Skill set
Elena in a few words
I am a marketing, brand, and comms leader with over 20 years of global experience driving consumer engagement and building brand equity. Expert in end-to-end lifestyle brand management, crafting consumer-centric marketing strategies and creating experiences that cultivate brand advocates. Skilled in developing, inspiring, and aligning cross-cultural teams within matrix organizations towards commercial goals. Passionate about driving innovation across the full customer journey, all while creating positive change in the communities we serve and the environment we share.
Experience
- GEMS EducationSENIOR VICE PRESIDENT MARKETINGEDUCATION & E-LEARNINGMarch 2023 - July 2024 (1 year and 4 months)Dubai - United Arab EmiratesResponsible for developing, implementing and leading a new GEMS Education marketing strategy and roadmap in support of the overall business plan and growth targets across the MENASA region.• Led a high-performing team of 21 professionals across brand, digital (SEO, SEM and CRM), social media, strategic partnerships, graphic design and content creation, fostering a culture of innovation and collaboration.• Spearheaded digital transformation initiatives, including enhanced reporting on lead progression through Salesforce, launching targeted WhatsApp campaigns, introducing ASANA for streamlined project management, and onboarding the company's first Digital Asset Management platform.• Optimized corporate marketing strategy by integrating long-term brand-building with short-term performance marketing, resulting in record-breaking enrollment figures :• Launched a comprehensive brand study to guide the marketing strategy with data-led consumer insights.• Launched the brand's first awareness and re-targeting digital campaigns across key feeder markets, to attract and engage new families moving to Dubai.• Designed and implemented a revised social media strategy, including the brand's first Tik Tok account, resulting in a 16% YOY follower growth and 21% YOY engagement growth across owned channels.• Developed and launched a new brand visual ID and brand playbook across the organization to align properties and drive consistency in our marketing efforts.• Identified, onboarded and managed multiple external vendors/agencies, optimizing the quality of the content and overall marketing performance.• Launched a strategic partnerships vertical focused on collaborating with key industry brands and thought leaders to strengthen engagement and build credibility.• Design, review and implement frameworks and processes to improve working efficiencies and governance across the department.
- Shangri-La Hotels and ResortsVICE PRESIDENT F&B MARKETING AND CORPORTE COMMS EAMEHOSPITALITYApril 2020 - March 2023 (2 years and 11 months)Dubai - United Arab EmiratesAward-winning leading luxury hotel and resort company with over 100 properties across Asia, Australia, Europe, Middle East and the Americas.Led the F&B/retail marketing, CSR, partnerships, social media and corporate communications strategy for the MEIIA region.• Provided remote leadership to teams in the US and UK, with further dotted line reporting from hotel based marcoms representatives in Europe, Canada, Middle East, India and Indian Ocean.• Led influencer marketing collaborations, implementing the region's first influencer strategy and platform to strengthen brand awareness.• Led the roll out of regional brand and CSR partnerships in line with luxury consumer trends. Included Veuve Clicquot pop-ups, Sky Diamonds partnerships. (industry-first proposals/celebrations with sustainable diamonds), Make-A-Wish Foundation and sustainable heirloom toy maker PLAAY!.• Directed crisis communications for the region at corporate and provided guidance at hotel level. Relaunched updated crisis media guidelines document/process across the region.• Identified, onboarded and managed regional PR agencies in India, GCC, U.S, UK and Germany.• Conceptualized and led the F&B Advisory Board and co-led the Innovation Committee across the region, working with key operational teams to create differentiated, scalable, and on-brand experiences.• Led the development and execution of region-wide campaigns focused on digital channels, including comprehensive toolkits to ensure consistency, high-quality creative, and optimized efforts—supporting over $61M in F&B revenue and directly generating $4M.• Part of the pre-opening team for the Shangri-La Jeddah, marking the brand's entry into the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
- Shangri-La Hotels & ResortsGLOBAL SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT BRANDSHOSPITALITYMarch 2018 - April 2020 (2 years and 1 month)Hong KongDirected global brand management, with a strong emphasis on delivering the leadership vision for a refreshed luxury brand positioning and customer experience in the lead up to its 50th anniversary.• Led global brand strategy, overseeing a major repositioning campaign in collaboration with leading agencies and partners.• Developed and launched a new brand visual ID and brand playbook across the organization.• Launched a global User Generated Content campaign through social channels to an internal and external audience, securing 60K+ new images and videos to our content library in 6-months #FindYourShangrila.• Led the team behind the launch of "Find Your Shangri-La" campaign, featuring a brand film directed by renowned director Dave Meyers. Developed a robust plan through owned, earned and paid channels, as well as internal colleague and external VIP events (launch was delayed due to COVID).• Managed multi-million-dollar marketing budgets, ensuring cost-efficiency and maximizing ROI.• Created ultra-luxury hotel experiences in collaboration with partners/hotels across select cities, targeting high-net-worth clients – included a collaboration with Ugo Gattoni, illustrator of renowned Hermès scarves, for creative support.• Led a variety of projects from a brand standards and F&B perspective to enhance our on-property guest experiences, and in collaboration with relevant operations teams.
Recommendations
Education
- DiplomaLes Roches Hotel Management School1993Graduated with a MERIT Award