John Surdakowski

Avex E-commerce

Leading eCommerce agency providing creative, development, email marketing & strategy for brands such as: Mondelez, Hugo Boss, KITH, O’Neil, HAUS, Undefeated, Marchesa, Balance Athletica, TomBoyX, Wolf & Shepherd, Badgley Mischka & Iconix Brand Group.

Founder & CEO

Agency-X Podcast

Agency X — Hosted by John Surdakowski, is a Podcast that takes a dive deep into the world of ecommerce, digital strategy, and the evolving landscape of marketing technology. From the challenges of building a brand to mastering the latest tools shaping the future of commerce, Agency X offers insights drawn from real experiences at Avex. Each week, we break down what works, what doesn’t, and the bold moves that drive growth for leading brands.

Host

Shogun

Shogun empowers brands and agencies to create unique ecommerce experiences by making it easy to build and optimize online stores. Shogun is seamlessly integrated with leading ecommerce platforms, and is trusted by over 12,000 eCommerce brands, including Leesa mattresses, MVMT watches, Gaiam yoga apparel, K-Swiss, and Chubbies shorts

Investor

GRIN

Grin is the #1 all-in-one influencer marketing platform designed to help brands own their influencer relationships. With our tools in your corner, you’ll build a pool of credible ambassadors and reap the financial and brand rewards that come with it. GRIN puts every aspect of your influencer marketing program at your fingertips, empowering you to own it every step of the way.

Inveterate, Inc

Govalo

Kinn

Consulting

Freelance creative direction, web design and development for various brands and agencies, including Google, Samsung, Havas, JWT, Campfire, USANetwork, Cinemax and Sony

Creative Contractor

Havas

Designed digital experiences such as: websites, mobile ads, video story boards and rich media campaigns.

Sr. Art Director Consultant

The Estée Lauder Companies Inc.

Designed and developed digital campaigns for Estee Lauder’s online creative department.

Art Director Consultant

Founder & CEO at Avex, a New York City based creative, technology and e-commerce agency for fashion & lifestyle brands. 

With 20 years of experience creating for the web, I’ve seen the digital landscape evolve. From Web 1.0 and Flash animation, to the explosion of mobile and e-commerce. I utilize my vast experience in creative, technology and business to help DTC brands achieve rapid growth. 

Throughout the years I've consulted for JWT, Havas, Estee Lauder, BBDO, NBC, MRM Worldwide, Nickelodeon, MTV Networks and many other New York based companies.

In 2015 I started growing my freelance business into a boutique digital agency, with focus on fashion, lifestyle and premium products. 

Avex has partnered with major brands such as: Hugo Boss, KITH, O’Neill, Undefeated, Simmons Serta Bedding, Marchesa, Eugenia Kim, Badgley Mishka, Ports V, Reem Acra, Iconix Brand Group, Google, PONY, Starter, Rocawear, Shutterstock, 88Rising, USANetwork, HBO, UBISoft, Sony Music and many more. 

Today, I continue to act as CEO and Founder (among other titles) of Avex. I’ve applied my experience and ability to adapt to creating a business that I am immensely passionate about. I love working with other creatives, building my team and taking on new challenges.

In 2019 Avex was invited to become a Shopify Plus Partner. Our agency focuses on helping brands navigate eCommerce.

Dynamic Yield by Mastercard

Senior Account Director

Account Director

TripArc

Director, Partnerships - North America

Logitravel Group

Setting-up from scratch and leading the Supplier Partnerships Strategy in the US and building a team in the region. Creating brand awareness and developing a portfolio of suppliers. Driving sales and optimizing profitability by driving demand to the right directly contracted product. Using marketing and sales tools, strong negotiation skills, and optimizing pricing and distribution opportunities. Reviewing existing processes and business models to adjust to market needs. 

•	Over $ 2 mill Revenue generated in first 6 months
•	More than 300 contracts in 6 months

Head of Account Management - North America

Agoda

Leading an innovative project to design and develop Strategic Programs for Preferred Hotel Partners in North America, in order to drive incremental margins and revenue. Working cross-departmentally and collaborating with a large number of stakeholders, and responsible for the achievement of regional sales targets. 
Providing strategic and commercial support to a large team of 70+ Sales Managers, continuously redesigning the product and processes, and setting up ambitious KPIs to guarantee growth. Strong analytical and reporting skills, outstanding sales capabilities, and the capacity to work in a fast-paced environment were key to succeed in this role.

•	100 contracts signed during my 18-month supervision
•	$ 50 mill pay-outs with $ 4 mill incremental margins, leading to 8% ROI

Strategic Partnerships and Partner Programs Leader

Managing a large portfolio of high-value accounts in top markets in North America and France. Growing revenue and sales. Negotiating pricing, inventory, and other contract conditions, to maximize opportunities for growth.
Offering and implementing a wide range of marketing products and solutions to satisfy partner needs and help them achieve their goals. 
Developing a pipeline of new partner acquisitions and building long-term relationships with independent hotels, management groups, and global chains.

•	Achieved yearly targets by more than 130%, with total generated revenue of over $25 mill/year.
•	Grown size of my portfolio by more than 25%, average of 50 new acquisitions per year.
•	2 career promotions within 3 years in the company.
•	Signed Global Agreement with 3 hotel chains

Senior Account Manager

HOTEL RITZ, SA

Responsible for pricing and online distribution strategy, alongside Revenue Manager. Using Property Management System and Revenue tools like STR Global, Hotelligence, RateGain for benchmarking and market analysis. Managing online distribution channels and preparing daily reports for General Manager and Sales team.
• My strong analytical skills, reporting, and efficient communication allowed me to contribute to a successful revenue performance while Hotel was understaffed.

Assistant Revenue Manager

NH Hotel Group

• Coordinated and was fully involved on implementation of an new innovative 'centralized procurement process' for the full chain in Spain. Which saved supply and buying costs to the company by 20%

Corporate Purchasing Executive

Emiliano Martin S.A.

• Excelling performance and communication with the team and suppliers (recognized by a permanent contract).

Purchasing Executive

Marubeni Corporation

• Made incredible impact in one of our top Clients who offered me a job

Sales Manager

Banesto

• Was offered a permanent position few months after starting

Account Manager and Financial Advisor

Strategic Sales and Accounts Director with Digital expertise. For the past 13 years, I’ve been providing solutions to companies across different industries (including Hospitality, Finance, Global Distribution, and Ecommerce) to drive sales and profitability.

I’ve helped businesses grow their portfolio of partnerships and improve their margins, by successfully managing complex projects at a cross-organizational level and involving a large number of stakeholders. 
Along the way, I've supported clients with solutions to drive ROI and profitability and achieve their business goals.

Building win-win and strong long-term partnerships are my primary goals, which all of my previous partners can advocate for. Passionate about people and personal relationships. Thriving for technology, creativity, agility, innovation and excellence.

Do you think you could benefit from the above or want to discuss opportunities to grow your business? Contact me on Linkedin or via Email: laura.cejas.h@gmail.com

AREAS OF EXPERTISE 
•	Sales and Marketing
•	Digital Marketing
•	Business Development
•	Strategic Partnerships Management
•.     Account Growth and Relationship Management
•	Negotiation and Communication
•      Team Management and Leadership 
•	Revenue Management	
•	Data and Market Analysis
•	Business Intelligence
•	Product optimization
•	Project Management	
•	Customer Centricity
•	UX and Personalization 
•	Retail and Online distribution
•	Hospitality and Travel

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The Battle

John Surdakowski

Laura Cejas

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