Brand & Marketing Strategist · Cape Town
Libby
Allen.
I build brand and marketing functions that perform.
Sometimes from nothing.
Fifteen years. Four continents.
One approach: editorial discipline applied to commercial problems.
growth — 9 months
7.6× industry benchmark
in a single month
at one flagship event
The editorial instinct for what an audience actually needs, the refusal to let a brief stay vague, runs through everything I build.
Pan-African communications · Global edtech
UN-backed platforms · Hospitality technology
B2B professional services
I build marketing and brand functions that are commercially grounded and designed to last under pressure.
That frequently means coming in at the point where a function needs to be built or significantly strengthened — establishing teams across strategy, design, and video, and turning them into functions with defined standards and the output to prove it.
I trained as a journalist. I’ve also built AI as infrastructure for how my teams work.
GenAI training programmes · Prompt guides · Workflow redesign · Production systems
APO Group
VP Brand & Creative · 2025–present
Africa’s leading communications consultancy across 54 markets. Built the soon-to-be-launched brand identity system from scratch — positioning framework, visual identity, and messaging architecture. LinkedIn grew 40× in nine months. 38× return on ad spend in a single month.
Chelsea Group / CTG
Creative & Content Director · 2023–2024
Brand and communications strategy across a global humanitarian portfolio — CTG, Assist360, Hart International, Chelsea Water, Chelsea Group, Leadership Trust. Sustainability report editing and direction. AidEx 2024 Geneva direction and coverage. Chelsea Parkfields site built from scratch in one week. Messaging architecture and creative for Assist360.
GVI Group
Head of Brand Communications · 2021–2023
Global rebrand across four continents — brand strategy, content architecture, SEO content strategy, and editorial direction. Marketing mix: website, blog, email, Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, LinkedIn, YouTube. Record email open rates. Record low bounce rates. Early AI workflow integration ahead of mainstream adoption.
Lobster Ink / Ecolab
Creative Director · 2015–2021
Global hospitality eLearning platform acquired by Ecolab. Enterprise clients included McDonald’s, Marriott, PwC, and Hilton — content deployed across North America, Europe, and Asia-Pacific. Promoted: Script Supervisor to Creative Director over six years. Led creative team through acquisition. Ecolab Leader Who Makes an Impact nominee, 2020.
If the work resonates
the conversation will too.
Working with organisations across Africa, the Middle East, and Europe.