Efi Naskou FCIM

Advisor | CMO | Marketing Director | Growth Strategy | Value Creation | Consultant 
Available for Interim, Fractional, Board Advisor and NED positions.
Clients: PE, VC, FTSE, Founders, Boards
Industries: Services, Regulated, FS, Financial Services, FinTech, Technology, AI

CMO | Advisor | Consultant

Zenus Bank

Zenus is a US Digital Bank and FinTech - a pioneer in providing easy access to the US banking system for underserved people and businesses worldwide, taking banking beyond borders.

Member of the Executive Committee. I led a team of global marketing professionals launching innovative new products (GTM), delivering exceptional customer experiences, and achieving business goals. I worked closely with colleagues across regions to ensure that our marketing efforts are aligned with our overall business strategy and tailored to the unique needs of our customers in each market. I leveraged data and insights to optimise our marketing performance and measure our impact. Key activities were GTM strategies for expansion, new customer acquisition and brand and revenue growth.

Chief Marketing Officer (CMO)

Set up the Global Marketing function in London. Built a multidisciplinary team from 1 to 12+, set up processes and martech, launched the Bank, the FinTech and multiple banking and fintech products in numerous markets (BaaS, Payments, Wallets, Corporate and Personal Accounts, Metal VISA Debit Cards, BIN Sponsorship/ Card Issuance). 
Expanded client base to 120+ countries, exceeded commercial targets/OKRs and won multiple awards for brand refresh, digital acquisition campaigns/ integrated performance marketing and products.

Global Head of Marketing

Mastercard Data & Services

I provided marketing consultancy services to credit card and debit card issuers, offering strategic planning, campaign design, execution, and measurement. I specialized in lifecycle product marketing consulting and implementation, go-to-market strategy development, and end-to-end campaign execution, including post-campaign analysis. Additionally, I focused on multi-channel marketing to maximize ROI, reviewed and optimized marketing processes for issuers, managed internal and external stakeholders across various channels, including B2B, B2B2C, and B2C, engaged in business development activities such as client proposals, and conducted marketing research.

Marketing Consultant | Director

Consulting

Marketing and Brand diagnosis, strategy and tactics. Leadership and hands-on execution of strategies to solve challenges and drive commercial performance. 

Clients and projects include: Barclays Wealth & Investments, PayPal, Barclaycard, Tesco Bank, Santander, InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG), HSBC, Mastercard

Marketing and Brand Director | Consulting Contracts

Barclays

Overall responsibility for all cross-channel marketing programmes, including Smart Investor online direct investing service and Wealth Management relationship managers. I developed and planned content strategies to drive thought leadership and content generation for cross-channel distribution, created PR/Spokespeople strategies, engaged and managed stakeholders, including CIO and other executive level internal stakeholders, marketing, PR and product teams, agencies, and other partners. Additionally, I crafted annual team roadmaps, prioritized output, reviewed and evaluated suppliers/vendors to create efficiencies, and strategized, planned, and executed email marketing in the realm of digital marketing.

Vice President | Investment Marketing 

HSBC

I spearheaded the strategic development of premium, user-centered digital marketing initiatives for hsbc.co.uk, spanning desktop, mobile, and tablet platforms and encompassing all product lines. My role included optimizing user experience and journey, project management, orchestrating impactful marketing campaigns, implementing MVT and A/B testing strategies, driving SEO initiatives, refining website performance and managing agencies, providing effective team leadership and coaching to a large multi disciplinary team.

Senior Manager | Digital Customer Experience 

I managed the development and delivery of retail communications across 1400 HSBC branches in the UK, overseeing marketing assistants and a team budget of £3 million.

Marketing Communications Manager

Boodle Hatfield LLP

At Boodle Hatfield LLP, I managed customer communications and email marketing, led a comprehensive rebrand including the launch of a new website, and organised events. I also focused on website optimisation and enhancing customer journeys. My role involved marketing budget management, brand development, and executing both internal and external communications strategies.

Marketing Communications Executive

Building & Scaling Businesses

I specialise in developing and implementing commercial strategies for businesses that view marketing as a strategic lever. I believe that smart marketing investment gives companies a clear edge, helps them grow faster, and secures their market position.

With experience across startups (0 to 1), growing businesses (1 to Xmillion), and public companies, I bring a wealth of knowledge to the table. I thrive on the challenges of complex businesses and enjoy collaborating with talented people to uncover new opportunities. Leading teams and inspiring motivated professionals to achieve great results and grow is a passion of mine.

I’m looking to work with companies that value these skills and are either in a growth phase or aiming to regain their momentum with innovative ideas.

Specialties include: Business Strategy, Commercial Strategy, Product Marketing, Brand Management, Digital Marketing, CRM, Lifecycle Marketing, UX, CX, Content Marketing, PR, Go-to-Market, P&L, Agile Project Management, Executive Leadership. 

I am a Fellow of The Chartered Institute of Marketing and hold a Professional Diploma in Marketing and a Mini MBA in Brand Management. DEI advocate, mentor, AI enthusiast and Founding Partner of an AI Think Tank (Women4AInnovationFutures) with Kingston University Business School bringing business and academia together, that is dedicated to empowering leaders to harness Generative AI (Gen AI) for innovation.

Immediately available for permanent, interim, fractional leadership roles and consulting services (CMO, CxO, Marketing Consultant, Marketing Director, VP, Advisor, Operator). 

Connect with me for a chat @ efi.naskou@gmail.com 📅 https://calendly.com/efi-naskou

Financial Services | Financial Technology | FinTech | Payments | Cards | Wallets | BaaS | Embedded Finance | Open Banking | B2C B2B | CxO | Partnerships | PE | Value Creation | Insurance| Global Strategy | Commercial Growth Strategy | GenAI | DEI Ambassador | Board | NED | C-Suite | SLT | Executive Leadership

CIM Fellow- Fellowship of the CIM is the highest level of membership requiring qualification, 15+ years experience and Board level experience.

CMktr - Chartered Marketer status recognises those marketers achieving the highest level in our profession. It demonstrates commitment to keeping up to date and is awarded on a combination of experience and qualifications.

Efi Naskou (CMktr FCIM)

Saatchi & Saatchi

Working in the new AI team at the Dubai location

Associate Design Director

AImode

I am host of AImode, a talk show where I explore the fascinating intersection of AI with business, marketing, filmmaking and creativity through conversations with industry pioneers and practitioners. In each episode, I sit down with guests to have meaningful discussions about how they're using AI tools like Midjourney, Runway ML and Stable Diffusion to transform their work. I aim to keep our conversations engaging and accessible, diving deep into practical applications while avoiding overly technical jargon.

My goal is to showcase both the incredible capabilities of AI as well as the importance of maintaining human creativity and authenticity. Through these discussions, I help viewers understand how AI is revolutionizing creative work while highlighting the experiences, challenges and insights of those at the forefront of this technological transformation.

Host

Raindance Film Festival

Teaching students on the basics of Ai Film Generation

Instructor

we are HUMAIN

Ai artist

Nextage.ai

Higgsfield AI

Creative Partner

Wondercraft

ImagineArt

Pimento

Brand Ambassador

I have been selected as a member of their creative partner's program and support their Generative AI creative tools.

Got a random connection request from me? I'm currently scouting guests for AImode, my talk show focusing on AI's intersection with business, marketing, and creativity. We’re exploring AI in various domains:

Business
Marketing and Social Media
Branding and design
Filmmaking

Check out the video explainer for more details:
https://youtu.be/ikHFtlkpjlY

My Gumroad products
https://4956323469338.gumroad.com/l/2000-free-style-codes (free for now)
https://4956323469338.gumroad.com/l/jameslarkinmoodboardsvol1
https://4956323469338.gumroad.com/l/looks


To book a call 
https://calendar.google.com/calendar/u/0/appointments/schedules/AcZssZ1w1kpf1jv4RqenRq0PhODTlz2o0fY2vnhLu3s-Ygt4WzZReaj33bVEX5tyI13yFBTXElKETU-I

Visit my channels for more insights:
YouTube: www.youtube.com/@JamesELarkin
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@jameslarkinphotography
Blog: www.jameselarkin.com/blog

I in the top 100 ai creatives for 2024 
Top 100+ AI Creatives on LinkedIn
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/top-100-ai-creatives-linkedin-brian-sykes-nglne?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_android&utm_campaign=share_via

About to start my new role as Associate Design Director at Saatchi Saatchi in Dubai where I will be working on AI video projects.

My skills span across web development, branding, SEO, social media content creation and management, along with expertise in various digital marketing tools and platforms.

Specific skills include:

Web Development
Branding
Google My Business
SEO
Social Media Content and Ads
Facebook Ads
Instagram Ads
Google Ads
Google Analytics
Photography
Videography

Software Proficiency:
Yoast SEO Plugin
Spy Fu
Screaming Frog
Majestic SEO
Serprobot
Long Tail Pro
GTmetrix
Ahrefs
Moz Pro
Semrush
Scrape Box
Mailchimp
Adobe Suite (Photoshop, Premier Pro, Audition, After Effects, Media Encoder, Lightroom, Illustrator, Adobe XD, InDesign)
Davinci Resolve
Figma
Softimage
AutoCad
LUTs

Creative software
Adobe Photoshop
Adobe Lightroom
Adobe Illustrator
Adobe After Effects
Autodesk Maya
Adobe Premiere Pro
InDesign
Blender
Midjourney
RunwayML
Pika
Stable diffusion 
Stable Video
as we as many others.

Interested in collaborating or joining as a guest on AImode?

Contact me at
jameslarkinphotography@gmail.com

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