Charles Bern Inc

* Providing advisory on business strategy, innovation, growth, technology and marketing
* Product development strategy digital products, experiential design, architecture
* Managing a portfolio of investments across multiple sectors

Principal Consultant

Agilno

On the leadership team providing growth and client strategy both internally and externally
* Integrated marketing and sales strategy
* Building strategic partnerships
* Working with clients to create ROI-focused business solutions

VP, Growth and Strategy

CognitV Solutions, LLC

* Advising Cognitv on product MVP and company growth strategy
* Building a business growth roadmap
* Acting as a subject matter expert in virtual reality productization
* Advising key activities including strategic partnerships and contractor negotiations

Executive Advisor

Bygone Theatre

• Part of the leadership team focused on growth strategy
• Production lead on a number of key initiatives
• Establishing key partnerships with businesses, artists, and agency and talent representation 
• Lead on experiential design, event production, contract negotiation
• Event programming lead for the The Bridge, Bygone's flagship location

Director, Strategy and Partnerships

UP360 

Providing strategy and execution on critical business functions including product marketing, client solutions and innovation
• Lead on product marketing strategy, connecting client needs with product development roadmap
• Managing a team of contractors and internal staff to develop the company brand and positioning
• Client solutions lead on a number of accounts, acting as an SME in extended-reality and immersive learning for business solutions
• Increased site engagement rate by 36% and doubled conversion rate YOY
• Developed new strategic growth relationships with channel partners
• Led the close of a net-new six-figure contract in six weeks
• Led XR product and growth strategy that increased revenue by 35% within two quarters

Director of Strategy

ASTOUND Group

ASTOUND Group acquired my agency in 2021 and I helped facilitate the integration into the larger organisation. During my tenure, I championed winning strategies that grew the digital division by over 95% to over $5M CAD.

• Oversaw the growth of the digital team, tripling its size and creating over 10 new channel partnerships in 6 months
• Acted as innovation strategic lead on over 20 multi-million dollar projects involving web, mobile, digital twins, digital walls, Web3, and IoT
• Evaluated and managed over 30 third-party vendors
• Improved margins on digital project by over 25% YOY
• Led 360 media planning strategy for company and with clients
• Championed a new client experience focused around converting raw  designs into virtual and augmented reality showcase pieces
• Worked with clients that included CIBC, Nike, CN Tower, Spotify, Stripe, Align, Mercedes, Barbie/Peanuts (Kilburn Media)
• Multimedia producer - 2D, 3D, 360 and animated
• Championed a culture of ongoing learning and continuous improvement
• Crafting unique technology-driven solutions internally and for clients

VP, Digital Technology & Innovation

PATIO Interactive

ACQUIRED BY ASTOUND GROUP
PATIO’s mission was to help its clients “thrive in disruption” through  technology-driven design and strategy. Before its acquisition by ASTOUND Group, I managed a team of over 30 and oversaw a 20%-80% revenue growth for 7 straight years.  Externally, I was client-obsessed, building strategies and groundbreaking solutions. Internally, I grew the company from the ground up, overseeing all aspects of the business, and was ultimately responsible for hitting company performance metrics. 
• Managed a team of 30+, overseeing up to 6 client projects at a time 
• Increased project margins from an average of 11% in 2014 to 45% in 2021. 
• Pioneered one of the first business application of WebAR for Shoppers Drug Mart with 92% conversion rate
• Grew new business success rate from under 10% to over 30% in 4 years
• Achieved a client net promoter score of 96%
• Developed a multiple virtual and augmented reality solutions for clients
• Keynote speaker on XR strategies for businesses at conferences
• Successfully lead over 50 projects for clients including PwC, TD Bank, Chanel, Ace Beverage Group, Twitter, Converse and HBO
• Writer, producer, creative lead on multiple media projects

Founder & CEO

InSource Strategy Group

Marketing Strategy -- New Media Production -- Social Media Strategy
• Created the winning application for the the Canada Post eCommerce Awards - Best eTailor for Well.ca
• Team lead for several web based companies focusing on monetization and conversion
• Senior advisor for Connect the Doc, an online healthcare management system
• Business and network development, primary liaison to the CTO on major systems integration projects
• Project lead for the development of mobile apps and websites for clients as part of multi-faceted marketing campaigns
• Main strategic director and liaison for a distribution integration system for partners of a worldwide product distribution network
• Spearheaded a pilot project for video led marketing campaign Gardein International
• Doubled browser-to-consultation conversion with Yaletown Laser Centre through the production of a web and video communications project
• Directed and produced the “McGill State of Mind” music video

Consultant, Strategy, Marketing & Business Development

Yaletown Laser Centre

• Consulted in brand management and developed a new media and communications platform for the company
• Wrote, directed, and produced over 20 informational videos to highlight the benefits of the services provided
• Doubled website conversion rates in less than 60 days and saw an immediate increase in sales as a result

Marketing and Strategy Consultant (Contract)

Wire Rope Industries

• Oversaw a complete overhaul of the company's marketing and communications strategy
• Built a strategy to improve the consumers web browsing experience
• Optimized the sites content for SEO 
• Created content for the website focused on attracting and pre-qualifying customers
• Oversaw the translation of all the new marketing materials into four more languages
• Wrote, directed and produced over 60 minutes of promotional videos in modular segments

Sales and Marketing Project Director (Contract)

In 2014, I founded PATIO Interactive to help businesses harness the power of new technology. My agency became a leader in creating winning solutions with such technologies as extended reality, digital twins, AI, and computer vision.

Both internally and with clients, I preached the importance of "anti-fragility" (see Naseem Taleb) as a guiding principle when building a business. When the pandemic hit, PATIO grew significantly and was able to help our clients adapt, evolve and win despite the chaotic times.  In 2021, PATIO was acquired by ASTOUND Group to become ASTOUND Digital. 

A bit about me:

Living at the intersection of technology, strategy and creativity.  Making the most of the present while thinking about the future. 

I am a business and technology strategist passionate about solving real world challenges with cutting edge technology and human-centred design. I self-identify as a creative tech nerd and my MBA helps me efficiently translate cool things into real outcomes. I have built and managed teams to deliver a range of unique tech-forward solutions for companies including HBO, Shoppers Drug Mart, PwC, TD Bank and Converse. 

***The thoughts and views I share from my profile are expressly my own!

Not #cybermonday, it’s #maplemonday in Canada, for those of us who want to support Canadian small businesses. 
I’ll happily (and shamelessly) recommend my friends at Common Goods for painless holiday shopping from great Canadian companies. 
They have great holiday gift boxes (limited supply) entirely of Canadian retailers 🍁 

#startupcanada
#elbowsup
#buycanadian

Charles Bern

commongoods.ca

Common Goods | Shop Canadian

Common Goods

2x Exits | Strategist | Entrepreneur | Building the digital things that make businesses go | The team behind Vetster.com, Futurevault.com and a bunch of other digital products that kick ass.

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