When every B2B brand promises “innovation” and “impact,” none stand out. Vague positioning weakens differentiation, dilutes pipeline quality, and slows sales. This article explores why generic value propositions fail and how to fix them by getting specific, taking a stance, and building your go-to-market strategy around a clear, defensible point of view.
The role of marketing is evolving. With highly fragmented audiences, advancing technology and changes in buying habits – it’s more challenging than ever.
A strong, embedded EVP not only helps employers attract the best talent and decrease hiring costs over time, but it also keeps existing employees happy and motivated to stay for longer.
A marketing strategy is a game plan or an overall direction that describes HOW your marketing goals will be achieved. It’s not about tactics, specific ideas, or execution (leave that for the marketing plan). It’s about long-term, focussed direction for your marketing.
With over 20 years in marketing operations and project leadership, Rachel has built a career out of making complex things run smoothly. She’s led everything from product launches and omnichannel campaigns to large-scale operational change, and she does it all with a blend of calm, clarity, and a strong focus on outcomes.
She’s held senior roles at Bristol Myers Squibb, Ogilvy, MOI Global, McCann and DDB, where she’s driven digital strategy, process transformation, and high-performing delivery across global teams. Her breadth of experience gives her a unique ability to connect people, platforms, and priorities to create meaningful results.
Throughout her career, she’s helped deliver strategic and digital programmes for brands including Vodafone, Oracle, Nokia, Mastercard, SAP, Adobe, and Virgin Atlantic. At Magnus, she plays a key role in evolving the firm’s operational backbone—supporting growth, innovation, and consistently excellent delivery for clients.
Favourite song: Shine On You Crazy Diamond (Pink Floyd)
Jas is a senior demand generation manager who partners with B2B leaders to embed marketing excellence, drive transformation and deliver measurable growth. Jas specialises in data-driven demand generation, marketing automation and pipeline optimisation and building scalable programmes that strengthen commercial effectiveness. With deep expertise in audience segmentation, lead scoring and multi-channel nurture strategies, Jas turns insight into practical application that accelerates conversion and drives predictable revenue performance across the full funnel.
Jas has delivered programmes for global brands including Mews, Scoro, Signal AI and MOO, with experience spanning SaaS, AI, hospitality technology and B2B services. Jas’s work consistently embeds change, strengthens capability-building across teams and connects marketing strategy to board-level outcomes. Known for a collaborative, metrics-led approach, Jas focuses on turning complexity into clarity that fuels long-term, measurable business growth.
Olga is a strategist who supports transformation programmes that help clients elevate their marketing approach to achieve their commercial goals. She specialises in supporting the development of strategic plans, shaping value propositions, and strengthening commercial effectiveness to drive measurable growth. Her work focuses on embedding marketing excellence and building the capabilities teams need to deliver sustained impact.
She has delivered programmes for global B2B brands including Expleo, AVEVA, Hexagon, and Getac, with experience spanning software development, IT services and consulting, financial services, and professional services. Her work supports clients to apply new tools and approaches in practice, building confidence and capability while ensuring change sticks.
Teresa is a Board-level marketer with more than 20 years’ experience in helping agencies and clients realise their value through brand, strategy and operational effectiveness.
She previously held two Agency Board directorships and completed two agency sales, including dnx/WPP and was interim MD for Publicis b2b agency Saatchi Pro, during which time she transformed the agency process, people and focus.
She has mentored start-ups in fintech, fashion and medtech and worked with brands including Cisco, Adobe, SAP and BT. She is an advisor for Adelpha, a female-led, investment network, and she leads the B2B industry-wide Power of Partnership initiative to improve client/agency relationships.
Favourite song: You Can Call Me Al (Paul Simon)
Richard is a Magnus Partner and marketing transformation leader who works with CMOs, executive teams, boards, and investors to accelerate the business impact of marketing investment and embed people-led change.
He specialises in go-to-market strategy, commercial effectiveness, marketing capability and operational transformation, helping clients achieve measurable growth by aligning marketing and commercial teams around shared business outcomes.
Richard leads B2B marketing transformation for brands such as Evelyn Partners, Zellis, American Express and Visa, with extensive experience spanning financial services, technology, and professional services. He has also delivered capability development programmes for some of the largest global B2C organisations.
His work blends strategic clarity with practical application, ensuring transformation is embedded, capability is built, and teams are equipped to deliver at pace, driving sustainable growth and marketing excellence across complex, growth- focused organisations.
Favourite song: Copacabana (Barry Manilow)
Danny is a commercial and go-to-market leader who works with executive teams, boards, and investors to drive transformation and embed lasting marketing excellence. He specialises in go-to-market strategy, commercial effectiveness, and marketing capability-building, helping ambitious B2B brands turn strategic intent into measurable growth.
With deep expertise across logistics, IT, financial services, and professional services, Danny has led transformation programmes and GTM strategies for global B2B brands including DHL, Nokia, Iron Mountain, Vodafone, Expleo, and Asana, alongside major projects for Danone, General Motors and L’Oréal. His work blends strategic clarity with practical application, ensuring change is embedded and teams are equipped to deliver at pace.
Before joining Magnus, Danny was Director of Strategy and Growth at a top 50 global B2B agency and held senior roles at VMLY&R, Ogilvy, and Dentsu, delivering award-shortlisted brand and demand strategies for some of the world’s most recognised companies.
Favourite song: Sweet Disposition (The Temper Trap)
Jason Ryan is our resident expert in transformation, innovation and AI.
He has spent over 20 years helping ambitious brands rethink how marketing works , leading brand, campaign and capability programmes that unlock growth, buildmomentum, and create lasting change.
Jason works at the intersection of strategy, creativity and experimentation helping global organisations turn bold ideas into real-world action. From designing Nike’s in-store sustainability experiments, to improving campaign performance with Asahi, to transforming The Economist’s marketing operating model, his work delivers proof points that accelerate progress.
As Head of AI Strategy at Magnus, Jason is currently focused on helping clients explore and unlock value using Generative AI, to de-risk innovation, build confidence, and create practical value from day one.
At the heart of his approach is a belief in experimentation as a modern marketing superpower, not just for testing ideas, but for shaping teams, systems, and strategy. He brings this philosophy to every project, helping clients act faster and think differently.
Jason has worked with some of the world’s most forward-thinking organisations, including Nike, BMW, Diageo, American Express, MoMA, Universal Pictures, TheEconomist and Porsche, helping them lead change with confidence.
Lindsay partners with senior teams to build strong, distinctive brands and shape insight-led marketing strategies that capture business ambition and unlock measurable growth.
She brings clarity to complexity, Lindsay helps organisations understand their audiences, sharpen their value propositions, and build compelling narratives that align sales and marketing. Her work blends deep audience research, behavioural science and practical GTM design to create strategies that are both distinctive and commercially grounded.
She has led high-impact programmes for brands including Microsoft, EY, Orange, Acacium, Jaguar Land Rover, Heathrow, Porsche and Telefonica Tech.
Favourite song: We Built This City (Starship)
James is a strategist who partners with B2B leaders to embed marketing excellence and deliver measurable commercial growth. He specialises in account-based marketing, go-to-market strategy, and marketing and sales alignment, helping clients to identify the most valuable opportunities and translate strategy into effective execution that drives results.
James has delivered programmes for global B2B brands including DHL, ADP, and VMO2 Business, with experience spanning logistics, telecomms, technology, and professional services. His work supports clients to understand who they should be targeting and to choose the right strategy and plan of execution to drive impactful marketing and sales campaigns that deliver visible commercial results.
Favourite song: Motion (Ty Dolla $ign)
Jason Ryan is our resident expert in transformation, innovation and AI.
He has spent over 20 years helping ambitious brands rethink how marketing works , leading brand, campaign and capability programmes that unlock growth, buildmomentum, and create lasting change.
Jason works at the intersection of strategy, creativity and experimentation helping global organisations turn bold ideas into real-world action. From designing Nike’s in-store sustainability experiments, to improving campaign performance with Asahi, to transforming The Economist’s marketing operating model, his work delivers proof points that accelerate progress.
As Head of AI Strategy at Magnus, Jason is currently focused on helping clients explore and unlock value using Generative AI, to de-risk innovation, build confidence, and create practical value from day one.
At the heart of his approach is a belief in experimentation as a modern marketing superpower, not just for testing ideas, but for shaping teams, systems, and strategy. He brings this philosophy to every project, helping clients act faster and think differently.
Jason has worked with some of the world’s most forward-thinking organisations, including Nike, BMW, Diageo, American Express, MoMA, Universal Pictures, TheEconomist and Porsche, helping them lead change with confidence.
Charlotte focuses on researching audiences, channels, markets and organisations to identify key trends and insights that inform the work of the strategy partners. She gathers vast quantities of information and analyses data to understand, from the outside-in, the ‘who, what and why’ of any audience. As well as exploring a wide variety of industries, she gets to learn about what it’s like working in a fast-paced environment!
After graduating in 2019, she briefly worked in the FinTech sector and gained exposure to the daily operations and business development of a start-up. She’s also been a tennis coach, so knows the importance of strategy to help player development and the benefit of creating positive environments.
Favourite song: Take On Me (A-ha)
Ed is a classically trained and seasoned researcher with 25 years of experience. He learnt his trade at Kantar before moving to Ipsos MORI where he was Head of Research Excellence. In this role, he was responsible for defining, designing, executing and reporting research programmes for a range of blue-chip clients. He has spent the last 4 years consulting and advising research agencies and clients operating in a range of sectors including FMCG, automotive, technology, insurance and finance.
Ed’s expertise encompasses the full portfolio of research methods and techniques – utilising both primary and secondary data sources – to answer business questions. A strategic thinker with a keen eye for detail, he excels in interpreting and distilling complex data into clear, concise, and compelling insights.
Favourite song: Tubthumping (Chumbawamba)
Having run and owned agencies in London, Paris and Brighton for over 25 years with a track record of taking them global, Nikki is a non-exec director, cognitive behavioural coach and author on the subject of engagement, particularly focused on achieving ‘better business on purpose’.
With a background spanning multiple sectors from automotive to FMCG, airlines to retail, finance and travel, Nikki brings leadership skills focused on marketing services and technology products. This, hand in hand culture expertise – as her last company was nominated as one of the best places to work in the UK for 8 years running – Nikki is adept at building high performance teams and high impact organisations.
Having exited her last business in 2019, Nikki is now a strategic advisor to multiple boards, focused on making other good companies, great.
Favourite song: A little party never killed nobody (Fergie)
Jas is a senior demand generation manager who partners with B2B leaders to embed marketing excellence, drive transformation and deliver measurable growth. Jas specialises in data-driven demand generation, marketing automation and pipeline optimisation and building scalable programmes that strengthen commercial effectiveness. With deep expertise in audience segmentation, lead scoring and multi-channel nurture strategies, Jas turns insight into practical application that accelerates conversion and drives predictable revenue performance across the full funnel.
Jas has delivered programmes for global brands including Mews, Scoro, Signal AI and MOO, with experience spanning SaaS, AI, hospitality technology and B2B services. Jas’s work consistently embeds change, strengthens capability-building across teams and connects marketing strategy to board-level outcomes. Known for a collaborative, metrics-led approach, Jas focuses on turning complexity into clarity that fuels long-term, measurable business growth.
Bright specialises in harnessing AI to make market research faster, smarter, and more actionable. With expertise in machine learning, NLP, and data engineering, Bright develops solutions that streamline research processes and transform complex data into clear insights.
Across projects, Bright has designed systems that automate data extraction, cleaning, schema generation, and insight delivery, enabling clients to make informed decisions more efficiently. By blending technical skill with a deep understanding of market research workflows, Bright ensures that AI adds real value at every stage of the research process.
At Magnus, Bright brings this expertise to client engagements, building scalable AI pipelines and innovative tools that enhance how market insights are generated, interpreted, and applied.
Olga is a strategist who supports transformation programmes that help clients elevate their marketing approach to achieve their commercial goals. She specialises in supporting the development of strategic plans, shaping value propositions, and strengthening commercial effectiveness to drive measurable growth. Her work focuses on embedding marketing excellence and building the capabilities teams need to deliver sustained impact.
She has delivered programmes for global B2B brands including Expleo, AVEVA, Hexagon, and Getac, with experience spanning software development, IT services and consulting, financial services, and professional services. Her work supports clients to apply new tools and approaches in practice, building confidence and capability while ensuring change sticks.
Kim specialises in uncovering customer, competitor, and commercial insights to support strategy development and client growth. With a strong foundation in primary research and a deep understanding of B2B marketing, Kim is the go-to person for translating data into actionable recommendations.
Having worked across the marketing industry, Kim has gained extensive experience as the trusted resource for all things research, from benchmarking and market mapping to creating buyer personas and interpreting survey data. At Magnus, Kim brings this expertise to client projects, combining quantitative and qualitative analysis to deliver clear, meaningful insights that drive decision-making.
Favourite song: Don’t stop me now – Queen
Sophie is a consultant who supports transformation programmes that help clients embed marketing excellence and deliver measurable growth. She specialises in marketing analytics, campaign execution, and commercial effectiveness, helping clients turn insights into practical action to optimise performance across channels and drive measurable commercial outcomes.
Working in Pfizer Vaccines’ Omnichannel team, Sophie led metrics and insights initiatives, using data to shape campaign optimisation and deliver performance gains across seven vaccine brands, including a priority launch brand. A First-Class Marketing and Management graduate from Durham University, she brings strong research and analytical skills to her role as an analyst at Magnus – translating complex data into clear, actionable insights that help clients embed marketing excellence and achieve sustained, measurable impact.
Favourite song: Getaway Car – Taylor Swift
Ed is a classically trained and seasoned researcher with 25 years of experience. He learnt his trade at Kantar before moving to Ipsos MORI where he was Head of Research Excellence. In this role, he was responsible for defining, designing, executing and reporting research programmes for a range of blue-chip clients. He has spent the last 4 years consulting and advising research agencies and clients operating in a range of sectors including FMCG, automotive, technology, insurance and finance.
Ed’s expertise encompasses the full portfolio of research methods and techniques – utilising both primary and secondary data sources – to answer business questions. A strategic thinker with a keen eye for detail, he excels in interpreting and distilling complex data into clear, concise, and compelling insights.
Favourite song: Tubthumping (Chumbawamba)
Teresa is a Board-level marketer with more than 20 years’ experience in helping agencies and clients realise their value through brand, strategy and operational effectiveness.
She previously held two Agency Board directorships and completed two agency sales, including dnx/WPP and was interim MD for Publicis b2b agency Saatchi Pro, during which time she transformed the agency process, people and focus.
She has mentored start-ups in fintech, fashion and medtech and worked with brands including Cisco, Adobe, SAP and BT. She is an advisor for Adelpha, a female-led, investment network, and she leads the B2B industry-wide Power of Partnership initiative to improve client/agency relationships.
Favourite song: You Can Call Me Al (Paul Simon)
Richard is a Magnus Partner and marketing transformation leader who works with CMOs, executive teams, boards, and investors to accelerate the business impact of marketing investment and embed people-led change.
He specialises in go-to-market strategy, commercial effectiveness, marketing capability and operational transformation, helping clients achieve measurable growth by aligning marketing and commercial teams around shared business outcomes.
Richard leads B2B marketing transformation for brands such as Evelyn Partners, Zellis, American Express and Visa, with extensive experience spanning financial services, technology, and professional services. He has also delivered capability development programmes for some of the largest global B2C organisations.
His work blends strategic clarity with practical application, ensuring transformation is embedded, capability is built, and teams are equipped to deliver at pace, driving sustainable growth and marketing excellence across complex, growth- focused organisations.
Favourite song: Copacabana (Barry Manilow)
Danny is a commercial and go-to-market leader who works with executive teams, boards, and investors to drive transformation and embed lasting marketing excellence. He specialises in go-to-market strategy, commercial effectiveness, and marketing capability-building, helping ambitious B2B brands turn strategic intent into measurable growth.
With deep expertise across logistics, IT, financial services, and professional services, Danny has led transformation programmes and GTM strategies for global B2B brands including DHL, Nokia, Iron Mountain, Vodafone, Expleo, and Asana, alongside major projects for Danone, General Motors and L’Oréal. His work blends strategic clarity with practical application, ensuring change is embedded and teams are equipped to deliver at pace.
Before joining Magnus, Danny was Director of Strategy and Growth at a top 50 global B2B agency and held senior roles at VMLY&R, Ogilvy, and Dentsu, delivering award-shortlisted brand and demand strategies for some of the world’s most recognised companies.
Favourite song: Sweet Disposition (The Temper Trap)
Lindsay partners with senior teams to build strong, distinctive brands and shape insight-led marketing strategies that capture business ambition and unlock measurable growth.
She brings clarity to complexity, Lindsay helps organisations understand their audiences, sharpen their value propositions, and build compelling narratives that align sales and marketing. Her work blends deep audience research, behavioural science and practical GTM design to create strategies that are both distinctive and commercially grounded.
She has led high-impact programmes for brands including Microsoft, EY, Orange, Acacium, Jaguar Land Rover, Heathrow, Porsche and Telefonica Tech.
Favourite song: We Built This City (Starship)
Charlotte focuses on researching audiences, channels, markets and organisations to identify key trends and insights that inform the work of the strategy partners. She gathers vast quantities of information and analyses data to understand, from the outside-in, the ‘who, what and why’ of any audience. As well as exploring a wide variety of industries, she gets to learn about what it’s like working in a fast-paced environment!
After graduating in 2019, she briefly worked in the FinTech sector and gained exposure to the daily operations and business development of a start-up. She’s also been a tennis coach, so knows the importance of strategy to help player development and the benefit of creating positive environments.
Favourite song: Take On Me (A-ha)
Having run and owned agencies in London, Paris and Brighton for over 25 years with a track record of taking them global, Nikki is a non-exec director, cognitive behavioural coach and author on the subject of engagement, particularly focused on achieving ‘better business on purpose’.
With a background spanning multiple sectors from automotive to FMCG, airlines to retail, finance and travel, Nikki brings leadership skills focused on marketing services and technology products. This, hand in hand culture expertise – as her last company was nominated as one of the best places to work in the UK for 8 years running – Nikki is adept at building high performance teams and high impact organisations.
Having exited her last business in 2019, Nikki is now a strategic advisor to multiple boards, focused on making other good companies, great.
Favourite song: A little party never killed nobody (Fergie)
James is a strategist who partners with B2B leaders to embed marketing excellence and deliver measurable commercial growth. He specialises in account-based marketing, go-to-market strategy, and marketing and sales alignment, helping clients to identify the most valuable opportunities and translate strategy into effective execution that drives results.
James has delivered programmes for global B2B brands including DHL, ADP, and VMO2 Business, with experience spanning logistics, telecomms, technology, and professional services. His work supports clients to understand who they should be targeting and to choose the right strategy and plan of execution to drive impactful marketing and sales campaigns that deliver visible commercial results.
Favourite song: Motion (Ty Dolla $ign)
Carol Howley is a board-level marketer with a proven track record of scaling tech companies and driving transformational growth in global markets. With expertise in go-to-market strategies, brand positioning, and operational transformation, she has held leadership roles at Exclaimer, Canonical/Ubuntu, and Skyscanner, delivering exceptional growth, revenue, and market leadership. She is currently a Partner at Magnus supporting CEOs and investors unlock value through strategic GTM, marketing and scaling high-performing teams.
At Exclaimer, Carol doubled ARR to £80M through innovative marketing strategies, company repositioning, and award-winning partnerships. At Canonical, she redefined commercial and marketing strategies to exceed revenue targets, while at Skyscanner, she spearheaded a global rebrand project and supported revenue growth through innovative product launches and customer engagement.
Carol is a sought after speaker, an advisor for a number of B2B businesses, leads the global CMO track for Pavilion UK, and supporter of DEI initiatives including mentoring female leaders in technology and channel. Outside of work, Carol enjoys skiing, hiking, and travelling with her family.
With over 20 years in marketing operations and project leadership, Rachel has built a career out of making complex things run smoothly. She’s led everything from product launches and omnichannel campaigns to large-scale operational change, and she does it all with a blend of calm, clarity, and a strong focus on outcomes.
She’s held senior roles at Bristol Myers Squibb, Ogilvy, MOI Global, McCann and DDB, where she’s driven digital strategy, process transformation, and high-performing delivery across global teams. Her breadth of experience gives her a unique ability to connect people, platforms, and priorities to create meaningful results.
Throughout her career, she’s helped deliver strategic and digital programmes for brands including Vodafone, Oracle, Nokia, Mastercard, SAP, Adobe, and Virgin Atlantic. At Magnus, she plays a key role in evolving the firm’s operational backbone—supporting growth, innovation, and consistently excellent delivery for clients.
Kim specialises in uncovering customer, competitor, and commercial insights to support strategy development and client growth. With a strong foundation in primary research and a deep understanding of B2B marketing, Kim is the go-to person for translating data into actionable recommendations.
Having worked across the marketing industry, Kim has gained extensive experience as the trusted resource for all things research, from benchmarking and market mapping to creating buyer personas and interpreting survey data. At Magnus, Kim brings this expertise to client projects, combining quantitative and qualitative analysis to deliver clear, meaningful insights that drive decision-making.
Favourite song: Don’t stop me now – Queen
Sophie is a consultant who supports transformation programmes that help clients embed marketing excellence and deliver measurable growth. She specialises in marketing analytics, campaign execution, and commercial effectiveness, helping clients turn insights into practical action to optimise performance across channels and drive measurable commercial outcomes.
Working in Pfizer Vaccines’ Omnichannel team, Sophie led metrics and insights initiatives, using data to shape campaign optimisation and deliver performance gains across seven vaccine brands, including a priority launch brand. A First-Class Marketing and Management graduate from Durham University, she brings strong research and analytical skills to her role as an analyst at Magnus – translating complex data into clear, actionable insights that help clients embed marketing excellence and achieve sustained, measurable impact.
Favourite song: Getaway Car – Taylor Swift
Bright specialises in harnessing AI to make market research faster, smarter, and more actionable. With expertise in machine learning, NLP, and data engineering, Bright develops solutions that streamline research processes and transform complex data into clear insights.
Across projects, Bright has designed systems that automate data extraction, cleaning, schema generation, and insight delivery, enabling clients to make informed decisions more efficiently. By blending technical skill with a deep understanding of market research workflows, Bright ensures that AI adds real value at every stage of the research process.
At Magnus, Bright brings this expertise to client engagements, building scalable AI pipelines and innovative tools that enhance how market insights are generated, interpreted, and applied.
