.
- Managed budget allocation and resource utilization to maximize marketing ROI.
- Led team of marketing professionals, offering mentoring and coaching to build knowledge and skills.
- Launched successful digital marketing campaigns that achieved goals for increased website traffic.
Marketing Manager Donna Hay and Sunday Magazine
News Corp Australia
02.2005 - 03.2006
- Created company brand messaging, collateral materials, customer events, promotional strategies, and product commercialization.
- Worked closely with external PR agency to develop stories and secure key interviews for talent.
- Managed e-commerce platform - online store of Donna Hay merchandise, subscriptions and book sales.
- Developed and implemented marketing strategies to use for launches, rebranding campaigns and promotions.
- Researched developing trends to stay updated with new ideas and marketing practices.
- Boosted brand awareness and generated leads while managing internal and external marketing campaigns and programs.
- Recruited and hired capable team members to add value and diverse skills set to marketing department.
- Managed annual events for magazine titles.
- Coordinated with design and media teams to develop high-quality creative assets, ad campaigns, reader competitions and promotions.
- Oversaw preparation of marketing copy, images, videos, emails, and other collateral.
Marketing Brand Manager - Lifestyle Publications
Bauer Media Group
02.2004 - 04.2005
- Planned, implemented, and tracked sales and marketing strategies to promote magazine titles including Australian Table, Burke's Backyard, Madison and Home Beautiful magazines.
- Developed and executed branding campaigns to educate target audiences on product features, benefits and values.
- Organized and delivered training sessions for new product content and technological advancements.
- Consulted with product development teams to enhance products based on customer interest data.
- Cultivated relationships with key stakeholders, vendors and industry influencers to create positive brand experiences.
- Created and managed budgets to maximize brand reach and engagement.
- Managed annual events and liaised with talent to promote publications and their events respectively.
Education
Master of Science - Market Research, Marketing
University of Queensland
Brisbane, QLD2001
Bachelor of Science - Advanced Marketing Diploma
TAFE
Sydney, NSW2006
Bachelor of Science - Social Sciences
Panteion University Social And Political Science
Athens, Greece1996
Skills
- Excellent verbal and written communication skills
- Strong PR strategy
- Advocate for brand strategy
- Thought Leadership
- Thorough understanding of marketing strategies and practices
- Excellent interpersonal skills
- Excellent organizational skills and attention to detail
Timeline
Owner
My Brand Marketing Communications
01.2014 - Current
Global Communications Director
OOh! Media
04.2006 - 11.2013
Marketing Manager Donna Hay and Sunday Magazine
News Corp Australia
02.2005 - 03.2006
Marketing Brand Manager - Lifestyle Publications
Bauer Media Group
02.2004 - 04.2005
Master of Science - Market Research, Marketing
University of Queensland
Bachelor of Science - Advanced Marketing Diploma
TAFE
Bachelor of Science - Social Sciences
Panteion University Social And Political Science
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