Summary
Overview
Work history
Skills
Affiliations
Timeline
OperationsManager
Keith Lavender

Keith Lavender

Felpham Village,West Sussex

Summary

An experienced leader in the data analytics field with over 10 years' working at AXA. An advanced professional in Digital Analytics having rolled out and integrated over 40 advanced implementations of GA4. Striving for full automation and efficiencies of scale across the data teams, I have delivered solutions across the teams to enhance productivity through AXA.

Overview

28
28
years of professional experience

Work history

Head of Data Insights

AXA Retail
01.2022 - Current
  • Promotion to heading up the AXA Retail Data Insights team, which comprises of; Digital, Marketing, Performance, Operational and Claims MI
  • This is bringing together all of the teams that produce any reporting to one core team, to share best practice and bring about efficiencies of scale
  • Since being in this role, I have enhanced the Analytics visibility across the Business unit and successfully reduced time for end users to gain access to key reports and set up prioritisation dashboards for end users to track their MI requests
  • Key achievements Delivered large scale data solutions for regulatory reporting and online behavioural reporting to the business
  • By setting up anomaly detection have delivered savings to the business in excess of £2m Setting up data spokes, (a group of data specialists working throughout different business areas) in order to strengthen the data driven ambition of the company
  • This involved recruiting, training and ensuring a consistent approach to data with clear governance and reconciliation to produce influential reports to the business
  • I designed and successfully rolled, with my team, a new bespoke ticketing system for requesting work items and allowed transparency of progress to stakeholders across the UK business, covering multiple Operating Companies
  • Delivered a unique approach to monitoring and measuring wellbeing across he various teams within the business.

Head of Digital Analytics & Customer Engagement

AXA Retail
10.2019 - 01.2022
  • Promotion to head up the Digital Analytics area and continue to integrate the whole Google Stack (GMP + GCP) with our other digital systems to provide the full digital analytics architecture to enhance our capabilities
  • Key achievements I was responsible for the project involved in delivering the new Salesforce Marketing Cloud platform and this was delivered on time and within budget
  • Organised an extensive audience review across AXA Retail to enhance our Paid Advertising and used this within our automated bid strategies to enhance our sales Worked with privacy officers to roll out a Server-Side tagging solution, which removes the need for third party tags on the site and ensures the site runs more efficiently
  • Rolled out GA4 ahead of time and have been liaising with Google Product Managers to build a robust account
  • I have been working with them since 2019 for GA4, at the time it was still called app+web
  • Key new responsibilities Managing an extra team of four who maintain the communications channel with our customers and campaign selection using our single customer view
  • Within this team, we maintain the MDM database as well as the hands on producing and delivering all marketing driven email communication
  • The new area is focusing on adding in a new CRM system and integrating this into digital architecture and managing, delivering and reporting on all data driven marketing channels for AXA Retail.

Performance Manager

AXA Retail
04.2014 - 10.2019
  • Managing the Digital Analytics strategy for AXA UK & Ireland including implementations of Google Analytics and the integrations with DoubleClick, and commencing integrations with Salesforce
  • Many complex strategies have been completed and rolled out to the wider teams
  • We are the go-to team across the UK & Ireland if there are digital analytic requirements either in implementation or for reporting
  • Key achievements I rolled out full Google Analytics / DoubleClick solutions for AXA UK (business, personal & healthcare)
  • The Personal Lines set up previously was capturing only 60% of sales and upon completion rose to 98% comparing to the sales database
  • This was carried out using GTM and data layer with full enhanced ecommerce and linked up with BigQuery
  • Designed and managed the full process of setting up a neural network attribution model which attributed the sales across the various marketing channels and incorporated all online, offline sales and switching between devices
  • This was then integrated with our Bid Optimisation tool to drive incremental sales for PPC, within our newly created PPC team
  • Increased sales by 80% and reduced CPA by 24%
  • Tools used: GA, BigQuery, Cloud composer, DataLab, TensorFlow, SA360] Responsible and managed the setup of real-time analytics on the AXA site with ability to model the data to prevent fraud and use real time bid optimisation
  • Tools used: GTM, BigQuery,DataFlow, PubSub] Setting up of 'AXA Analytics Academy' to train a wide cross section of AXA staff on how to use Analytics tools and set up the use of 'Champions' within the business
  • Key responsibilities Manage a team of 9 analysts with varying responsibilities ranging from implementation, integration, automation and reporting
  • I manage and am responsible for data integrity of our digital analytics data and the supply of senior level reporting
  • I manage the budget for our Paid Advertising for AXA Retails (Business & Personal Lines) and to ensure that the sales and CPA targets are met
  • I ensure that all implementations are signed off and carried out correctly and accurately and that they are integrated to the necessary tools
  • Scheduling and prioritization of the workloads throughout my team to ensure all projects are delivered on time
  • Involvement in steering committees to help AXA move forward in the digital space.

Global Ecommerce Manager

Sunsail (TUI Marine)
04.2012 - 03.2014
  • Working with the Ecommerce Director, I was responsible for creating the strategies for increasing the performance and efficiencies within all of our global websites of Sunsail and coordinate all of the required development pieces required to meet business requirements
  • I planned and assisted in setting all benchmarks and KPIs for all markets for the wider TUI Marine division
  • Clear communication has been paramount in rolling out all of these initiatives across all markets
  • Key achievements I personally set up all of the TUI Marine Global websites (32 sites) with Google Analytics, via Tealium tag manager
  • This was done consistently to ensure that global kpis could easily be reported on
  • This also included setting up the enhanced ecommerce, which was a beta trial at the time and offline phone call tracking using ResponseTap, via TMS
  • Built global reports, using Tableau, linking directly with Google Analytics
  • This was to enable senior managers to better understand the performance of the websites
  • Held regular training webinars to build knowledge of analytics across the different markets
  • Key responsibilities I liaised with all of the markets to ensure that their marketing activities were performing and was responsible for setting up a link with PPC Agency to take on a unified approach to our paid advertising
  • I coordinated a wide range of projects to bring the websites up to a better level of quality including video hosting solution, Brightcover and social media monitoring with Brandwatch.

Business & Data Analyst

iExplore (TUI Travel)
10.2011 - 03.2012
  • IExplore was essentially a giant portal for all of the Adventure companies within TUI
  • My role was to assist with using a Pentaho ETL of creating uniform data sets to drive the iExplore site
  • Key achievements Successfully liaised with 30 global companies to coordinate their XML schemas Liaised with all companies to set up a uniform analytics system (Convertro) via Tealium TMS Set up a full multi-attribution tracking solution for all companies involved in iExplore to track both their online and offline bookings, involving integrating the data back into a data warehouse Key responsibilities Maintaining the data feeds that delivered the content to iExplore Setting up Tableau reporting for all of the companies to demonstrate when a booking was made – we tracked click-throughs and also natural traffic via Convertro multi attribution solution

Online Marketing Manager

The Adventure Company (TUI Travel)
11.2005 - 10.2011
  • This was a new role created to improve the website and increase the conversion levels
  • This was for two websites, one main site and an offshoot that I managed
  • I project managed the creation of both sites
  • Key achievements Integrated our telephone calls into the online analytics to enable greater understanding
  • Created a highly sophisticated ecommerce solution for tracking off & online bookings.
  • Devised a system to track online bookings by gross margin and removed budget cap (provision that profitable) Increased SEM Bookings by 31% (178 bookings) – YoY (averaged over last 6 months figures) Increased SEM profitability by 38% (£133K) – year on year (averaged over last 6 months figures) Increased “quality traffic” by 20% - year on year Introduced a comprehensive Social Media strategy Key responsibilities Manage budgets of £400K – needing careful control to maximize ROI Created in house Affiliate Marketing Website Optimisation – to improve conversion levels on the websites
  • Analytics suites (Omniture Site Catalyst, Google Analytics, DC-Storm)

Esales Consultant

The Adventure Company (TUI Travel)
05.2003 - 11.2005
  • I started out as a traditional sales consultant but quickly became online only
  • The main task was to email enquiries via the website
  • Key achievements In this role I created a database of all of the products that were on sale and set up a Crystal Reports query to enable all “e-sellers” to quickly send out efficient quotes
  • I created an Access database of all of the products and wrote a script to enable the sales team to send out templated emails that contained details of the products dates and prices.

Database administrator

CMS (UK) Ltd
Hampden Park, East Sussex
12.2001 - 05.2003
  • I was in charge of rolling out a new database to this company
  • The SQL database provided all of their engineers (120 approx) with visibility of their next jobs
  • Key achievements Assisted in creating a Blackberry App in-house (in 2002 – one of the first apps)
  • To enable engineers to close jobs remotely.

Independent Wine merchant

Hailsham Cellars
03.1996 - 12.2000
  • I worked in a newly opened wine merchant where I studied Wine & Spirits to a Diploma level WSET
  • Key achievements Designed and created up a database for the new clients, regularly sending out newsletters and all marketing literature
  • This has now become a very successful business both in the wholesale and online arenas
  • Designed my first fully transactional website for an independent wine merchant in 1996.

Skills

  • Leadership over data teams
  • Google Analytics and now GA4
  • Google Tag Manager
  • Google Cloud Platform
  • Azure DevOps
  • Google Marketing Platform tools
  • Visualisation Tools
  • Strategic Planning

Affiliations

  • I have a keen interest in outdoor pursuits and have spent a considerable amount of time travelling independently, including driving across the Sahara desert in a land rover and mountain biking down the length of USA & Mexico. Throughout this time I increased my general awareness of the world and brought in a wealth of knowledge and increased confidence.
  • I take an interest in fine wines and have studied up to Diploma level in wines with the Wines & Spirit Education Trust.

Timeline

Head of Data Insights

AXA Retail
01.2022 - Current

Head of Digital Analytics & Customer Engagement

AXA Retail
10.2019 - 01.2022

Performance Manager

AXA Retail
04.2014 - 10.2019

Global Ecommerce Manager

Sunsail (TUI Marine)
04.2012 - 03.2014

Business & Data Analyst

iExplore (TUI Travel)
10.2011 - 03.2012

Online Marketing Manager

The Adventure Company (TUI Travel)
11.2005 - 10.2011

Esales Consultant

The Adventure Company (TUI Travel)
05.2003 - 11.2005

Database administrator

CMS (UK) Ltd
12.2001 - 05.2003

Independent Wine merchant

Hailsham Cellars
03.1996 - 12.2000

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Keith Lavender