Kate Elphick

Digital Bridges

Digital Bridges

Digital Bridges translates business strategies into specifications for web 2.0 applications

• Startup type: Company
• Status: Active
• Stage: Profitable

Kate Elphick specialises in translating Enterprise Growth and Innovation strategies into specifications for Enterprise 2.0 applications. She heads up Digital Bridges which creates high performance companies by unlocking the business value of the web. Kate has spent the last 14 years on the business side of the IT Sector with companies such as Didata, Primedia, and Business ConneXion.
Kate has an MBA from Gibs where here dissertation was entitled "The Role of Mobile web in South Africa's macroeconomic growth".
Kate's professional interests are Growth Strategies, Marketing and Communication, Intranets and the web

Employer:	Digital Bridges
Position:	Director
Time period:	January 2007 - Present
Description:	Digital Bridges translates Businesses' Growth and Innovation Strategies into specifications for Enterprise 2.0 Applications. Description Develop web enabled 2.0 Collaborative Technology solutions using management consulting skills and experience in order to ensure that these solutions deliver on the organisations’ business strategies and are easily adopted by stakeholders. Solutions Include Collaborative Project Management Strategic Client Relationship Management Innovation Optimisation Employee Behavioural Alignment Solutions Knowledge Management Specialised Themed Sites that integrate multiple technologies .Mobi Main Job Functions Multi-disciplinary Management Consulting on Business Innovation and Growth Strategy Facilitation Business Development Marketing Functional Specifications Partner Relationship Management Project Management Websites www.digitalbridges.co.za www.memorialwall.co.za

Employer:	Knowledge Factory (A Primedia Company and a SAS Silver Partner)
Position:	Catalyst
Description:	Main Job Functions : Business Intelligence (BI) Solution Consulting Develop BI Strategies for Business Model and Process Innovation Functional Specifications and JAD Session Facilitation Implement into Business (CRM, Segmentation, Retention Strategies, Churn Management, Cross & Up-Sell, Service Distribution, Trade Area Optimisation, Supply Chain Management) Project Management Business Development and Complex Strategic Sales at Executive Level Develop a business development plan for each vertical sector o Identify new opportunities and develop new markets o Manage B2B relationships and look for opportunities in existing client base o Identify new opportunities for annuity revenue streams Identify and manage alliance partners in these sectors o Research and understand the drivers of each sector Understand competitor activity and counter o Develop vertical sector based strategies and solutions Write Proposals, Respond to RFI’s etc Meet Revenue Targets and weekly feedback and reporting Marketing and Communication Marketing activities to demonstrate sector competence - PR, Articles, Conference speaking, networking breakfasts etc Strategic Relationship Management with all Stakeholders Accounts included The First Rand Group (FNB, Momentum, eBucks, Discovery and OUTsurance) Public Sector (SARS, dti, Eskom, CSIR, StatsSA, Department of Agriculture) Cell C, Mutual&Federal, The AA, CSIR, Pam Golding, Sothebys, ALPRO, Alexander Forbes, Imperial, Barloworld (Avis, Logistics), Santam, Daimler Chrysler, AVON, Nandos, MassMart MetCash, JD Group, Accenture, Deloittes, E&Y, Sun International, Gold Reef City Website www.knowledgefactory.co.za

Employer:	KEandA
Position:	Self Employed
Description:	Description Multi-disciplinary Management Consultant: - Innovation and Growth Strategies, Change Management, Organisational Design with specific focus on implementation through Marketing, CRM, Communication, BPR and Strategic Employee Behavioural Alignment. Clients included Corporate Softline - Set up of their HR recruitment division and process design, Intervid (a subsidiary of VenFin) – Facilitated the Turn-around Strategy with the executive and the repositioning of one of the business units Cathexis, AVAYA – Developed the Business Case for Investment in 2010. BBDO Consulting (A global Strategic Marketing consultancy that entered the South African market to compete with Mc Kinsey’s) – Implemented their Strategic Business Development Competence. This included the development of Sales Strategies, Marketing Strategies, Brand Equity Management and Customer Equity Management solutions to drive demand-led growth in client organisations. SME IQ Health and Beauty – Facilitated the turn around and subsequent sale, Innomed - Business strategy and acquisition of Venture capital, MaxMed - Business Plan, Sales Strategy, ACE Telecoms, Facilitated the turn around strategy in Africa, TriBeCa – Design of the Change Strategy and employee retraining in order to win the contract for a role out in Woolworths nationwide, Public Sector National Lotteries Board – Business Process Reengineering diagnostic contract Website www.keanda.co.za

Employer:	CS Holdings
Position:	Group Business Development Executive
Description:	Main Portfolios : Restructure Business Development to a Vertical Sector Focus Develop & implement Comprehensive Marketing Strategies per sector Research and Understand the Vertical Sectors BID Management, RFI’s, RFQ’s and RFP’s Environmental Scanning and Information Dissemination Alliance Partner Identification and Portfolio Management Positions of leadership: Business Development EXCO Marketing EXCO Chairman of the CRM Steercom Successes Repositioned CS Holdings as a BEE company in the market through careful communication supported by consistent credible reference points. Completed the Goldmine roll out, which had been a distressed project in CS Holdings for the previous three years.

Employer:	Comparex Africa (Pty) Ltd (Now BCX)
Position:	Senior Manager: Corporate Affairs & Strategy
Description:	Main Portfolios : Marketing Brand Development and Management Stakeholder Relationship Management – Government, Media, Clients, Employees and Management Environmental Scanning and Information Dissemination Strategic Communication and Public Relations Portfolio B2B Relationship Management Business Development Support in meeting their Sales Targets and managing sales pipeline Corporate Social Investment Portfolio Special Projects: Documented the Group Business Strategy Design of the Strategic Business Development Competency Rebranding Project from PQ Africa to Comparex Africa Transformation Portfolio Business Improvement Team and Change Management Successes Member of Business Improvement Team which was responsible for the Organisational Design and Change at Comparex. Implemented the Performance Management Project at EXCO and Senior Management level by aligning it using the Balanced Score Card with the Group Strategy

Employer:	Dimension Data
Position:	Senior Business Architect
Description:	Main Portfolios : Project Manager on Didata Enterprise Information Architecture (EIA) Business Modelling and Data Modelling Applications Architecture Business Process Reengineering Managed the Project Team and Liaised with Siebel Internal skills transfer workshops: Strategic Selling Project Management Marketing and Communication Successes Designed a “Strategic Decision-making Framework” that enabled Dimension Data to take business decisions understanding where they would impact on the business.

Employer:	Datatec
Position:	Group Marketing Manager Datatec Performance Services
Description:	Main Functions : Migrated the combined group of companies to a single Brand –ITIQ Internal Behavioural Alignment Loyalty Programme design Success Elected to the team responsible for implementing the Performance Management Programme at Datatec. We completed the project successfully within 3 months.

Employer:	Realistic Security
Position:	Self Employed
Description:	Main Job Functions : Sales, Marketing and Communication Human Resources Financial Management Success This company is still running successfully 10 years later

Employer:	Corpcom (Now Clear Channel)
Position:	Group Sales Manager
Description:	Budget : R56 million Sales Team : 16 members Main job Portfolio : Manage sales team Sales Strategy and Territory Sales Plans Identify new opportunities

Employer:	City Posters (Clear Channel BU)
Position:	GM
Description:	Main job Portfolio : General Management Marketing Financial Reporting Turn Around Strategy Success Turned around a loss making company into a profitable company within three months

Employer:	First National Trust
Position:	Independent Estate Executive
Description:	Main functions : Administration of estates Liquidation & Distribution Accounts Contracts and other legal documents Insurance and life insurance claims Knowledge Transfer Presented an eight-week course on tax Success Youngest Estate Administrator ever to become independent in the Company. Zero come-back on any estate closed.

Articles:

Journal of Marketing