Emma Flaxman CV
ABOUT ME
Strategic marketing and communications leader with 20+ years’ experience helping organisations align brand,
culture and commercial ambition to drive growth.
Operating across media owners, creative agencies and technology businesses, I partner with leadership teams to
shape compelling market narratives, strengthen employer brands and unlock organisational effectiveness. My
work sits at the intersection of storytelling, culture and strategy, ensuring businesses are not only understood
externally but believed in internally.
Alongside senior in-house leadership roles, I bring independent consultancy experience supporting organisations
through periods of scale, change, or repositioning, providing objective clarity on what’s missing, where capability
gaps exist, and how marketing can directly enable business growth.
I am known for translating complexity into narrative, aligning internal culture with external perception, and
helping organisations become brands that talent wants to work for and clients want to buy from.
KNOWN FOR
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Translating cultural and audience value into compelling commercial narratives
Aligning employer brand, internal culture and external positioning to drive reputation and growth
Supporting leadership teams through moments of transformation, repositioning or scale
Elevating organisational visibility through partnerships, thought leadership and industry influence
Building award-winning market presence and strengthening industry standing
Bridging insight across media, creative and technology sectors to inform strategic direction
KEY SKILLS
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Brand Strategic Storytelling
Brand Marketing Communications
Content Creation & Copywriting
Leadership/Team Management
Award Writing and Delivery
New Business Pitching
Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Consultancy
Employee engagement and wellness
INDUSTRY RECOGNITION
The Marketing Academy Scholar 2021
(Top 30 UK Marketing Leaders)
Campaign 40 over 40 winner 2022
https://www.campaign40over40.com/emma-flaxman
This Can Happen Award winner, 2023
Winner of Most Inspiring Senior Leader
CAREER EXPERIENCE
Independent Brand & Communications Consultant – Dec 2025 – Present
Partner to creative agencies, media owners, social agencies and technology businesses seeking senior
strategic intervention across brand, communications and content. Operating independently enables me
to bring an external leadership perspective, helping organisations identify narrative gaps, unlock
positioning clarity and align marketing more closely with commercial ambition.
Typically engaged when:
• Leadership teams require strategic marketing clarity
• Brand positioning lacks coherence or differentiation
• Internal teams are at capacity during growth or change
• Organisations want access to broader industry thinking
My consultancy draws on insights from strategic networks across the media, creative and technology
sectors, enabling clients to benefit from a cross-industry perspective and emerging best practices.
Focus areas include Brand storytelling, Strategic communications, Employer brand, Thought leadership,
Narrative frameworks, and helping organisations sharpen their voice, strengthen their positioning and
accelerate marketing effectiveness.
Channel 4 | Senior Commercial Marketing & Communications Leader | Oct 2023 – Nov 2025
Appointed to shape and strengthen Channel 4’s commercial narrative in an increasingly complex and competitive
media landscape.
As part of the Commercial Leadership Team, I led the repositioning of Channel 4’s market story, ensuring its cultural
impact, diverse audiences and innovation credentials translated into clear advertiser relevance and differentiation.
I drove increased visibility and engagement following the Channel 4 Sales evolution, including a 300% uplift in social
engagement, and developed flagship initiatives such as Inclusive by Design and the 2024 Diversity in Advertising brief,
which unlocked record advertiser match-funding and broadcast investment. Alongside this, I transformed the
organisation’s industry positioning through a renewed award and partnership strategy, helping Channel 4 be
recognised as the most awarded media owner at the 2025 Campaign Media Awards. Built and strengthened strategic
relationships across ISBA, IPA, Thinkbox, APG, Outvertising and The Marketing Academy, elevating Channel 4’s
influence within both client and talent communities.
PHD Media | Marketing, Wellbeing & DEI Partner, Board Member | Dec 2011 – Sept 2023
Long-standing board-level leadership role spanning marketing, culture and organisational effectiveness.
Led Marketing & New Business strategy during a period of significant change, delivering a 68% pitch conversion
rate and contributing £30M in new business revenue in 2020, including major remote wins such as Red Bull and
Squarespace.
Elevated PHD’s market reputation through a 70% industry awards conversion rate, contributing to its recognition
as the #2 most creative media agency globally (WARC).
Later appointed Engagement & Wellbeing Partner to embed culture as a performance lever, developing strategic
programmes to enhance employee experience, productivity and retention.
Co-chaired Omnicom Media Group UK’s MINDS initiative, led D&I strategy and introduced leadership
development programmes to strengthen management capability and long-term talent sustainability.
EARLIER CAREER
LEAPCR | Head of Marketing & Client Engagement | May 2011 – October 2011
Led marketing and client engagement strategy, supporting second-round investment and securing
partnerships with Lloyds TSB, Nationwide and British Gas.
Avarto | Marketing Manager (temp) | August 2010 – May 2011
Led marketing transformation for the Loyalty Division, creating a unified group narrative and
consolidating seven business units into a single strategic proposition.
The Team | Marketing Manger | May 2007 – October 2010
Repositioned marketing and new business approach, increasing win rate from 40% to 70% through a
more focused and strategically led pitch model.
QUALIFICATIONS/ACCREDITATIONS
EDUCATION
PROFFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
King’s College London University
MSc | Psychology, Neuroscience and Mental
Health -)
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Southampton Solent University
BA Hons Degree | PR and Communications |
Grade2:1 (2003 – 2006)
IPA Wellbeing Strategy Programme
Level 3 Diploma – Health & Wellness Consultancy
Mental Health First Aider (MHFA England)
Google Digital Marketing Certification
Cirencester College
B-Tech National Diploma | Media Studies |
Distinction (1998 – 2000)
References are available upon request
