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Strategy, marketing & delivery that JUST makes sense.

Clear thinking.

Flexible support.

Steady partnership.

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Services

HeySunbird provides senior marketing ownership and strategic planning for businesses that need experienced direction without a full-time hire, including coordinating agencies, suppliers and internal teams so the work stays aligned, decisions get made and momentum does not get lost along the way.

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For businesses entering a new market, launching something new or repositioning what they offer. I take the commercial idea, work out what needs to happen around it, and turn it into a practical plan across positioning, launch activity, delivery and the people responsible for making it happen. I can stay involved beyond the strategy itself, helping move the work from planning into execution.

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Best suited to teams launching a new product or service, entering a new market, repositioning an offer, preparing for growth, responding to a complex opportunity, or trying to turn a good strategy into something people can actually deliver.

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Senior ownership of your marketing direction, from strategy and positioning through to campaign planning and execution oversight. I set the direction, make the key marketing calls, and coordinate the agencies, suppliers and marketplace partners handling paid media, PR, content production and online retail, so the work connects back to the bigger commercial picture.

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Best suited to businesses that need experienced marketing leadership and clear decision-making, without building a full in-house marketing department.

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End-to-end ownership of the work, from the moment the agreement is signed through planning, coordination, delivery, launch and a clean handover. I keep the moving parts connected, the right people accountable and the project moving when things get messy.

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Best suited to commercial launches and cross-functional projects with plenty of stakeholders, dependencies and deadlines, where you need experienced leadership to keep the wheels on and get the work over the line properly.

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Deep experience in online learning, built over years of work with education providers, learning businesses and institutions including Cambridge, LSE and Oxford. I work across the full learning experience, from programme and platform strategy through to content delivery, operational planning, learner experience, audits, launches and the practical details that determine whether an online learning product works once it goes live.

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Best suited to universities, education providers, professional bodies and learning businesses launching a new online programme, improving an existing one, changing platforms, reviewing delivery quality, or needing senior support to bring academic, technical and operational teams together.

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Protecting, strengthening and growing the relationships that matter. I bring structure, consistency and senior oversight to account management, helping businesses manage key clients, partners and institutional relationships without needing a full-time account lead.

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Best suited to businesses and online learning partners managing important client, partner or institutional relationships without a dedicated account lead. 

How I work

I work as an extension of your team, on a retainer basis or a defined project, providing senior-level structure, decision support and execution momentum whenever you need it.

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1. Understand the commercial objective.

I start with a focused conversation about what is happening now and what needs to be true at the end of the work.

2. Define the route.

I recommend the right way to start, a defined project or a fractional retainer, with a clear scope before we begin.

3. Lead the work.

I stay in the working layer of the project personally, rather than advising from the sidelines.

4. Measure and adjust.

We close the loop with findings and next steps. On retainer, priorities get reviewed on a regular rhythm.

Why HeySunbird?

I have delivered results for world-class academic institutions, including Cambridge Judge Business School, London School of Economics and Oxford Saïd Business School. I have also worked with Unitrans, Valenture Institute, and the Neurological Association of South Africa in partnership with the University of Cape Town.

 

I bring the same senior standard to businesses launching, repositioning or entering a new market. My background spans corporate, NGO and education sectors, combining high-level strategic thinking with hands-on delivery.

HeySunbird employee partners

About Mel & HeySunbird

Whether you require a surgical intervention in one specific area or comprehensive leadership across multiple service lanes, HeySunbird is built to be flexible.

  • Hey, I'm Melissa.

    ​For more than 15 years, I have worked across marketing, online learning, SaaS, higher education, corporate learning, partnerships, account management and communications. The industries have changed, but the role I tend to play has stayed pretty consistent: work out what needs to happen, spot what everyone has missed, get the right people moving in the same direction and help get the thing over the line.​

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    I specialise in strategy, marketing and delivery leadership, from go-to-market planning through to project and partnership execution, with specialist depth in online learning.

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    My strength is seeing how everything fits together. The campaign affects sales. The launch affects operations. The platform affects the customer experience. The partnership affects delivery. One small problem left unattended has an irritating habit of inviting its friends.

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    My experience includes work with institutions such as Cambridge, LSE and Oxford, as well as Unitrans, Valenture Institute and the Neurological Association of South Africa in partnership with the University of Cape Town.

     

    I have also worked with businesses entering new markets, launching new offers and turning ambitious plans into something that can survive contact with real life.

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  • What I help with

    My work rarely sits neatly inside one function. More often, I am working across the areas that need to connect for a project, launch or relationship to work properly.

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    That can include:

    • Strategy and planning

    • Marketing and communications

    • Go-to-market support

    • Project and programme management

    • Partnership and account management

    • Online learning and LMS support

    • Service delivery and operations

    • Stakeholder coordination

    • Programme launches and implementation

    • Audits, reviews and delivery improvement

     

    These sit under four core services: Market Strategy and Go-to-Market, Fractional Marketing Leadership, Project and Programme Delivery, and Partnerships and Client Growth, with specialist work in Online Learning and Digital Delivery.

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    The common thread is simple. I help connect the moving parts, give the work clear ownership and keep it moving.

  • Where I fit

    Good ideas tend to get complicated the minute they meet real life.

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    Suddenly there is a project plan, a budget, a marketing approach, a platform, six stakeholders with different opinions, a supplier waiting for feedback and somebody asking whether the launch date is still realistic.

    That is usually where I come in.

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    I work with organisations when a project has lost momentum, delivery has become fragmented, a team needs experienced capacity, or a new offer needs a clearer route to market.

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    Sometimes the problem is obvious. Sometimes everyone can feel that the work is slower, messier or harder than it should be, but nobody has had the space to work out why.

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    I have a low tolerance for fluff, a high tolerance for complexity and a long-standing habit of calling things as I see them. I ask the awkward questions early, because they are usually cheaper to answer before launch day.

  • How I work with you

    HeySunbird is founder-led, practical and personal. You work directly with me, with trusted specialists brought in when a project needs creative, content, media, PR or technical expertise.

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    I stay close to the work. I do not hand over a strategy deck and disappear while everyone else works out what it meant.

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    Projects also go sideways sometimes. That is normal. My job is to spot it early, say it clearly, work out what matters most and help the team keep moving without creating more drama around the problem.

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    There will be honest conversations.

    There will be lists.

    There will almost definitely be a spreadsheet that is formatted far better than anyone asked for.

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    Outside of work, I am usually managing a full household, a strong cup of coffee and a mental checklist with absolutely no respect for office hours.

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    Business is personal to me. You should trust the people you work with, enjoy having them in the room and feel a little lighter when they take something off your plate.

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    That is what HeySunbird is here to do.

    So, what are we sorting out?

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