My biography
With over sixteen years experience in the creative and digital communications industries; the last nine focused on business development through sales, marketing and pr; Hilary brings a wealth of both practical and strategic knowledge to businesses wishing to grow and consolidate.
Institutions I have worked with
- University of the Arts London
- Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design
- London College of Communication
- NMK – New Media Knowledge
- Wired Sussex
- Inspiral
- Women in Media
- SkillSet, SEEDA, SEMN and DTI
- Enterprise Hub Reading
- Enterprise Hub Hastings
- 01ZeroOne – Creative Learning Lab at Westminster Kingsway College
- The Research Centre
- BIMA
- e-consultancy – Hilary wrote and compiled The Business Development guide for e-consultancy published online in September 2003, up-dated in 2006.
Seminars and Courses
Currently Hilary is writing and preparing a new comprehensive creative business and personal development course through University of the Arts, Short Courses at London Artscom and The Innovation Centre at Central Saint Martins, called You and Your Career. Developed upon the success of the Immersion Programme. Working alongside Janie Wilson and Sian Prime to deliver this course structured over five, two day modules beginning in October 2010. The course includes workshops, self initiated research and active learning in groups, featuring guest speakers and 1:1 mentoring sessions.
Hilary also continues to work with several faculties within the University of the Arts London as an Associate Lecturer, to deliver a variety of lectures and workshops to Masters and BA undergraduates on a host of topics around setting up in business, business development and freelance issues in the creative industries.
In October 2009, Hilary delivered a communications and presentation course for the Sussex Internship Programme through Wired Sussex and the University of Sussex for over thirty-five creative businesses in the Brighton area.
For ten weeks during the Summer 2009, Hilary work with ECCA (Enterprise Centre for the Creative Arts) as an interim Enterprise Officer for Central Saint Martins College and London College of Communication. The role involved advising and mentoring under graduates and post graduates on setting up a business in the creative industries, delivering lectures and talks to selected student streams on how to take yourself to market. Hilary also set-up and chaired student debate events with respected speakers from creative industry on key creative business topics.
In Spring 2009 Hilary worked with Netimperative on a freelance basis specifically to raise the profile of several debate events within the digital communications industry through sponsorship; topics included Engagement through Social Media, Using Social Media to Build Business, Mobile Marketing, Search Optimisation and Design for User Experience.
From May to October 2008 Hilary wrote and developed a new course with NMK on key account management and how to enhance existing business relationships in an increasingly competitive market against the background of economic downturn. Hilary also delivered an Alumni session to new students at the University of the Arts London across a wide variety of new course intake students during their orientation week in October 2008 and participated on a panel for the Report of Review and Revalidation (Stage1) of MA/PgDip Enterprise Management for the Creative Arts at the London College of Communication.
In April 2008 Hilary finished delivering the fifth run of the highly successful NMK Nirvana Business Development course, in Sheffield, hosted by Inspiral for twenty of their member businesses.
From April 2006 to January 2008 Hilary worked with Quba, a Sheffield based web development and digital communications agency, on a variety of strategic business development initiatives.
Hilary completed a ‘children online’ event for NMK in London in April 2007, which she wrote, developed and presented. She has also delivered one years mentoring and training SME’s on the SkillSetBusiness Development Scheme for Interactive Media and Computer Games Companies, through Wired Sussex.
From January 2006 to July 2007 Hilary was Business Development Director with The Glasshouse, and Second Chance Tuesday; an organisation run by a team of successful entrepreneurs and created to provide support, encouragement and inspiration to the entrepreneur community and innovators across all sectors through high profile and premier, invitation only networking events, workshops and debates in London, New York, San Francisco, Prague and Sydney.
In early 2007 Hilary worked with Glass Partnership, strategic brand and digital communications agency, to consolidate their business development plan and processes and to guide and mentor the business founders.
Hilary completed a contract with View, strategic brand and digital communications agency, to raise their company profile and develop new business opportunities. In another short-term contract in 2005, Hilary completed a business development overview for FRUKT, a music marketing specialist agency. Here she set up best practice new business process and qualification procedures, identified target prospects through research and analysis, target sector prioritisation and segmentation, pipeline generation and recommendations on which to build an integrated 12 Month Strategic Business Development & Integrated PR & Marketing Plan.
Prior to FRUKT Hilary was Business Development Director with AGENCY.COM, an American full service creative web development agency totalling three hundred and fifty people people in six offices in North America and Europe, from June 2004 to March 2005. Responsible for leading all new business and sales activities for London office, Hilary created and implemented an integrated business development and sales strategy, lead qualification and pitch processes. In an ambassadorial role she represented AGENCY.COM’s London office at several industry events among which were The Marketing Forum 2004, Forrester Conference, New Media Knowledge, 01ZeroOne – Creative Learning Lab at Westminster Kingsway College and BIMA.
For the four years prior to her appointment with AGENCY.COM Hilary was a business development consultant, working with companies in the digital communications arena, guiding and advising on a variety of issues including sales, relationship development, pr and marketing.
Previous contracts have also been with n1media and Client Focus.
History
Before Hilary set up as a consultant she was Director of Marketing with Icon Medialab from August 1998 to April 2001, where she was responsible for overseeing all marketing and new business for the UK office of the Swedish based multi-national communications consultancy. Her role was also ambassadorial; she hosted and presented a number of industry events with New Media Knowledge, BIMA, The Institute of Directors and New Media Age. Prior to this, Hilary was Business Development Director at Modem Media Poppe Tyson, an American multi-national communications consultancy. There she set-up and co-ordinated a new business strategy and working methodology, whilst generating new business opportunities and relationships, again, she presented and hosted a number of industry events.
Hilary began her career in digital communications as an account executive with The Brilliant Agency, just as the internet industry started to get off the ground in London. Here Hilary raised company brand profile, via several high profile public relations initiatives and introduced new business opportunities whilst developing strong relationships with existing and new clients, partnerships and alliances.
Hilary obtained a BA(Hons) degree in Graphic Design at Central St.Martin’s Collage of Art and Design, having returned to study as a mature student. She then freelanced as a designer and animator for six years for a variety of film and production clients including BBC Children’s Television and BBC Youth and Entertainments, under Janet Street-Porter, where she designed stings, programme identities, short films and corporate identities.
Hilary is also a painter, mainly portraits in oils and is currently building a body of work for exhibition in Autumn 2010 and a singer songwriter.
Hilary is married to Dino Burbidge (Creative Director at Digital Outlook), they have two children and live in East Finchley, North London.