LEFT-HANDED PLANNING TRACK RECORD

Left-Handed Planning Ltd assignments have covered brand/creative strategy consultancy, workshop facilitation, training/mentoring, presentation/speech writing, and brand/creative/media auditing.

It’s a wide range, united by its white label nature and its focus on helping clients be smarter.

Clients tend to be at large corporates (e.g. Sony, LEGO, Reckitt, Daimler-Benz, Unilever). We tend to work with them directly, but we also work through strategic consultancy intermediaries (e.g. WARC Advisory, BeenThereDoneThat, Speakeasy Knowledge Brokers).

Whatever the assignment, whomever it’s for, and however it’s done, it’s approached with the same mindset: that of a left-hander in a right-handed world.

Mike is not everyone’s cup of tea. Even his biggest fans can find him irritating. But there’s a reason why during his ad agency career he won every major award open to strategists and headed up strategy for the UK’s largest agency, the USA’s largest client, and the world’s largest client/agency partnership. And why now as a consultant his white label thinking helps clients be smarter.

AD AGENCY TRACK RECORD

Chief Planning Officer for Unilever @ Lowe & Partners Worldwide, 2010-2016

Responsible for planning on the largest client/agency partnership in the world; led teams of planners in 28 agencies working on 40 Unilever brands spanning 155 countries.

EVP, Executive Planning Director for AT&T @ BBDO Worldwide, 2006-2009

Responsible for planning on the USA’s largest client; led teams of planners in NYC and Atlanta.

Vice Chairman @ BBDO Atlanta, 2003-2006

Responsible for planning on Cingular/AT&T Wireless, BBDO’s second largest client globally.

Head of Planning @ AMV.BBDO, 2001-2003

Responsible for the UK’s largest agency planning department.

Board Account Planner @ AMV.BBDO, 1997-2001

Responsible for planning on British Telecom.

Board Account Planner @ O & M, 1996-1997

Responsible for planning on Lucozade and Eagle Star.

Account Planner @ BBH, 1991-1996

Planned on NatWest; responsible for planning on Pusser’s Rum, Irn-Bru, The New Covent Garden Soup Company and WH Smith.

Junior Account Planner @ Cogent Elliott, 1990-1991

Planned on Do It All and Vladivar.

Apprentice Account Planner @ RGR&J, 1989-1990

Planned on Royal Insurance.

KEY AD AWARDS WON

EFFIE Gold 2007

Won 2007 EFFIE Gold for strategy of positioning GoPhone (AT&T’s sub brand in the prepaid mobile phone category) as “the way to defuse parent/teen tension”.

EFFIE Gold 2006

Won 2006 EFFIE Gold for strategy of positioning Cingular/AT&T Wireless merger as “raising the bar in wireless telecom”.

APG Gold 1995

Won 1995 APG Gold for strategy of positioning The New Covent Garden Soup Company as “people with a passion” by using personal stories of those involved behind the scenes.