Glenn Ward

Founded and built a social and career networking platform specifically for superyacht crew after recognizing a gap in the market during my own yachting career. What started as an idea sketched out between ocean crossings has grown into a community of 17,000+ registered crew members. Developed the platform from concept to launch—handling everything from UX design and technical development to marketing strategy and community management. Evolved the business model from a self-service recruitment tool into a full SaaS platform offering recruitment solutions and financial services tailored to the unique needs of transient yacht crew. The challenge I solved: Traditional job boards didn't understand yachting's relationship-driven hiring culture or crew's specific needs around contracts, international pay, and constant movement. Yachtly Crew was built by crew, for crew.

Built a giant deckchair for my brother's wedding. Guests kept asking where we got it and if we were selling them. So we did. What started as a one-off carpentry project turned into a profitable business when we realized the only competitor in the market wasn't delivering the quality or finish we'd built. Leveraged my e-commerce and digital marketing background to launch a website, set up a targeted Adwords campaign, and started taking orders within weeks. Now supplying bars, restaurants, brand activations, and corporate events across the UK with premium oversized branded deckchairs that naturally drive social engagement—people can't resist photographing themselves in a 10-foot deckchair. Built the business to be lean and profitable, handling everything from design refinement and manufacturing partnerships to client acquisition and logistics. Proof that the best businesses sometimes start with a wedding, a few carpenter mates, and someone asking "can I buy that?"

Led deck operations and crew management aboard a 78ft luxury sailing catamaran operating across Caribbean and USA waters. Navigated 8,000+ nautical miles including multiple ocean passages, managed guest experiences for high-net-worth clientele, and maintained all technical systems for a vessel valued at £3m+. Responsible for watchkeeping, passage planning, safety protocols, and mentoring junior crew—essentially running the vessel's day-to-day operations while the captain focused on strategic decisions and owner relations. Built exceptional guest relationships that became a unique value driver for the vessel—regularly requested by name for water sports and activities, with guests maintaining contact post-charter and specifically seeking out future bookings based on my presence aboard. This personal connection translated directly to repeat business and referrals.

Led an international team of 8 digital specialists, managing seven-figure budgets and delivering digital transformation across one of the world's largest market research companies. This was the culmination of six years of rapid promotions—from graduate video producer to global director. Integrated Adobe Campaign with our CRM platform to create transparent user journeys from activation to conversion, giving marketing colleagues real-time ROI visibility for the first time. Built robust analytics frameworks that transformed how the business measured digital performance. The challenge wasn't just leading strategy—it was proving digital's value to a traditionally offline industry, country by country. Reported directly to the CMO and Management Board, bridging the gap between what marketing wanted and what technology could deliver.

Managed digital marketing across GfK's top 30 strategic countries with an international team of specialists. Oversaw website strategy, social media presence, and the production of GfK's flagship brand video. The role was about creating consistency across a fragmented global landscape—100+ acquired companies, each with their own digital presence and approach. Maximized client portal effectiveness by establishing a content-driven technical infrastructure that finally connected disparate systems. This project laid the groundwork for the marketing automation integration that followed.

Developed and implemented GfK's enhanced digital marketing strategy, then handpicked a team of specialists to execute it. This was about building the team that could deliver on an ambitious vision—recruiting for excellence in digital marketing, social media, and research analytics. Transitioned from being the sole technical expert to building a department capable of scaling globally.

Special assignment from the Management Board to consolidate 100+ websites, social media channels, and communication platforms from acquired companies into one unified digital presence. Managed agency relationships with Franzreb and Venture3, oversaw internal IT teams, and connected the client portal to our intranet. This wasn't just about technology—it was about bringing all teams behind a new company brand while maintaining service continuity. Drove development of an online magazine and responsive app, proving digital could be both brand-building and revenue-generating. The project that proved I could handle enterprise-scale transformation.

Became the technical expert for all digital media projects across the GfK group. Provided consultancy to internal departments spanning automotive, financial, healthcare, consumer, and technology sectors—supporting 600+ staff across diverse business landscapes. This role taught me to translate complex technical concepts for non-technical stakeholders and to see digital strategy through the lens of business objectives, not just technical capability. Foundation for everything that came after. #DigitalConsulting #TechnicalExpertise #CrossFunctionalLeadership #SectorDiversity #InternalConsulting

My entry into corporate life after years in e-commerce and watersports. Established GfK's internal video production function from scratch—buying equipment, setting up studios, training colleagues. Collaborated with training departments to develop course modules, teaching both theoretical and practical filming and editing skills. Discovered I could bring startup agility to corporate environments. The beginning of a seven-year climb.

Managed a 9,000-product e-commerce site with a £15k monthly PPC budget. Redesigned landing pages to improve conversion rates and rewrote HTML to boost performance. Early lessons in balancing creative vision with ROI—skills that would define my career.

Transformed a local windsurf and kitesurf shop into a national e-commerce operation. Managed all SEO and PPC campaigns. This was where I discovered I could blend my passion for watersports with digital marketing—a combination that would shape my entire career path.

Built bespoke e-commerce solutions using Magento while providing digital marketing consultancy (SEO, PPC, email). Learned to code out of necessity and discovered I enjoyed building solutions as much as marketing them.

Media Studies; Video Production Marketing & Advertising Sport, Media and Everyday Life News, Culture and Journalism Celebrity Culture Design for Digital Media; Web Design Design for Print Design for Interactive Animation Flash and Actionscript