Katharina Neumann-Growth, Brand, Marketing & Digital Strategy Consultant

Project management for the development, launch, and company-wide implementation of the strategic realignment of the brand based on the new corporate vision (CEO-driven transformation project).

Key responsibilities:

• Designing, enhancing, and implementing the global brand and communication strategy (internal and external) to strengthen strategic positioning, including follow-up concepts for internal identification with the new corporate vision (cross-country implementation with over 60k employees) and external activation.
• Developing and executing new global campaigns across owned and paid channels, including channel strategy, (social) media strategy, and creative concepts.
• Developing and implementing a data-driven approach to manage and optimize brand communication.
• Managing internal communication on strategic topics, including internal events.
• Leading interdisciplinary project teams and collaborating with stakeholders across various functions and hierarchy levels.
• Budget responsibility and managing and integrating external agencies and service providers.
• Driving the integration of AI into brand management and communication.
• Acting as a strategic sparring partner for organization design and the further development of the division strategy and project roadmap in corporate branding. Result: Implemented the global brand and communication strategy and established data-driven and AI-supported foundations for future-ready brand management, strengthened internal anchoring of the corporate vision, and significantly advanced the transformation of corporate branding; awarded the CEO Award.

• Responsible for developing and globally implementing brand and marketing strategy for various corporate brands
• Revised the brand strategy (positioning, brand core, brand pillars, etc.) and prepared/supported the global roll-out
• Defined the marketing and CRM strategy and developed a marketing plan including communication and campaign management to establish the new positioning
• Created a migration plan for various brands as part of the corporate restructuring

• Advised and supported the CEO and divisional board members in revising the corporate strategy
• Updated purpose, positioning, and corporate strategy, including defining the key pillars for implementing the growth strategy
• Facilitated the strategy process at board level and aligned the board and top management through intensive stakeholder management

• Advise the shareholders on securing the investment and unlocking the investment's business potential
• Realign purpose, positioning and business model to unlock new growth potential
• Implement the first levers for the '19 season
• Create a roadmap for further expansion and growth over the next two years

• Support and advise department management in defining structural and content measures to optimize customer experience
• Identify leverage points to strengthen customer focus and competitive differentiation
• Develop a customer experience (CX) concept and an action plan to establish a new cross-functional customer experience management area

• Supported the executive board and VP Marketing in defining the strategy for the brand's future lifestyle concept
• Conducted extensive market, customer, and trend analyses and created a future roadmap
• Developed strategic options to evolve the brand and secured buy-in from key stakeholders

• Supported and advised the executive board and department heads to ensure a consistent brand presence and efficient approach in international market operations (EMEA)
• Transformed from a decentralized to a centrally managed structure for EMEA marketing and budget planning
• Refined the brand and marketing strategy, taking country-specific conditions into account
• Laid the foundation for marketing effectiveness and efficiency improvements, achieving up to 15% gains

• Supported and advised the executive board on optimizing and increasing the efficiency of EMEA-wide marketing activities
• Optimized the planning process both in content and structure, including redefining the collaboration model between regions
• Synchronized marketing activities and leveraged synergy and efficiency potentials by developing joint initiatives

• Advising and supporting the marketing team in revising and defining the future product portfolio
• Developing and guiding a future-proof brand portfolio and product concept for one of the major SBUs

• Full responsibility for planning and implementing the strategic realignment (project lead, later interim head of marketing)
• Developing and successfully executing a comprehensive brand relaunch, including new positioning, branding, and 360° marketing and advertising concepts
• Restructuring the marketing department and ensuring full board commitment to the retail brand revitalization business case

• Project lead for realigning the marketing
• Restructuring marketing and realigning the communication strategy with clear target group focus and an effective marketing mix
• Positioning of the retail brand and increased overall marketing efficiency by 10-15%

• Project lead for implementing a concept developed in a previous sales optimization project
• Creating the project plan including time, cost, and resource planning as well as detailed work packages
• Leading project committees and acting as the interface to the project sponsor, the board of sales and IT
• Structuring and managing the creation of sales-relevant content (blueprint) and ensuring timely implementation despite high time pressure and limited resources

• Project lead for developing and implementing a multidimensional brand/marketing performance control system (Brand Score Card)
• Developing and introducing the Brand Score Card for continuous performance monitoring of all own brands with financial, customer and market data
• Establishing a cross-departmental learning approach for continuous optimization, including process definition across all areas (marketing/CRM, purchasing, sales, controlling)

• Led and executed brand consulting projects from strategy definition to operational implementation in retail, industry, and services
• Focus on brand management, growth strategies, marketing strategy, communication, market research, and marketing organization
• Built and led the Analytics & Research/Knowledge Management division
• Project management and technical leadership of client-specific teams (up to 40 people) and partner agencies (design, AtL/BtL, online, CRM, PR)
• Examples: marketing masterplan (+10% efficiency), private label strategy, corporate branding, SBU restructurings, company relaunch (+15% sales/+11 NPS), home automation strategy (+22% sales), service quality (+8% NPS)

• Brand and product management with a focus on innovation, consumer insights, campaign development, and P&L responsibility (up to €60M sales), leading up to six employees
• Developed and launched a new international umbrella brand
• Achieved double-digit sales increases with innovative specialty detergents and cleaning products (formulas, USPs, packaging, design)
• Developed and implemented international ATL/BTL brand campaigns
• Introduced international methods/models for measuring marketing efficiency (ROI)