Vital interim support and leadership for Marketing Cheshire

Recruiting a new managing director and head of marketing takes time, but in the interim, Marketing Cheshire was missing two key roles which set the direction of the organisation, providing leadership and expertise.

BACKGROUND

Marketing Cheshire is the sub-region’s Destination Management Organisation responsible for positioning Cheshire as a great place to live, work, study, invest and visit, and was initially part of the Cheshire and Warrington LEP (Local Enterprise Partnership).

The organisation works in partnership with three local authorities and tourism and hospitality businesses and there was a risk of losing core members and funding without appropriate leadership. So, it put out a tender for a consultancy team that could cover both roles.

WHAT WE DID

As a result of Marketing Cheshire commissioning oneday with The Assembly Line as an interim consultancy team rather than two individuals to cover the role, it benefitted from a much wider breadth of expertise from our team, who knew the area and could rapidly get up to speed.

• As a team, we understood and could navigate the complex organisation, build relationships and maximise value for external stakeholders. It was an unsettling time for the remaining staff, but by taking a steady and professional approach, we were quickly able to offer stability and calm.
• We helped Marketing Cheshire meet the deadline and achieve LVEP status and produced the Growth Action Plan.
• In addition to day-to-day team management and regular reporting to the CEO and LEP board, we created a set of KPIs by which the organisation could be measured.
• As a result of what our team delivered, Marketing Cheshire extended the six-month contract to a year.

Our interim governance of the organisation, alongside a strategic and structural review, ensured it was in a strong position for the incoming MD and Head of Marketing.

WHAT OUR CLIENT SAID