Company: Wiley
Industry: Enterprise Academic Publishing & Education
Solution: Global Brand Strategy & Fractional Leadership
Objective: Redefine the global brand framework, align the Employee Value Proposition (EVP), and ensure a seamless launch against a critical annual deadline.
Growth Partners are delighted to have partnered with the team at Wiley to deliver a new Global Brand Strategy project at pace, leveraging the expertise of a brand and marketing consultant.
Background
Wiley is a powerhouse in academic publishing, research, and education solutions, boasting a 215-year history of driving learning and discovery across the globe. More than just a publisher, Wiley shapes the future of knowledge and workforce innovation through cutting-edge digital platforms and research-driven insights.
Predominantly a digital company, over 83% of their $1.9bn revenue comes from digital products and solutions. With over 6,000 employees and a strong presence across North America, Europe, and Asia-Pacific, Wiley continues to invest in brand strategy, digital transformation, and strategic storytelling to remain at the forefront of education and research.
The Challenge
At the end of 2024, Wiley initiated a significant project to launch a new brand framework in 2025. The business faced a complex “scale-up” hurdle involving the total alignment of its brand identity with a new enterprise strategy. To succeed, Wiley required:
- Strategic Alignment: Revising the Employee Value Proposition (EVP) and company values to match the new brand identity.
- Operational Rigor: Managing a complex global project involving visual identity, tone of voice, and imagery across multiple international markets.
- Executive Influence: Securing internal buy-in and approval from the Executive Board while maintaining tight agency management.
- Speed to Market: Meeting a critical annual event deadline that necessitated immediate, high-level expertise without the delay of a permanent hire.
The Brief
Annabel Venner was appointed as a Brand Consultant through Growth Partners to oversee this global transformation. A highly experienced leader with a track record as CMO at Hiscox and Global Brand Leader at Coca-Cola, Annabel acted as a high-impact extension of Wiley’s CMO, Anna Reeves.
Operating three-to-four days a week over a five-month period, Annabel took full ownership of the project. Her remit evolved from strategic oversight to the total alignment of the brand project with the overarching enterprise strategy, ensuring the mission remained on time and within budget.
The Solution
Annabel led the brand evolution by bridging the gap between high-level ambition and operational execution.
Global Brand Management & Agency Lead
Stakeholder Engagement & Buy-in
Strategic Integration of EVP
- Annabel worked closely with HR and People teams to ensure the new brand framework was deeply integrated into the Employee Value Proposition and company values, maximising the impact on internal culture.
Capability & Skill Gap Analysis
- Annabel conducted a strategic review of the existing brand team and its capabilities, advising the CMO on skill gaps and future opportunities to ensure the team was equipped for long-term success.
A Flexible Approach to Brand Strategy
The 5-month partnership successfully de-risked a critical strategic project and established a firm foundation for future brand-led commercial growth. By delivering immediate, high-impact results at pace, Annabel served as the “steady hand” required during a period of significant change, allowing the CMO to focus on other business-critical initiatives.
This engagement provided the clarity and precision needed to drive the global brand transformation and align it to a revised growth strategy, ultimately proving how a fractional leader can seamlessly integrate with an in-play marketing function to meet demanding annual deadlines.
“Having selected an agency partner to deliver a new Brand Framework, I needed someone I could rely on wholeheartedly to work with our agency, marketing team and ExCo to deliver our global brand transformation and align it to our revised growth strategy. Growth Partners kindly introduced us to Annabel, who was the steady hand I needed during a critical time of change.
She was the perfect ‘wing-woman’, who I could leave to take full ownership of the project, driving it through with clarity and precision. Annabel’s insights quickly enabled her to build rapport with internal stakeholders and her previous experience enabled me to focus on other business critical projects. It was a pleasure working together and we’ll definitely keep in touch.“
Anna Reeves, Chief Marketing Officer at Wiley
About Growth Partners
Growth Partners connect the very best marketing consultants with world-leading organisations. We specialise in marketing, sales, RevOps and commercial, offering a full range of flexible resourcing leadership solutions.
