Melissa Darby
London
Summary
Experienced communications professional, leading experts across marketing, brand, digital and comms to deliver results-driven campaigns that leave a legacy – with creativity, innovation and purpose. The driving force behind award-winning and issues-based campaigns that shift attitudes and change behaviours to build a better London for everyone.
Overview
13
13
years of professional experience
11
11
years of post-secondary education
Work History
Head of Marketing Campaigns
Greater London Authority
08.2024 - 03.2025
- Growing and leading a marketing team of up to 14 senior campaign leads, strategic communications professionals, partnership and digital community engagement experts to deliver against strategic comms framework across key Mayoral priorities.
- Lead the annual planning process, responding to research and insights to propose London's key comms priorities, resource, and budget plans to the Mayoral Director for Communications.
- Delivered award-winning work across all integrated campaigns for the Mayor of London. This includes priority issues to make London greener, safer, fairer and more prosperous, such as housing, rough sleeping, tackling knife crime, violence against women and girls, online harms, air quality and the climate emergency.
- Developed effective and authentic community research and digital engagement to ensure all Londoners are supported and represented in the GLA's work, including the creation of a new digital community engagement and partnerships team.
- Accountable for the central marketing budget (c £2.5m per year) as well as overseeing work delivered through additional policy partnerships and grants.
- Provide marketing expertise to campaigns across the GLA family, such as MOPAC, the Met and TfL, acting as a key sign off on all TfL creative featuring the Mayor's brand.
- Oversee agency relationships at a senior level - negotiating pro bono contracts across creative, PR, social media, research, and procurement of paid media planning and buying.
- Secured over £2.5m free advertising through media and agency pro bono partnerships each year.
- Key achievements: 'Have a Word' and 'Maaate' campaigns to tackle misogyny and violence against women and girls (30+ awards including the global Glass Lion award for culture-shifting creativity) / leading and overseeing campaigns across GLA and TfL to tackle air quality across each roll out of ULEZ with 'Let London Breathe' and 'Let's clear the air' / integrated comms plans across big Mayoral announcements such as 'Free School Meals' and the Mayor's plan to end rough sleeping / award-winning brand campaigns to promote London's values, such as 'London is Open', 'We all Make London' and 'Loved and Wanted'.
Deputy Head of Marketing and Strategic Communications
Greater London Authority
04.2023 - 08.2024
Head of Marketing Campaigns and Strategic Communications (Acting)
Greater London Authority
11.2022 - 04.2023
Senior Marketing Manager
Greater London Authority
08.2021 - 11.2022
- Led some of London's most impactful and memorable integrated communications campaigns for the Mayor of London across Sadiq Khan's first term.
- Managed all elements of owned, earned and paid campaign development from research, scoping and strategy, briefing creative, media agencies, production and PR, digital content across the Mayor's social, email, London.Gov website and press activity.
- Championed mid-campaign optimisations, actionable insights and evaluations against set KPIs, including a new actionable evaluation format.
- Key achievements: The Mayor's response to COVID-19 with 'London Together'/ the Mayor's response to Brexit with 'London is Open' / 'Let London Breathe' to tackle air quality across the Mayor's initial announcement and roll out of ULEZ / multiple gender equality projects within the 'Behind Every Great City' campaign including 'Our Time': an initiative to close gender pay gap and promote gender equality in the workplace (won best use of digital in the public sector, Digital Impact Awards).
Senior Campaign Manager
The National Gallery
07.2017 - 08.2018
- Led the Marketing teams' development and delivery of large-scale, national, and international marketing campaigns for major exhibitions and membership acquisition, as well as use of the Gallery's digital channels.
- Managed spend of the annual marketing budget.
- Designed and implemented a process for campaign development from workshops and brainstorms, to conveying a clear strategy to all stakeholders, working with designers on creative toolkits and agencies on activity plans to reach ambitious commercial targets and broaden visitor demographics.
- Led on the rebrand and event production of the National Gallery Lates programme (NG Lates), as well as a new organisational 'tone of voice' project.
- Directed the planning and deployment of PPC, SEM and digital marketing, including programmatic, social media as well as print, press and out of home, third party promotions, creative partnerships and events.
Campaign Manager
The National Gallery
11.2014 - 07.2017
Marketing Manager (maternity cover)
Whitechapel Gallery
09.2014 - 12.2014
- Launched the Gallery's new website and e-comms templates moving to Wordpress and MailChimp.
- This involved a huge content migration project as well as system integration.
- Managed all social media and online channels.
- Led a small, hands-on marketing team.
Marketing Campaigns Lead (Digital Revolution)
Barbican Centre
01.2014 - 09.2014
- Led the marketing campaign for the immersive cross-arts exhibition 'Digital Revolution', the Barbican's highest performing exhibition to date on digital channels, exceeding ticket targets and driving a high percentage of first-time visitors.
Social Media Manager / Marketing Assistant
British Museum
08.2012 - 01.2014
- Managed the Museum's e-CRM and social media strategy and social community of over a million, during a time of exponential growth.
- During this time the Museum became 1st in the leisure industry out of the Top 100 Social Brands and the UK's number 1 visitor attraction.
Education
MA - Media, Communications and Critical Practice
London College of Communication, University of the Arts
01.2011 - 01.2012
BA (Hons) - Art History
University of Manchester
01.2007 - 01.2010
A-Levels - Art & Design, English Literature, Geography, Theatre Studies
Wolverhampton Grammar School
01.2000 - 01.2007
Skills
- Audience research (including AI generated)
- Communications scoping and strategy
- Behavioural science and behaviour change campaigns
- Integrated marketing campaigns planning
- Press and PR planning and executions
- Creative and media agency procurement and management
- Crisis management
- Digital media including innovation, social, PPC, eCRM and content strategies
- Digital community engagement
- Partnerships and pro bono support
- Budget management and scrutiny
- Political scrutiny
- Speech writing
- Social media management
Timeline
Head of Marketing Campaigns
Greater London Authority
08.2024 - 03.2025
Deputy Head of Marketing and Strategic Communications
Greater London Authority
04.2023 - 08.2024
Head of Marketing Campaigns and Strategic Communications (Acting)
Greater London Authority
11.2022 - 04.2023
Senior Marketing Manager
Greater London Authority
08.2021 - 11.2022
Senior Campaign Manager
The National Gallery
07.2017 - 08.2018
Campaign Manager
The National Gallery
11.2014 - 07.2017
Marketing Manager (maternity cover)
Whitechapel Gallery
09.2014 - 12.2014
Marketing Campaigns Lead (Digital Revolution)
Barbican Centre
01.2014 - 09.2014
Social Media Manager / Marketing Assistant
British Museum
08.2012 - 01.2014
MA - Media, Communications and Critical Practice
London College of Communication, University of the Arts
01.2011 - 01.2012
BA (Hons) - Art History
University of Manchester
01.2007 - 01.2010
A-Levels - Art & Design, English Literature, Geography, Theatre Studies
Wolverhampton Grammar School
01.2000 - 01.2007
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