Education & Experience

Born in the United Kingdom, Alvin Douglas (Al) is a highly trained professional in his field of work and educated holistically: creatively, culturally, spiritually, morally, physically, technologically, and intellectually.

He has worked in Marketing, Events, Sales and Business Development for The Coca-Cola Company, VF Corporation, Halewood International and The Rock Garden. Furthermore, Al has dedicated his career to exploring what makes his business breakthrough to the next level of success, and his impressive client list shows that he has cracked it – it includes:

• Apple, British Airways, Marshall Amps, The Coca-Cola Company, Harrods, Coutts & Co, The Ivy, Sennheiser, Hard Rock Cafe, BAFTA and Merlin Entertainment (See Case Study).

Al’s mother was a nurse and his father was a major multiple London nightclub owner. Al was brought up in the hard-working world of entertainment and consumer marketing whilst also following in the footsteps of his two sisters by studying psychology.

Al said:

‘My Psychology honours degree has taught me to think clearly and independently and to embrace ethical values and integrity.’

‘I’m a business consultant in the Live Events, Lifestyle & Entertainment sector with 20+ years of communications and marketing experience across brands, content, live music & fine art events, networking and addressing the professional needs of business and lifestyle High Net Worth Individuals (HNWI). Additionally, I have a keen interest in Human and Brand Behaviour and Mental Health aka Psychology.’

‘If you haven’t guessed, I love coming up with wild ideas and bringing them to life, in work I’ve been known as ‘The Fixer’. What makes me after sought after consultant by global brands and clients is that I make complex matters very simple. I have excellent work experience working for global brands and clients, writing winning creative proposals that have enabled me to strategically assess opportunities from different angles. Additionally, applying brand psychology to the client’s projects produces how the client wishes the customer to engage – I call it choice architecture – additionally providing analysis, solutions and general marketing expertise for clients to further develop their brand.’

These building blocks have given Al Douglas the capacity to endure and persevere. He has developed good judgment and knows where and how to focus his attention.

Certificates & Degrees

Counselling Psychology BSc (Honours/ Bachelors) 4 yr study

London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE & OU)                                            

Counselling Psychology is a multifaceted discipline and includes many sub-fields of study such areas as child to adult development, sports, health, clinical, social behaviour and cognitive processes. It is the scientific study of the mind and behaviour. In many ways, these objectives are similar to the kinds of things you probably do every day as you interact with others.

Body language & Deception – Level 3 Diploma – 1st Distinction – CPD Certification & IAO accredited  – (Centre of Excellence Course)                                

The study of body language is also known as kinesics. It complements psychotherapy as a form of non-verbal communication that encompasses conscious and unconscious gestures. Therefore these gestures or cues point out some revealing gesticulations and mannerisms which give us an insight into what people say and really mean.

Strategic Entrepreneurship & Innovation – Online Foundation degree                

King’s College London

Entrepreneurship: From Business Idea to Action. Understanding and managing entrepreneurship and innovation to lead innovative teams and organisations around the world. An enhanced understanding of business and improved skills in learning how to apply business concepts and ideas to different contexts within an entrepreneurship ecosystem.

Business Excellence (Diploma):

Profiling Organisational Culture and Climate for Growth. Effective Participation in Meetings, Presentation skills and Negotiating Skills, Career Counselling and Coaching, Team Assessment and Development.

Management Development (Diploma):

Assertiveness at Work, Stress Risk Assessment & Interventions, Time Management, Creative Problem Solving, and How to Assess & Develop Emotional Intelligence.

Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check (qualifies for the PVG Scheme)

If an employer wants to hire someone, they can ask for a DBS certificate that gives details via access to a range of police data, and other data sources. This will make it clear to the employer that a person has or has no convictions.

Disclosure and Barring Service also manages the Protecting Vulnerable Groups Scheme (PVG). This is a membership scheme for people who work with children or vulnerable adults. Employers can check a member’s record at any time to make sure they’re still safe to work with these groups.

Current Work Expertise and Skills

A highly focused individual, with an emotional quotient for learning in all parts of life, personal and professional. A well-travelled strategic marketer that believes positive experiences build profitable brands. As communications evolve, what a brand actually does is becoming far more important than what it says. I strive to help brands strategically shift from saying to doing by developing meaningful initiatives that solve real problems for consumers. I’ve taken on many different types of projects and worked with a wide range of cross-functional internal teams applying innovation and invention. No matter what I’m working on, I’m very invested.

Essential Skills

A marketing professional who has studied Counselling Psychology, Continuing Professional Development (CPD)  and body language to a distinction level. Spearheading the delivery of innovative and creative event projects on time and on budget through economic challenges for national and global brand clients. As a Project Management Professional (PMP) I employ empathy and commercial leadership principles in my role. Proven track record of having a growth mindset and improving profitability in both operations and commercial, by footfall by 10%, cost-reduction and process optimization. Ability to set objectives and KPIs for projects and set clear monitoring and evaluation plans to report on outcomes of a project. Providing an extensive and diverse experience in immersive live events, matchmaking, B2B & B2C networking, art curation, psychology, corporate online conferencing, and lifestyle and hospitality management sectors. Therefore have provided superior management of collaborative relationships with internal stakeholders and external partners, speakers, performers, production companies and suppliers to ensure events are delivered successfully. Seeking to apply proven skills and strong principles in a more challenging role.

Operations management: Producing multiple engaging projects (up to 12 events per month), delegating and multitasking. Delivered customers and entertainment to venues producing entrance and bar profit. Maintained compliance and quality assurance, permits, and negotiated contracts. Submitting weekly, monthly and annual reports to the clients with zero errors recorded. Staging current and emerging artists for artist management, labels and agencies. Overseeing full production/ stage management, artist booking, hosting and management of internal resources to full event evaluation, logistics, venue interior design, and health and safety.

• A broad skill set and flawless attention to detail developed through marketing to successfully managed project development with annual/ seasonal budgets of over £500,000+ for given periods.
• Writing and communication: Proficiency in MS Office 365, Google Docs, and WordPress-based content management systems to produce weekly admin. Navigated complex content application platforms to submit applications, proposals and briefs that receive validation and confirmation.
• Experienced with strong judgment, good commercially-minded instincts and good attention to detail whilst working under pressure.
• Solid financial budget management, P&L, statistics, analytics and data to meet their broader campaign goals whilst still forecasting and exploring a source of competitive advantages.
• Knowledgeable in contracts and agreements’ intellectual property (IP) aspects to pinpoint specific client growth opportunities.
• Confidently engaging and influencing on all levels internally and externally. Ensuring that all client events and projects are delivered to the highest possible standards, even to tight deadlines.
• A forward-thinking and active partner in sustainability and looking for opportunities to support and enhance the client’s sustainability initiatives.
• Proven ability to work and adapt in a multicultural environment and be respectful of other cultures.
• Positive attitude and open-mindedness, a problem-solver with the ability to inspire, resolve issues, motivate teams and individuals and think outside the box for creative solutions and troubleshooting.
• Monitor the market and identify new partnerships that can enhance the investor relations (IR) value proposition and provide competitive advantage and/or enhanced solutions for brand clients.
• Drive sponsorship brand conversations by identifying new categories, prospects and revenue lines.
• Overseeing full production/ stage management, artist booking, hosting and management of internal resources to full event evaluation, venue interior design, and health and safety.

Past Employment

• The Rock Garden & The International (London Hospitality and Events) – Senior Events and Marketing
• Halewood International (Global distiller and distributor of premium artisanal spirits) – Business Development & Events
• VF Corporation (American worldwide apparel and footwear company) – Business Development
• The Coca-Cola Company (American multinational beverage corporation) – Marketing, Events and Sales

Projects consulted on:

• Live music events
• Fine Art placement and exhibitions
• Members Clubs & HNWI Networking events
• Bar and Office interior and exterior design
• Staff/ personal mental health consultation
• Matchmaking/ Dating business development and mobile app
• Driving brand growth through marketing.
• Start-up, business premises/village
• Start-up music business

Inspired Events

One of my favourite projects was working on behalf of The Coca-Cola Company, planning and organising Live music events for major and emerging music artists across the UK & Europe to promote Coca-Cola in live music entertainment. Limited edition Coca-Cola bottles were designed for each major artist and event.

Each major artist was supported by a local emerging artist. These events were a captivating and creative experience for all involved.

The Psychologist

I have studied and enjoyed studying the core areas of psychology for four years at The London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) & Open University – cognitive, biological, developmental, social, individual differences and business behaviours.

I also have a Distinction (1st) in the study of body language, also known as kinesics. It complements psychotherapy as a form of non-verbal communication that encompasses conscious and unconscious gestures.

I always had intended to merge my psychology education with my years of experience in the entertainment industry, to help people and brands understand why they do and feel the way they do socially and in business. Although I don’t have a magic wand, I’m experienced enough to offer suggestions, solutions and techniques to develop and or adjust a client’s current thoughts and or behaviour.

So if you are feeling stuck, trapped, unhappy or confused, I may be able to provide you with some tools to take action or get further help. It Is Good To Talk.

My education has helped me to have strong written and verbal communication skills to effectively understand the needs of clients and explain the treatment process to help them deal with the high and low point emotions in mental health, risk perception, decision-making in business psychology, plus the thought process and subconscious belief systems in everyday life.

Having some knowledge of how one’s mind works is a very helpful tool. Understanding cognitive neuroscience and the neural mechanisms of memory, attention and perception can improve a persons health and performance. Furthermore, in business, attention and perception can open new possibilities that a business didn’t realise was right in front of them. I have depth and breadth of knowledge of relevant psychological subject matter and awareness of the latest developments in this field of research to provide practical advice and solutions to make a positive impact in the lives of others and enable people to live full, satisfying and independent lives.

Essential Skills

• Empowering people to eliminate obstacles, talk it through, gain clarity, set goals and that holds them accountable to achieve goals going forward
• Undertaking people’s assessments of physical, communication, interaction and cognitive skills
• Discovering and discussing the roots of people’s problems
• Planning and providing appropriate treatment and activities
• Advising people on how they can approach everyday tasks differently
• Adapting people’s environments, whether at home or work

I have learnt to put bias aside and know that everyone has a story. What’s yours?

BRAND

VALUE

OPPORTUNITY

INVESTMENT

Al Douglas has years of experience in various high value, active industries. He is the extra cog in business that introduces the smooth transition to solutions and creativity.

Al says, ‘Business is a combination of war and sport. It is only common sense to know that if you want to do big things, you will need better tools.’

In the business world, those who work hard will know or discover that success in life is never final and failure is never fatal. It’s courage that counts. Furthermore, there are no secrets to success.

It is the result of preparation, hard work, learning from peers and failure. Each mistake one makes teaches us something new. An essential aspect of creativity is not being afraid to fail.

~ Alvin Douglas