Strategy

Methodology: I’ve always held the belief system that when it comes to digital marketing it is no longer enough to know who your audience is. There was a popular meme some years back of a person and the 4 persona’s they had on different platforms they used:

 

 

 

 

 

This meme epitomises the shift in consumer behaviour, not only must brands consider and synthesise the data we have about our customer, but also we must start to build a picture of how customers choose to express themselves on a myriad of different digital spaces, it’s not just Facebook vs IG but search intent on TikTok vs Google or behaviour when watching a video on YouTube vs Instagram.

Process:

As the Head of ACCA’s global Marketing Services team, I felt that we needed be aware of the different ways our students and members engage on different channels, but that we also had the opportunity to shape our brand’s presence so it felt relatable on the said channels. At this time, the brand had a largely corporate presence across channels, but I had noticed a large community of ACCA students and members generating educational content on TikTok- a channel where we didn’t yet have a presence. Some of this content was helpful, while other pieces were misinformed and causing confusion. I also recognised that microlearning was one of the platform’s largest content categories, which reinforced the potential fit. This insight shaped our TikTok approach: to become the official source of truth for ACCA-related content, while leaning into UGC to make our presence feel authentic on a platform where a purely corporate style might seem out of place. To create content that invites discussion and further amplification through stitches and reels,

Outcomes:

  • Launched ACCA’s first-ever UGC-led content formats, empowering students and members to speak through our official channels and reinforcing the organisation’s community-driven identity while building inclusive engagement as part of its mission to be a force for public good.

  • Introduced discussion prompts that sparked peer-to-peer exchange, shifting the audience from passive consumption to active participation and deepening community connection in line with the goal of building a vibrant, engaged global network.

  • Reduced content creation costs by leveraging user-generated content while increasing authenticity, directly supporting ACCA’s commitment to operational efficiency and sustainable resource use.

  • Achieved a 32% year-on-year uplift in positive sentiment across social platforms, enhancing trust and strengthening ACCA’s recognition as a credible, authoritative brand that leads the profession for a changing world.

  • Created ACCA’s most personal and relatable digital interface to date for students and members, reflecting the organisation’s purpose of acting with inclusion and authenticity, removing barriers, fostering belonging, and strengthening its thought leadership in growing digital learning spaces.

  • Developed a replicable model for integrating trend analysis, UGC, and social listening into ongoing content strategy, enhancing ACCA’s ability to adapt and innovate in line with its Deliver capabilities in the lead-up to 2025.

Authenticity at Scale: Integrating UGC and Microlearning to Reposition ACCA on TikTok

Operational Transformation and Tactical Strategy: Streamlining Campaign Delivery Across a Global Organisation

Methodology: While my background is rooted in creativity and digital, I quickly discovered a natural strength for operational leadership and systems thinking. I believe in designing and enabling an omnichannel ecosystem that champions the end user, builds smart and efficient processes, and creates visibility and collaboration across the organisation, ensuring every channel and function works together seamlessly.

Process: When I joined ACCA as Head of Social, I identified a critical operational gap: there was no formal system for managing briefs. Requests arrived via email, often incomplete, scattered, and untracked, creating bottlenecks for my three-person team. There was also no central location for content, nor a way for stakeholders to see when or if their materials had been published.

I designed and led the implementation of a new operational framework using Trello, establishing two connected boards: a Content Calendar Board for scheduling and tracking posts, and a Briefing Board for Customer Marketing Managers to submit structured requests. By routing all other business requests through these managers, we eliminated duplication and improved visibility. I introduced weekly content calendar calls with central teams to align priorities, and ensured adoption through training and follow-up support sessions.

Three months later, after being promoted to Head of Marketing Services, I scaled this model beyond social. I directed the development of a single, company-wide interactive briefing system, applying the same principles to email and marketing communications. This gave over 200 staff members the ability to submit, track, and view briefs in one place, providing real-time visibility of planned activity across all channels and functions, and enabling true cross-team collaboration.

I then extended the approach to a Central Communications Calendar covering all planned activity across every central team — around seven in total. This required overcoming entrenched silos and aligning teams with different ways of working. I led a phased onboarding process, collaborating with each team to integrate their activity into the shared calendar. To ensure long-term sustainability, I oversaw the automation of data flows between the Marketing Services briefing system and the central calendar, removing manual input and creating a single source of truth for all organisational communications.

Outcomes:

  • Delivered ACCA’s first unified, organisation-wide digital briefing and planning system, replacing fragmented email-based processes with a single, structured, and transparent platform that supports the organisation’s ambition to modernise operations and deliver digital transformation at scale.

  • Reduced average SLA for campaign delivery by 45% through streamlined briefing inputs, removal of bottlenecks, and earlier visibility of upcoming activity, improving operational responsiveness and helping deliver an excellent stakeholder experience.

  • Cut duplicate requests by 40% by introducing a centralised request routing process through Customer Marketing Managers, advancing ACCA’s goal of building one global team that works in an integrated and aligned way.

  • Increased on-time campaign delivery rate from 70% to 92% by ensuring briefs were complete, consistent, and visible to all relevant teams, enhancing service quality and reinforcing ACCA’s reliability in delivering member and stakeholder communications.

  • Successfully onboarded seven previously siloed central teams into a shared Central Communications Calendar, fostering transparency and cultural change that strengthens organisational agility and adaptability.

  • Embedded automated data flows between the briefing system and the central calendar, removing manual workload and ensuring long-term sustainability without increasing operational burden, supporting ACCA’s commitment to efficiency and sustainable resource use.

  • Freed up capacity for the Marketing Services team to focus on higher-value strategic work, improving service quality and responsiveness for internal stakeholders while contributing to ACCA’s Deliver capabilities.