Certified Professional Coach

wabya

Co-Founder

Founders Law

Senior Marketing Manager

Amazon

Senior Brand Manager (EU)

myPeak Vegan

Director

Consumer Insights Manager

Digital and Media Manager (United Kingdom and Ireland)

Brand Manager (GTR)

Brand Manager

Brand Executive - Southern African Markets (Botswana, Lesotho, Namibia, Swaziland and Zimbabwe)

Grosvenor Branding Solutions

Head of Sales

01M-OneMoment

National Marketing and Sales Manager

Sports Performance Academy - Penzance

Founder

Umlilo Brands

Account Manager

I don’t just enjoy strategy - I deconstruct it. I’ve always been drawn to how people think, how decisions are made, and the unseen forces that drive behaviour. I’ve built brands with no budget, with limited resources, and at global scale. Whether it’s been hustling to grow a startup with organic, high-leverage tactics or managing multi-million-pound marketing budgets at Amazon and BAT, I’ve learned that strategy always beats spend when done right.

I’m an INFJ, known for being visionary, strategic, and deeply intuitive - the same as Nelson Mandela, which probably explains why I value insight, integrity, and meaningful impact over surface-level success.

I’ve worked with CMOs, founders, billionaires, artists, investors, and creatives. I’ve shaped global brand strategies, negotiated high-impact partnerships, and launched campaigns that drive real-world impact.

Beyond my work, I’ve been in the top 1% of all Spotify listeners worldwide, consuming over 5,800 artists in 2024 alone. Music is more than just a passion - it’s a way I experience the world, much like branding and consumer psychology.

I don’t just want to build - I want to build things that matter.

Craig Leslie

Fractional CMO | Strategic Growth Advisory

Delivering strategic advisory on brand, marketing, and business transformation for clients across wellbeing, regulated industries, and consumer sectors. Partnering with founders, boards, and investor-backed leadership teams to accelerate growth, sharpen brand positioning, and unlock digital and GenAI innovation.
• Defined marketing organization model and agency blueprint for a diversified business group (Strategy Consultancy, UK)
• Led foresight analysis on next-gen nicotine category in US/EU markets amid shifting regulation and regime (Hedge Fund, South Africa)
• Built D2C GTM plan for cross-border purpose driven affordable art platform by Asian painters (Startup, Asia)
• Developed brand strategy and semiotic narrative for a zero-alcohol spirits challenger (Startup, UK)
• Created regulatory-aligned messaging system for tobacco, alcohol, and pharma clients (Professional Services Firm, UK)
• Mapped GenAI use cases for consumer innovation strategy (Professional Services Firm, UK)
• Building a digital-first, omnichannel conversion model and AI-ready consumer funnel for a premium protein and frozen foods brand (Consumer Goods, Asia)

Global Head of Brand | Global Head of Marketing 

NICOVENTURES (A BAT Plc start-up)

Led global marketing team for a portfolio of nicotine brands, focused on delivering healthier consumer alternatives; developed long-range global brand strategy and innovation plan, brand positioning and visual identity, product propositions, channel strategy, global campaign development, and performance metrics. Managed a core team of 12 and a cross-functional team of 150 across 34 countries, alongside a network of WPP agencies. Led the development of the full brand mix, product proposition, and launch campaign for glo Hilo and its complete range of consumables.
• Scaled the portfolio to £1.2bn NTO and expanded into 20 new markets.
• Repositioned brand mix and introduced innovation credence, achieving 10% incremental growth in the premium segment.
• Launched the world’s first herbal-based nicotine alternative product with 85% distribution coverage.
• Pioneered digital-first consumer conversion model achieving 5%+ conversion rates.
• Optimized campaign costs by 44% and accelerated GTM launch speeds by 60%.
• Implemented sustainability initiatives in product, packaging and supply chain to reduce 40% CO2 emission from base line. 
• Secured partnerships with McLaren F1 and Tomorrowland for breakthrough brand engagement.
• Led a cross-functional team to build brand capabilities, creating the 'Brand Guideline Playbook' for all BAT Plc’s strategic brands.
• Mentored in the Women in Leadership and the NexGen Leadership Development program.

Global Head of Brand- Next Generation Products

Led global commercial strategy, P&L, product development, brand expression, and campaigns, overseeing 5 direct reports and 30 indirect reports, and managing footprint in 150 countries. 
• Repositioned imagery with flavour innovation, achieving 11% NTO growth and reviving premium credentials among new generation status seekers. 
• Delivered £20M annual savings through optimization of product specs and supply chain.

Global Head of Dunhill

Led operational brand strategy, creative content, and innovation pipeline for Asia Pacific Region and Global Travel Retail.
• Delivered 3% NTO growth in a challenging external environment.
• Optimized 10% global creative development budget through offshoring.

International Brand Manager- Dunhill & Kent

Led brand positioning and identity, pricing, packaging, distribution strategy and content, managing Brand and Consumer Experience Team of 10 members. 
• Drove 27% premium brand growth across diverse, high-potential emerging markets.
• Founded and launched Bangladesh’s first premium eCommerce platform: buyherenow.com.bd

Regional Head of Strategic Brands (Asia & Africa)- Premium

• Secured continuation of BAT factory by negotiating with the Government of Bangladesh and industry stakeholder groups through extensive PR engagement.

Senior Corporate Communication Manager 

Led cluster business strategy & planning, trade development, brand and activation plan, with P&L responsibility; comprising 65-member team in Lebanon, Jordan, Iraq, Syria, Palestine and Yemen. 
• Delivered 158% profit growth during geopolitical volatility by transforming operating structures and RTM models.

Marketing Manager- Levant & Yemen

Led commercial strategy and P&L, forecasting, wholesales & key accounts management, managing a team of 28 management and 2000+ distribution rep.
• Managed £300M+ turnover, achieving record market share growth (3.4% YoY).

Divisional Sales & Distribution Manager

• Gained 3.5% market share in the low-price segment within a year, maintaining business competitiveness.

Brand Manager, Value Segment

Sesame Workshop

• Developed sustainable commercial models for Sesame Workshop, driving merchandising and partnership revenues.

Business Development Consultant

J. Walter Thompson Worldwide

• Co-founded a pioneering digital and experiential marketing agency, executing high-profile campaigns for international brands (International Cricket Council, Nokia, Unilever, Coke, HSBC, World Health Organization).

Business Director

I have steered brand growth, led business transformation, and built thriving teams — across start-up, FTSE 100 company, creative agency, and consultancy — through strategic initiatives driving growth in 150+ countries on five continents.

It’s been quite a journey: leading billion-pound global brands, repositioning value brand into premium segment, leading business through market crises, and helping century-old category find relevance in a digital, health-conscious world.

Some of the work I’m proudest of:
— Scaled tobacco-free, wellbeing-focused innovations — bringing healthier alternatives to global consumers.
— Repositioned a value brand into premium, driving fastest global equity and share growth in its category.
— Led business transformation in war-affected markets, cutting complexity and rebuilding for 150% profit growth.

If I had to sum it up, my hallmark has been leading when things get messy. Whether standing up in boardrooms to protect a brand’s future, flying into conflict zones to keep distribution alive, or backing overlooked talent who went on to break ceilings — complexity, ambiguity, and change are where I do my best work. 

After pivoting from traditional tobacco to tobacco-free and wellbeing-adjacent products, I’m now focused on partnering with future-facing consumer brands committed to purpose and growth. In 2025, I was honoured to serve as a Judge for the Effie UK Awards, and Independent Agency Awards recognizing marketing creativity and effectiveness at the highest levels.

If you’re looking for a commercially-driven, creatively energized, and purpose-led leader to help drive next chapter of growth — let’s connect.

Key Skills:
• Leadership & Commercial: Business Transformation, P&L Management, Budget & Marketing Spend Effectiveness, Pricing Strategy, Go to Market, Organizational Restructuring, Change Management, Marketing Capability Development.
• Insight, Strategy & Planning: Market Research, Customer & Consumer Insights, Digital Analytics, Product Innovation, 5Y Strategic Planning, Annual Operational Planning.
• Brand & Campaign Development: Brand Positioning & Visual Identity, Omnichannel Campaign toolkit, Brand PR & Partnership, Performance Measurement. 
• Digital Marketing: Content Strategy, PPC, SEO, CRM, dCommerce, AI Integration, Influencer.
• Collaboration: Cross-functional Team Leadership, Top tier countries, Agency, C-suite and Investor Relation.
• Team Management: Diversity and Inclusion, Coaching, Mentoring, Succession Planning.

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Craig Leslie

Tanvir Siddiqui

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