Alex Steer

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Email: alex.steer@gmail.com
Twitter: @alexsteer

PROFILE

Strategic planner with a background in agency and consulting environments in the UK, South Africa and the US. I've worked for clients in categories including automotive, charities, consumer goods, consumer healthcare, financial services, higher education, and restaurants. Experience in data and digital technology strategy, organisational strategic planning processes, and futures and innovation work.

EMPLOYMENT

2009-present: Marketing Fellow, WPP.

Three-year programme consisting of year-long rotations in WPP group companies, to develop management-level employees with experience across disciplines and markets.

2011-present: Senior Strategic Planner, Fabric Worldwide, London.

Designing strategies to help clients understand patterns in consumer behaviour, and act on insights by finding opportunities in creative advertising, online media, digital platform development, and innovation; strategic planning for the development of Fabric's Marketing Operating System product.

2010-11: Strategic Consultant, The Futures Company, New York.

Marketing, strategy and innovation consulting to help organizations understand and act on change; designing and conducting trends and futures consulting processes (including emerging issues scanning and horizon planning); advising on marketing, brand and business innovation; managing client relationships and major projects.

2009-10: Strategic Planner, Ogilvy Cape Town.

Devising brand, advertising and public relations strategies to solve client business problems; monitoring and advising on market and consumer trends; developing brand architectures for product portfolios; client relations and day-to-day guidance on messaging and positioning.

2008-09: Analyst, New Philanthropy Capital (charity think-tank and consultancy), London.

Advising donors, funders and charities on how to achieve and demonstrate greater social impact from their activities; writing reports and briefings on charities' work in the education and young people sector; analysing charities' activities, results and finances; recommending funding priorities.

2006-08: Assistant Editor, Oxford English Dictionary, Oxford University Press.

Researching the history and development of the English language; writing and editing dictionary entries; training editors and researchers on research methods and technologies; advising on specialist areas of lexicography and historical bibliography (especially early English).

2009 (part-time): Associate Lecturer in English Language, Open University.

Teaching English language and linguistics to students; marking written work and giving group tutorials.

2007-08 (part-time): Tutor in English Language and Literature, University of Oxford.

Teaching undergraduates reading for papers in English language and medieval literature; setting and marking written work, and giving one-to-one and small-group tutorials.

PUBLICATIONS

Alex Steer (2011) 'Reimagining social networks.' FutureProof 5. The Futures Company.

Alex Steer (2011) 'Status Update: The six decisions shaping the future of social networking.' Future Perspectives series.

Andrew Curry, Joe Ballantyne and Alex Steer (2009) 'Horizon scan of emerging issues for the Foresight project on the future of land use.' Dept. of Business, Innovation and Skills/UK Government Foresight.

Alex Steer and John Copps (2009) 'Go Play: Baseline Report.' Inspiring Scotland/Lloyds TSB Foundation for Scotland.

(2006-8) Oxford English Dictionary, third ed. Various entries, most in P-R.

EDUCATION

Girton College, Cambridge University (2001-05).

2005: M.Phil. English. Distinction in examination. Thesis on late medieval English historical bibliography. Arts and Humanities Research Council award, 2004-5.

2004: B.A. (Hons.) English, double 1st class. Top in college year. M.A. degree awarded March 2008. Graduate Scholarship, 2004-05; Davies Scholarship, 2004; Russell Scholarship, 2003.

Caterham School, Caterham, Surrey (1991-2001).

2001: A Levels. English Literature (A), Government and Politics (A), Modern History (A), Latin (A). Academic scholarship, 1994-2001. Academic awards for English and Latin.

1998/99: GCSEs. 10 at Grade A*; 1 at Grade A.

ADDITIONAL SKILLS

Computing: experience across major operating systems and with common software (incl. Word, Excel, PowerPoint, basic SPSS) and internet applications. Basic/intermediate coding and markup in HTML, XML flavours, XSL, CSS, PHP, Javascript, Python, Bash. Fast learner on proprietary platforms.

Languages: Native English, conversational French and good reading knowledge.

INTERESTS

Running; improvisation; linguistics and language history; word games; web programming.