Testimonials

Some quotes from our clients:

"I am delighted to recommend Diana's work. She is, in my experience, exceptional as a researcher/planner, as she combines innovative flair and insights with a very evidence-focused approach, an in depth knowledge of her subject, an enormous amount of hard work and an ability to explain concepts and conclusions in straightforward terms. I've had the pleasure of working with her over the past 18 months, and, quite simply, it has been both a joy and incredibly productive."

Martin Bojam, Managing Partner, 360AdsFab

"Diana has executed several marketing consultancy projects which have ben undertaken in a highly professional, hugely well informed and creatively framed context; the results have proved both timely and highly beneficial to the project sponsors."

Chris Blackburn, Associate Dean, Business School at Oxford Brookes University

"I commissioned Bespoke Marketing/Diana on recommendation to help us (Oxford Brookes University) formulate a Marketing Strategy and write a Strategic Marketing plan for a major initiative and project for the University.

"From the start Diana was able to bring significant experience to the Project. She helped me personally by coaching me through the process, increasing my knowledge and skills in this area such that I could apply them in future. I found her an excellent market strategist and she was able through her experience to bring new perspectives to our thinking and also our approach. The level of her work has enabled her to go on to provide further strategic marketing work and advice for the whole University. Diana's style was refreshing for a consultant; not just friendly in her professional style but highly flexible to our ways of working.

"Her work was timely and responsive. She had good facilitating skills in meetings and was able to bring the best out of even difficult situations. Also as a mentor, she clearly explained topics as we worked on it together, developed my understanding of strategy and the different ways it can be developed, I learnt a great deal on working on this project with Diana. "

Martin Twycross, Senior Account Manager, Oxford Brookes University

"Diana has provided a benchmark for me in terms of creative and engaging approaches to marketing and customer insight and engagement. She has a good understanding of our complex policy environment and promotes a culture of enquiry and stretches our expectations of what can be achieved."

Caroline Mager, Executive Director, Policy, Research and Strategic Intelligence Learning and Skills Improvement Service

"I have worked with Diana for over 5 years. She has provided an outstandingly valuable consultancy and strategic service in PR, marketing, corporate planning, and stakeholder engagement. She is fast, conscientious, responsive, innovative and the best value for money of any consultant I have ever worked with.

"She is a professional delight."

Lynne Sedgmore CBE, Executive Director, 157 Group and previously Chief Executive, Centre for Excellence in Leadership

"I have never met anyone who understands marketing like Diana - the absolute complete importance of getting something right for the customer. She understands it strategically i.e. how marketing relates to the health and core product of the organisation and how that gets translated into practice in every detail.

"Diana is a true a strategist with a focus on creating and maintaining the organisation's reputation and standing with customers and stakeholders from the adjustments to the core product right through to how something looks at any one time. This is not just expert Marketing at its best, but a holistic approach with the added benefit of a highly tuned strategic and organisational knowledge. Intelligence, values, integrity, empathy, creativity, experience and fantastic people skills."

Helen Pettifor, Executive Director: Provider Development (Leadership) Learning and Skills Improvement Service (formerly the Centre for Excellence in Leadership)

"Bespoke Marketing's Diana Watson has supplied director-level marketing and general management services to the Professional Contractors Group throughout my Chairmanship, and indeed for some years before it. As the sole marketeer on the Senior Management Team, she has provided key strategic input into our turnaround strategy resulting in a 23% increase in revenues over two years, boosting customer retention from just over 50% to more than 80%, and bringing new customer recruitment levels to historical highs.

"She has led this through research, both moving us closer to our existing customers, and bringing a targeted approach to key market segments for new customers. Due to the size of our organisation, she has driven not only objective-setting and strategising but also implementation, dealing with a variety of different third-party suppliers on our behalf, identifying and helping us develop channels to market, and imparting core knowledge to our in-house team, enabling us to continue our own marketing initiatives.

"She has handled relationships ranging from industry 'big-hitters' to individual PCG members with enormous professionalism and dedication. She has also played an active role in negotiations with key stakeholders in the freelance space, creating and developing the relationships which enable PCG to succeed in delivering its vision. I strongly recommend her services and would not hesitate to hire Bespoke again to obtain them."

Simon Juden MA, PhD, FBCS, CITP, MIoD
Chairman, Professional Contractors Group 2004-2006

"Diana has a friendly and professional style and quickly gets to the bottom of complex issues. We were really pleased with the assignment and it has changed the way we think about and relate to our clients."

Paul Pinnington, Head of Tailored Programmes, Ashridge Business School (2003)

"Diana has a talent for rapidly analysing complex problems, identifying the core issues to be addressed and proposing a practical remedial strategy. Her friendly and professional manner, coupled with her undoubted expertise, inspires confidence.

"Diana can work individually or as part of a team and is equally comfortable operating at Executive level, or at the coal face. She is very client-focused, enthusiastic and awesomely energetic. Her USP is very simple: Diana delivers Results and offers genuine value for money."

Keith Hogben, Director, PCG

"Chiron hired Diana to provide assistance in the design and implementation of a new operating model for the Vaccines business unit from April to July 2004. Diana was involved specifically in working with the Commercial and Clinical Development organisations in developing proposals for new structures and organisations in line with the operating model. This involved working with groups based in the UK and Italy.

Diana provided a professional, fast and efficient service and was willing to be flexible in her approach. The result was that the proposals were submitted on time, approved and implemented by the Company. We would have no hesitation in engaging her again."

David Wells, HR Director