Philippa Scudds started her working life in the 1990s in the City of London, initially in institutional equity sales for a leading US investment bank before moving into financial PR. CIM qualified, she advised a range of clients from FTSE 100 corporates to SMEs at board level, developing highly effective communications strategies and public relations campaigns working with national, regional and local media.
A family move to Hampshire coincided with a consultancy opportunity in an independent school to reassess its entire marketing strategy. A comprehensive internal and external audit, focused marketing campaigns, improved media coverage and a new website resulted in a 30% increase in school roll.
Philippa has since worked with prep, senior and 'all through' schools achieving demonstrable results in what is an increasingly competitive marketplace. Her knowledge of the subtleties and nuances of the customer buying process has been built through over 15 years working in the industry, her own experiences attending an independent school and having both parents in the teaching profession. As the simplicity of this website reflects, Philippa's approach and philosophy are clear and straightforward. Be realistic about your market potential, play to your strengths, don't dilute your product and be true to your brand.
Philippa combines consultancy advice with in-house director roles. She offers bespoke consultancy which is tailored to each school. She does not use standard templates or strategies, believing that every school is unique. Services include general marketing audits, communications planning and crisis management advice. She has also worked hand in hand with school marketing managers offering communications support. It is the individual attention to detail combined with expertise from both the educational and corporate worlds which she believes sets her apart from larger consultancies.
Philippa has spoken on communications and marketing issues facing the sector at a number of industry conferences and events, and is a regular editorial contributor writing on issues currently facing independent schools marketing professionals. As a passionate supporter of independent schools she welcomes opportunities which enable her to share her experience with others in the sector.