About

I started Art College at the age of 17 and did a two year diploma in Graphic Design and one year HND in Advertising.  When I was 19 my mother came into my bedroom with a classified advert from the YEP which she threw at me lying in bed saying ‘apply for that job’.  I did and the following month started to work for Judith Donovan as a junior designer on £40 per week. My first full day lasted 36 hours – I slept on the floor under my desk.  

From ’84-’90 the agency grew rapidly and fortunately I grew with it. Having worked my way up to managing director, in 1999-2000 I led an MBO and took over in September 2000. In the next five years I grew the business from 48 to 75 staff, taking turnover from £9.6m to £19.4m and tripling profits to £750,000. In 2003 I coordinated the acquisition of Warrington-based advertising and PR agency Blueprint, without receiving any external support or funding. In 2005 I took over the role of chairman until the sale of the business in June 2007.

This is my ‘official’ biog – enjoy!

The Entrepreneur

Carl launched kloog in November 2007 to share some of the experiences garnered in his career with other businesses. Services kloog offers include business audits, business investment, Coffee with kloog, a ‘no-froth’ marketing appraisal, personal mentoring within business (The Tor-mentor) and off-site presentations and workshops for a variety of topics such as creativity, sales, advertising, marketing, success and management (klooguru). Since launching Kloog, Carl has worked with over 280 businesses and stays in touch through a regular newsletter – the klooguide.

 Joblink Solutions CIC

Carl’s latest business is Joblink Solutions a Community Interest Company which offers support to organisations that help people into the workplace. Joblink Solutions CIC helps schools, colleges, public sector bodies, charities and community groups involved in the teaching and training of job seekers through a mix of educational and inspirational courses and training programmes. 

 

agencybodsIn April 2008 Carl launched agencybods.co.uk, an online ‘boutique’ recruitment service specialising in the creative and marketing sector. The service differs from the usual recruitment agency offering by charging a flat fee of 10% regardless of salary level and by sharing the risk, giving a 50% refund if the candidate does not pass their three month probationary period.

Since launching, agencybods.co.uk has evolved to become a ‘one-stop online support shop and knowledge hub’ for marketing agencies, providing the tools and resources such as online HR management software, employee benefit schemes and training courses, as well as the ‘bods’ required to run a successful agency. Free of charge resources on the website include agency league tables, job descriptions and CV and interview tips.

In the summer 2010 agencybods expanded to cater for any business within Yorkshire with a recruitment need.

The Business Investor

Parties Around the World (PAW)

This business sees Carl join forces with two other Yorkshire entrepreneurs; Deirdre Bounds and Chris Hudson.

The venture is aimed at the Early Years Education sector and offers personalised party packs to nurseries and other organisations working with young children. Each pack generates revenues for the host organisation and includes a banner, birthday card, certificates, educational fun books and balloons to facilitate ‘on the day’ birthday parties.

Parties Around the World donates 10% of its profit to three animal and child welfare charities. 

 

M&H Wellbeing

After many years in marketing ‘selling stuff for others’, Carl became an investor and mentor to a young Leeds-based entrepreneur who has launched four new online retail businesses selling nutritional and health supplements. Healthy life store, Sporting-supplements and Healthy Life Store are the perfect environment to apply his vast experience of marketing techniques and Carl has ambitious hopes to become a market leader.

 

JumbleAID CICJumbleAID.com is a community interest company whose focus is on the environment and fundraising for registered charities. It combines the user interface and technological expertise of eBay, with the green ethos of Freecycle. It aims to reduce the amount of waste sent to landfill, while providing a new income stream for charities and providing positive roles for the beneficiaries of many of these charities.

JumbleAID will soon launch charity branded mini-sites dedicated to creating both ‘jobs’ and funds for participating charities and community groups. Its aim is to not only give used items a second chance, but people as well.

Dedicated sites will be built for charities and community groups that serve local communities by helping them recycle and reuse a vast range of unwanted items. The sites will be managed, promoted and operated by the people who support and benefit from the charities or community groups.

 

Joblink Systems

Joblink Systems is a sophisticated candidate management and job board Web 2.0 technology developed in Germany. The system is white-labeled  and licensed to recruiters, vocational trainers, educational institutions and organisations which place people into the labour market.

The Non-Exec Director

Current positions:

Since October 2007, Carl has been a non-exec director for Forward Ladies,
a not for profit organisation supporting over 4,000 women in business.

Former Positions:

Carnyx

For six months from 2008 to 2009, Carl was the non-executive director of publishing and events company Carnyx Group, the people behind marketing trade magazine The Drum. His role saw him sharing his knowledge and experience with the company’s existing directors, helping to oversee the development of the Marketing Industry Network (MIN).

Alvaston Media

From autumn 2007 to Summer 2008 Carl was non-executive chairman of Alvaston media PLC. His time as Interim Chairman saw the business establish a new Board and recruit a Management team for Alvaston’s creative agency, Creation. Carl ended his time with Alvaston upon the successful acquisition of a Lancashire-centric, aspirational lifestyle and fashion publication ‘The Magazine’.

Media Displays Limited

From Spring 2009 to Autumn 2009 Carl was non-exec director of Media Displays Ltd, a market leader in outdoor mobile digital advertising. MD Ian Taylor invited Carl to come on board to help propel the company to new levels. As well as helping drive the company forward he supported Ian on issues such as finances, staffing, prospects, customers and marketing – all in a bid to fulfil his ambitious growth plans for Media Displays.

 

 Additional Roles

Vince Cable’s Entrepreneurs’ Forum

In November 2010 Carl was invited by Business secretary Vince Cable to join a new forum of 26 high profile entrepreneurs whose purpose it is to advise the government on business and enterprise policies. The Entrepreneurs’ Forum meets four times a year and complements other groups, such as the prime minister’s Business Advisory Group, the business secretary’s Business Advisory Group and the Small Business Economic Forum.

Enterprise UK Ambassador

From November 2008 until its demise in early 2011, Carl was an ambassador for Enterprise UK (formerly Make your Mark); the national campaign to unlock the UK’s enterprise potential. In this role Carl frequently shared his own journey to inspire potential entrepreneurs and encourage pro-enterprise attitudes in young people. He gave up his time for several colleges and universities including the Leeds College of Art (his former college), the University of Leeds, Lancaster University and Barnsley College.

Welcome to Yorkshire Patron

Carl is one of 300 Yorkshire Patrons; influential business leaders and celebrities taking the Yorkshire message to a global audience conveying all that’s best about Yorkshire as a place to live, to be educated, work and play.

‘Are You Ready’ Patron

Carl recently became a patron of this internationally acknowledged education programme that aims to transform the aspirations and skills of children and young people. Working with schools and colleges across the UK, ‘Are You Ready’ harnesses enterprise as a legitimate vehicle for learning and helps young people develop the skills and qualities they need to face the future with confidence.

The Media Tart

Media appearances

A regular face in the media, Carl is best known for his appearance on Channel 4’s popular philanthropy programme, ‘The Secret Millionaire’, which saw him living undercover in the former North East mining town of Easington. Carl was given the task of finding and helping out groups and individuals involved in community projects. At the end of his time in Easington he ended up giving away £42,000 of his own money to worthwhile causes.

In order to promote the programme Carl was invited onto This Morning and Richard and Judy’s sofa (C4) and gave countless radio interviews. He has also appeared on C4′s Four Rooms with his Marvel comics collection and as an expert guest on BBC1’s popular debate show ‘The Big Questions’ and is a regular face in the region’s media providing comment on current issue stories.

For two years Carl was the resident ‘agony uncle’ for marketing publication The Drum. His ‘Uncle Carl’ column, was read by more than 8,000 people every two weeks since January 2008. The first 18 instalments have been published as a book called ‘The Gospel According to Uncle Carl’.

In 2010 Carl was voted in the top 70 of the UKs most influential marketers outside of London by readers of The Drum.

The Speaker

Professional speaking and judging

Carl can regularly be found taking to the podium, whether it is giving keynote
speeches at high profile business events, delivering workshops to students, or judging marketing or enterprise competitions.

Recent speaking engagements include the delivering the keynote speech for the annual conference for Tribal, a leading provider of public sector services in the UK and internationally and Bradford Telegraph and Argos Business Awards which saw Carl deliver an after dinner speech and entertain the crowds. Carl was also invited to deliver the keynote speech for Creative Bloom, a business group consisting of creative businesses based in Middlesbrough.

Since September 2010, Carl has been an approved speaker for Vistage International, the world’s leading chief executive organisation which has over 15,000 members globally. He delivers workshops on sales and marketing to the different Vistage groups based around the UK.

Recent judging engagements that Carl has been involved in include The 2010 MIN (Marketing Industry Network) Awards, The Pitch 2011 and a regional heat of Enterprising Britain 2009 and 2010, the competition to find the most enterprising place in the country.