Pilotlighter Sally Davis has the benefit of drawing on two successful careers as she works with charity partner Ilderton Motor Project. Sally began her career in marketing and advertising, and now coaches senior individuals through career change.
In her marketing days, Sally worked on both the client and agency side in campaigns that spanned all media, managing the full timeline from strategy to execution. Her marketing career included roles with Johnson and Johnson, Revlon and GlaxoSmithKline. She then spent over 10 years in large London advertising agencies working on multinational campaigns for major companies including Proctor and Gamble, British Telecom, ICI and the UK’s biggest toiletry brand.
In 1992, Sally joined Penna, an international human capital management consultancy, holding a variety of senior roles over 10 years latterly as Group Marketing Director. Sally acted in both management and operational capacities, with a responsibility for their firm’s P&L. Penna’s work appealed to Sally as she wanted to transition from a marketing-centred career to mix strategic skills with a more people focussed role. She notes, ‘I wanted to give something back.’
Sally was one of five in their senior management team during its growth period from a USM listing to a full stock exchange listing in 1994. As Penna grew, the organisation acquired a number of companies and Sally was responsible for their integration. Her marketing focus switched from advertising and product promotion to branding and public relations. Sally expanded her marketing knowledge in supporting the business development of Penna and strategically directing its message.
Four years ago, Sally stepped down from her Executive Team role at Penna in order to focus more on coaching work. She gained qualifications from the Tavistock Consultancy Service (part of the Tavistock Institute) and The Academy of Executive Coaching. She now serves as the Managing Partner of The Senior Directors Unit for Penna, and assists senior business individuals in navigating career change.
Sally heard about Pilotlight through her work at The Senior Directors Unit and began on her first Pilotlight charity project about a year ago. Working with Ilderton Motor Project, Sally notes she has been able to combine her coaching and marketing expertise.
Ilderton Motor Project (IMP) offers young people opportunities to increase life, personal, health and safety, and technical skills through projects centred on learning about vehicles of all types, from bikes to motorbikes to cars. IMP works with young offenders and at-risk youth across a number of London boroughs, reducing crime and re-offending.
The IMP Pilotlight team is also composed of a strategist from BP, a technology venture capitalist, and a business development manager for Lightspeed Research, which is part of the Kantar group. These Pilotlighters have collaborated with the IMP Chief Executive, David Wambebe, to enable the organisation to understand their internal structure and the services they offer to its beneficiaries. Additionally, the group has spent time to gather information on the external environment in which IMP operates, and how their mission and values will enable growth and direction in the future.
Working with Mark Simons, the co-member on the Pilotlight team from BP, Sally conducted a market research project for the charity. In talking to its client base, including youth offender teams, local committee groups, and head teachers, Mark and Sally determined what IMP customers seek in its services and what they think about the organisation.
The market research identified that clients think highly of IMP, but identified additional organisational projects to improve their services and gave a clearer view of the changing marketplace they operate in. The charity is planning to work more on its client database, as well as formalise the customer feedback process.
Sally believes “the past year’s experience as a Pilotlighter has given me the opportunity to apply my marketing and business skills, alongside a diverse team, in a sector I had little knowledge of and where resources are thin on the ground. Craig Carey, our project manager, has been expert at guiding us through the process, keeping us on track and managing our time commitments. My experience has meant that I have had no hesitation in recommending Pilotlighting to a number of clients I am currently working with.”
Outside of her commitments to Penna and Pilotlight, Sally is a former school governor and now acts as a business mentor for her local girls’ comprehensive school, working one-to-one with a year 11 student.