Nice to meet you.
For more than 10 years I worked across full-service agencies in Europe and the GCC - Publicis, TBWA, M&C Saatchi, 72&Sunny among others - on accounts like Netflix, Porsche, Booking.com, Under Armour and Red Bull.
Seven of those years as an independent in client servicing and strategy, which basically meant being dropped into a new company every few months and figuring out very quickly what was going on, and what needed to be fixed.
Some of the agencies (and client side) I've worked for:
I have a habit that not everyone loves.
Nathalie Inniger
When I land on a project and the strategy underneath it does not make sense to me, I am incapable to just: execute and move on.
I have tried. No luck. I'll mentally check out.
So, very often during freelance projects: I ended up reworking whole strategies. Ideally on agency hours, but more often in my own time. And that wasn't appreciated for 2 reasons: I executed work that the client never paid for, or, my colleagues or the clients just thought I was being 'difficult', until they saw the end result and it finally clicked why I fought for it so hard.
I wasn't popular in the process.
Would absolutely do it again.
"Oh, you're in marketing? Maybe you can help me."
This is what many founders said to me, when meeting at network events or through my personal circles.
Something in their marketing model wasn't working for them, and they needed someone to tell them what on earth was going on.
I wanted to help, but the agencies I worked for were too expensive for them and the specialists they hired could only look at one piece of the picture.
What those founders actually needed was someone to look at the whole thing and tell them honestly what was working and what was not.
But that didn't really exist the way I had it in mind.
So I built it myself.
Delusional? Probably. But isn't that the common denominator in all founders?
I care. A lot. Sometimes too much.
The way I work is direct (surprising for a Dutchie). I will tell you what is not working and where you are leaving opportunity on the table - not after three rounds of encouraging feedback. Sessions are structured and to the point, because I think your time is worth that.
At the same time I am not here to make you feel bad about where things stand. I am a founder now too, and I know exactly how many mistakes you have to make before things start to click - and how much it helps to just ask someone who has seen it before. I will never judge you for where you are. I will help you figure out what to do next.
I genuinely want to see you succeed.
I am Dutch, but based in Dubai - which I realise sounds more glamorous than it is. I moved here a few years ago because a wild idea refused to leave me alone, and after seven months of ignoring the anxious little voice telling me what on earth I was getting myself into, I just went for it. Best decision I have made. The city suits me - full of people building things, genuinely cheering each other on, zero gatekeeping. And that is me to a T.
Got any questions left for me? Always feel free to reach out.
