Stephen D.
Thought Leadership On Out-maneuvering Giants
Professional Value
Stephen , strategist who helps emerging brand founders define competitive positioning and marketing plans to out‑maneuver industry giants. Drawing on 20 years as a senior tech marketer, 80+ leader interviews and profiles of 35 brands across 13 countries, he delivers actionable positioning frameworks that have guided startups to secure market share against global incumbents.
Selected Clients
Executive Profile
Stephen is an author, speaker and consultant helping emerging brands define their competitive positioning, communication strategies and marketing plans.
Stephen is a frequent international speaker on competitive strategy, marketing, leadership and innovation, focusing on what it takes to out-maneuver the giants we face, regardless of the odds - and how we can learn from these brands and apply their "thinking tools" and cultural shifts to do the impossible.
In his keynotes, he draws on over 80 personal interviews with some of the world’s most effective business people – from Silicon Valley to the townships of South Africa, profiling over 35 (and counting) brands from 13 different countries – as well as others outside of the traditional corporate world, from professional gamblers and hostage negotiators to Hollywood screenwriters and pro football players, creating a vivid and compelling story of how to out-maneuver the giants we face in business and in life.
Prior to consulting, he was a 20+ year senior marketing executive, having managed the people, strategy and budgets at brand name technology companies like Sony, Onstar, Iomega and Plantronics. He has deep experience in both B2B and B2C marketing and has been recognised as a highly creative, “out of the box” strategist.
He has lived and worked in the US and Japan, holds several patents and has an MBA from the Wharton School.
The roster of companies Stephen has consulted for, spoken to or advised includes Hewlett Packard, The North Face, Altria, Campbell‘s Soup, The Conference Board, YPO Global’s “Win the PR War” London conference, Frederique Constant, Elsevier, Jabra, GN Resound and others, from start-ups to Global 500 players. He has also done guest lectures at Wharton, Kellogg, UC Berkeley and others, plus numerous entrepreneur forums and councils.
Core Competencies
Marketing Strategy
Stephen develops marketing strategies by analyzing competitive positioning and communication plans.
He helps emerging brands define their market presence and create effective marketing plans.
His approach involves understanding the market landscape and identifying opportunities for growth.
He leverages his experience as a senior marketing executive to inform his strategies.
His expertise includes market analysis and campaign development.
Leadership
Stephen's leadership expertise focuses on empowering organizations to outmaneuver their competitors.
He researches and writes about leaders who have successfully toppled industry giants.
His key lessons include developing a speed-based culture and mastering the white spaces between silos.
He also emphasizes proactive leadership in building a culture of consumer activation.
Stephen's approach is informed by his interviews with business leaders and his experience as a consultant.
Innovation
Stephen's innovation expertise involves applying best-in-class practices to change industry rules and outmaneuver competitors.
He learns from effective business people and identifies key lessons such as leveraging structural shifts and shifting reward structures.
He also highlights the importance of tapping social glue to shift market perceptions.
Stephen's approach is grounded in his research and interviews with business leaders from various industries.