Differentiate. Align. Accelerate Growth.

I help CEOs, PE investors and ambitious businesses sharpen their positioning, align commercial teams unlock shareholder value and drive rapid growth.

Differentiate. Align.  Accelerate Growth.

I help CEOs, PE investors and ambitious businesses sharpen their positioning, align commercial teams and deliver results.

ABOUT

Achieve your business goals with the expertise of an award-winning marketing strategist.

I bring more than 30 years of strategic marketing and commercial leadership experience, helping high-growth, investor-backed, PLC and international businesses across Europe and the US sharpen their positioning, accelerate growth and create shareholder value.

Senior-level expertise + flexible delivery = your competitive edge

MY APPROACH

The Essential Edge Growth Framework

Differentiate. Align. Accelerate.

Drawing on over 30 years of strategic marketing and commercial leadership, The Essential Edge Growth Framework brings together three interconnected disciplines to turn strategic ambition into measurable, sustainable growth.

01

DIFFERENTIATE

Stand Out. Be Chosen.

Establish a compelling competitive position and a clear reason for customers to choose you.

  • Growth strategy & market focus
  • Competitive positioning
  • Customer value propositions
  • Brand & messaging

Outcome

Stronger market positioning & competitive advantage

02

ALIGN

Connect Strategy & Execution.

Align leadership, marketing, sales and delivery around shared commercial priorities.

  • Commercial priorities & goals
  • Sales, marketing & delivery alignment
  • Integrated go-to-market strategy & plan
  • Operating model, governance & KPIs

Outcome

Aligned teams, priorities & go-to-market execution

03

ACCELERATE

Turn Strategy into Growth.

Translate strategy into focused programmes that build demand and deliver results.

  • Integrated campaigns & ABM
  • Sales enablement
  • Demand & pipeline generation
  • Performance measurement & optimisation

Outcome

Stronger pipeline, conversion & profitable growth

Enabled by human expertise, data & AI

Seasoned judgement and intelligent technology enhance insight, execution, productivity and decisions across every stage.

WHAT I DO

Essential Results

Human Expertise Leads. AI Enables. Growth Follows.

Repositioned a mid-sized business to achieve 5x over the target value creation goal

Repositioned a medium-sized professional service firm by developing and implementing Total Value Optimization™ (TVO), a differentiated approach to supply chain transformation, leading to the successful growth and sale of the company.

Consistently grew and achieved over £3Bn sales target for six consecutive years

As a member of the senior management team of a major international IT services firm, leveraged differentiated marketing, sales, deal pursuit and account development techniques, resulting in the consistent winning of >$3bn in new revenue annually over a six-year period.

Drove 28% CAGR for five years for an international consulting firm

Created a differentiated brand position and value proposition and implemented high impact go-to-market programmes (US/Europe), resulting in >28% CAGR leading to sale and exit.

Tripled the share price of an IT software company

Led a major rebranding and messaging exercise across all aspects of Gresham Computing (real-time transaction processing and control) to reposition the company for growth. Gresham’s share price went from 40p to £1.30.

The Essential Edge was the key.

Sustainable growth requires more than technology. It depends on clear strategy, compelling differentiation, deep market understanding and effective commercial execution.

At Essential Edge, I combine strategic marketing and commercial experience with modern marketing capabilities, data and AI to help organisations work smarter, make better decisions and improve performance.

I see AI not simply as a content creation tool, but as an augmentation layer across the marketing operating model, enhancing market intelligence, customer insight, planning, execution and performance optimisation.

My philosophy is simple: human expertise leads; AI enables; commercial results matter.

You can engage me as a:

Strategic Marketing Consultant.. |.. Advisor.. |.. Fractional CMO.. |.. Interim CMO

How I work with you

Senior Leadership & Advisory

Strategic Marketing Consultant

Targeted expertise for positioning, growth strategy, go-to-market and performance challenges.

Strategic Advisor

Experienced counsel to CEOs, investors and leadership teams.

Fractional CMO

Senior marketing leadership, strategic direction and execution oversight without a full-time hire.

Interim CMO

Hands-on executive leadership during transformation, transition or accelerated growth.

Specialist Marketing Delivery

Fractional Marketing Team

I bring together trusted specialists across content, digital marketing, PR, demand generation and campaign execution, giving you flexible access to the capabilities you need.

TESTIMONIALS

What my clients say

“Simon’s collaborative approach with me and the entire sales, marketing and implementation teams led Maine Pointe to achieve a five-year 27.5% CAGR that led to a successful sale. A large part of this success was very directly linked to his achievements. Nothing means more than full trust and Simon is a person of great core values, which creates a level of trust with everyone around him.”

– Steven J. Bowen
Founder, Maine Pointe LLC, Investor, Advisor to CEO, Author, Becoming Invaluable, Total Value Optimization

“Simon has played a pivotal role in shaping the FourCentric brand, positioning and marketing strategy as we have brought together seven independent businesses under one group identity.

Navigating the complexities of a multi-business organisation requires more than marketing expertise. Simon has brought strategic clarity, commercial insight and the ability to engage stakeholders across the Group, helping us establish a coherent House of Brands strategy and a clear roadmap towards One FourCentric.

His contribution has been instrumental in moving our marketing from individual company activities towards a more connected, commercially focused growth platform. Simon is a trusted strategic advisor who understands how to align brand, marketing and business strategy to create long-term value.”

– Simon Terry
Group CEO, FourCentric

“I hired Simon to work with our executive leadership team, and core service line and industry leaders, to better define and communicate our purpose, values, vision, brand, market position, and strategy supported by the implementation of multiple effective go-to-market plans for our sales and service delivery teams. Together we have successfully positioned EBI as a high value partner in the commercial real estate, wireless communications, life sciences and industrial markets for environmental, energy and sustainability, health, safety and engineering services across the United States. I would recommend Simon to many other CEOs or investors.”

 


– Nolan Previte
President and Chief Executive Officer EBI Consulting

“Simon’s extensive experience and frameworks allow him to synthesize complex information and create clear and concise ways to communicate strategies and directions. During his tenure at MindMics, Simon demonstrated his ability to tackle new problems with a fierce determination. He was excellent at bringing all voices to the table and facilitating productive discussions. His leadership and strategic guidance were instrumental in driving the company forward and achieving our goals.”

 

– Dr. Anna Barnacka
CEO, MindMics

“Simon led a major rebranding and messaging exercise across all aspects of the business, working with us to reposition Gresham for growth. Over time, we made significant and lasting changes to our positioning, branding, product presentation, web presence, social media etc. Everything went to plan and we are a happy, and now different, company.”

 

– Chris Errington
CEO, Gresham Computing Plc

“Simon led our marketing team, supporting European-wide sales of mega deal outsourcing contracts. His role included market positioning, campaign management and deal support through sales strategy and reinforcement. His leadership, personal commitment and marketing skills were instrumental in the sales success over a five-year period. Simon is a first-class marketing professional, driven by a desire to deliver tangible results.”

– Ken Archer
President, Europe, Computer Sciences Corporation (Now DXC Technologies)

Simon Knowles in the media

The Simple Guide to ESG in the Supply Chain

While CMO at Maine Pointe, Simon co-authored a white paper with Alan Amling, distinguished fellow at the Global Supply Chain Institute of the University of Tennessee, on the importance of ESG to corporate leadership and supply. You can read the white paper and listen to Simon and Alan speaking on the subject on a couple of podcasts.

RECOGNITION & MEDIA

Featured in

Articles featured in:

Publications featured in:

CEO Monthly Magazine

CMO Award Winner 2022

Significant contributor in:

LATEST THINKING

Essential Edge Quarterly Insights

Every quarter, I share my perspective on what’s changing in B2B growth, what it means for CEOs, investors and commercial leaders, and where I see opportunities to think or act differently.

Want to stay up to date? Subscribe on LinkedIn to receive future editions.

Get in Touch

Looking to sharpen your competitive edge and accelerate growth?