Nearly two decades
A taste for the undefined.
New roles, new initiatives, new markets. Often it was a role without a predecessor, or an initiative without a template.
I’ve launched and developed brands with clients, and built new businesses inside agencies, from strategy and the business behind it to marketing and sales. In global networks, founder-led agencies and my own practice. For global corporations like Siemens, BMS, BYK Chemie and Deutsche Börse, for mid-sized companies like Phoenix Contact, and start-ups like authentic.network and GenoBroker. And for agencies like Publicis, Serviceplan, Virtual Identity and FischerAppelt.
Much of that work crossed borders: partnerships between Hamburg and New York, rollouts across EMEA, customer experiences aligned between DACH, China and Japan.
Growing up in the US and France as the daughter of German entrepreneurs, I learned early to find my way in different cultures. Today, a large part of my work is translating between disciplines, departments and markets.
Strategic range
Not every brand is a lifestyle. Many sell something complex, often in regulated markets, to people who need more than a feeling to decide, consumers and professionals alike. The industries vary, but the patterns often repeat.
“Désirée helped us win business for a large international brand. […] She created loads of added value in just a few days. I love to work with her and profit from her great experience in the industry.”
Director Strategy, Brand and retail experience agency
Experience
I’ve done this before.
I’ve been a strategist, an advisor, an operational leader and a Managing Director. I’ve carried P&L responsibility and led the implementation myself.
Led a US spin-off: the integration, the value proposition and the portfolio for Germany and the US.
Developed the growth strategy on a sharpened positioning, developed the agency’s first proprietary IP and set up the structures for marketing and new business.
Launched a new brand in a heavily regulated consumer goods market and built the unit behind it from the ground up: content, campaigns, CRM activation and platform development.
Rebuilt the digital strategy and customer experience of a global specialty chemicals manufacturer, from the website to sales outreach, with a three-year transition plan.
Built positioning and launch strategies for marketing and communications leaders in financial services, pharma and technology.
Projects are confidential. Ask me about them in person.
Writing & speaking
I write Undercurrent, a newsletter on how strategy unfolds inside organisations, and I moderate events and panels. Earlier work includes white papers on value creation in B2B and talks on strategy in practice.
Get in touch: hello@desireebambynek.com