Ian Conn
Director of Communications, Marketing and External Affairs
The University of Edinburgh
“So much of the work we are engaged in now requires cross-institution strategic marketing change, and there is no-one better than Rosemary Stamp at engaging senior colleagues, whatever their role, in these higher level issues. It’s having the experience, skills and ability to bring focus, analysis and insight to discussions, and then help to build consensus within an institution for the way forward, that distinguishes Rosemary’s approach.”
Professor Julian Crampton
Vice-Chancellor
The University of Brighton
“The support provided by Rosemary Stamp and her colleagues to our brand and positioning assignment was exemplary; a wide research base was systematically examined to provide an insightful set of propositions all grounded in reality. This showed us new opportunities as well as key factors we were missing. Our assignment involved substantial contact and discussion with a wide range of stakeholders including staff, students, governors and business and community partners who found the discussions of great interest and value. Rosemary’s expert knowledge in the whole area supported inclusive discussions and helped our staff to understand the key issues, plus what needs to be done, and why.”
Professor Anton Muscatelli
Former Vice-Chancellor
Heriot-Watt University
“Rosemary Stamp and her colleagues made an important contribution to our new branding strategy at Heriot-Watt University. What was particularly valuable was the way in which a great deal of varied information was distilled into a blend of factors that offers us distinctiveness. In doing this, Rosemary successfully connected brand facets, based on evidence from stakeholders, to the University’s aspirations. Also, I know that the guidance that Rosemary gave us based on observations of specialist universities will be particularly valuable to us.”
Professor Richard Lamming
Dean
The University of Exeter Business School
“Rosemary Stamp and her colleagues provided an invaluable strategic insight to the marketing and communication challenges which faced the Business School. We were impressed by Rosemary’s in depth knowledge of the Business School sector and the expertise and strategic focus she brought to our discussions. In engaging with a range of the School’s internal and external stakeholders, Rosemary demonstrated her approachability, professionalism and understanding of the complexity of the issues facing a large organisation in a highly competitive sector. We very much enjoyed working with her and look forward to our relationship continuing.”
Susan Stewart
Director of Corporate Communications
The University of Glasgow
“Rosemary Stamp has provided the University of Glasgow with invaluable advice on branding and marketing. She and her colleagues worked with the University’s senior management team and helped us better understand the challenges facing Glasgow, as well as our unique opportunities, in an increasingly competitive international market.”
Paul Marshall
Executive Director
The 1994 Group
“Rosemary Stamp’s objective strategic insight is an essential resource for institutions in today’s rapidly changing and competitive education sector. Her experience and depth of knowledge are outstanding and her understanding of brand positioning and strategic marketing is second to none. Rosemary’s ability to engage with colleagues at all levels in an institution makes her the sought-after choice for the advice and support needed to make a real difference in challenging times.”
Mark Allanson
Director of External Affairs
The University of Bolton
“Rosemary Stamp has a rare combination of skills: a true understanding of strategic marketing and brand development in the education sector plus a deep knowledge of many diverse universities. Her ability to engage at the most senior levels and to provide insight for the sceptical is of tremendous value. Perhaps uniquely, Rosemary is able to work with people to get strategy translated into operational reality. She listens, grasps issues quickly, delivers understandable analysis and models solutions with an open and insightful delivery style: she makes a real difference.”
Professor Michael Gunn
Pro Vice Chancellor: Learning, Teaching & Scholarship
The University of Derby
“We are a developing institution. We know that there are many changes coming for higher education. We need to engage our people and thus we need to communicate effectively and with impact. Rosemary Stamp enabled our corporate management team to think through the issues, identify what needed to be done, commit to improvements and engage in further personal and team development. Rosemary supported us well, provided challenges for us and ensured we kept on track. She did this with tact, utilising a wealth of relevant experience and research and appropriate control. She was charming, professional, direct when needed and left us feeling our time with her had been time very well spent.”
Stewart Comfort
Director of Marketing
Aston University
“Rosemary Stamp conducted a marketing effectiveness review for Aston. Her in-depth knowledge of the HE sector coupled with the ability to rapidly understand the University’s culture and challenges, led to an incredibly useful and insightful review of our marketing organisation, activity and expenditure. The review represented excellent value for money, at both strategic and operational levels, with many specific practical recommendations as well as benchmarking us against sector best practice. The clarity, credibility and authority of Rosemary’s work have ensured that it will be our blueprint for the future. Her reputation in this field is second to none, and rightly so.”
Andrew Kershaw
Director of External Affairs
Brunel University
“In the current climate Brunel needed to look at the effectiveness of its marketing structures, strategy and spend. We chose Rosemary Stamp to undertake a review because of her unparalleled sector knowledge and experience. Rosemary’s ability to get to grips quickly with our organisation’s culture, plus the way she gained the trust of a wide spectrum of staff across the whole institution, ensured the review was inclusive, constructive and relevant.”
Kathryn Jones
Director of Marketing and Communications
Birmingham City University
“Following the renaming of Birmingham City University, Rosemary Stamp worked with the University to define a new brand proposition that we could develop. In a crowded marketplace where individual universities struggle to find a unique identity, she was able to develop a proposition and rationale that fits perfectly with our heritage and values and has helped set us apart. Following her advice, we have developed a range of key messages that played a part in helping us achieve the highest rise in applications of any UK university.
I have commissioned Rosemary Stamp to work on a number of complex and high profile strategic projects in recent years. She has always delivered these with absolute professionalism, reliability and integrity, bringing a level and depth of experience in marketing within the Higher Education sector that is unrivalled. Senior staff find her both credible and convincing.”
Professor Noel Lloyd
Vice-Chancellor
Aberystwyth University
“Rosemary Stamp and her colleagues have brought a clear focus in the work they have done for Aberystwyth University. They contributed perceptive analysis to our review of the university brand, its values and its management. We have greatly appreciated their approachability, knowledge and professionalism. They established clear objectives and involved a wide range of stakeholders in the preparation of their reports. The quality of the work has been outstanding and the whole package real value for money. Rosemary has been a pleasure to do business with and we look forward to working with her and the team going forward.”
Robert Haymon-Collins
Head of Communications & Marketing
JISC
“Throughout our project Rosemary Stamp and her team took great care to understand our needs, the complexities of our work and provided us with detailed, comprehensive, feasible and actionable recommendations. In addition they made sure that we pursued their recommendations and turned the report into a set of actions that will make a real difference to the whole organisation. Professional, experienced and with an ability to make an important project fun.”
Professor Alan Gilloran
Vice Principal (Academic)
Queen Margaret University, Edinburgh
“Like many other universities, at QMU we are re-balancing our portfolio to focus more upon postgraduate and international student provision. Rosemary Stamp facilitated a specialist seminar for senior academic staff from across the University to address Portfolio Review and Marketing challenges. Her skills in translating key issues for a particular audience are second to none. Seldom have I experienced such a productive yet enjoyable day’s event. Rosemary’s credibility and wealth of experience were invaluable, but most importantly she was able to gauge the interests and mood of her audience to fully engage them in the materials and tasks. She uses a variety of innovative approaches to retain her audience’s attention and relates to participants with real warmth of personality and humour. I am still receiving positive feedback from colleagues - many of whom are not easy to please!”
Merja Lankinen
Communications Director
Centre for International Mobility, Helsinki, Finland
“I value Rosemary Stamp’s understanding of the strategic issues of brand and marketing greatly. She provides much needed insight into the real challenges facing a wide range of higher education institutions in Europe.”
Professor Caroline Gipps
Vice-Chancellor
The University of Wolverhampton
“We very much value Rosemary and the team’s in-depth knowledge of the Higher Education marketplace, their analytical skills, and their practical, effective action oriented solutions. Their flexible approach and their ability to empathise with the culture of the organisation is second to none.”
Tim Longden
Director of Marketing and Communications
The University of Hertfordshire
“Rosemary Stamp and her team have an intimate understanding of the Higher Education sector and of the issues facing individual institutions. This is the result of dedicated focus over many years and it delivers a high level of strategic input coupled with a very detailed appreciation of the organisational and operational issues facing practitioners within the sector. I have benefited enormously from my association with Rosemary in my various roles in HE, as she provides both a critical voice for marketing and strategy professionals within HE and a vital support resource at times of need.”
Ivor Lawrence
Director of Marketing
Sheffield Hallam University
“I have enjoyed working with Rosemary Stamp on a number of strategic marketing and brand projects and have always been impressed by her great knowledge of the sector and her perceptive insights into the challenges we face. This is an invaluable additional dimension to the detailed analysis and specific recommendations she brings to individual projects. She is very experienced, professional and approachable and able to establish rapport at all levels of the organisation.”
Phil Chapman
Director of Marketing & External Relations
UCLan
“Rosemary Stamp’s approach to our brand analysis assignment was compelling. The University was tangling with different branding and identity ideas, rampant sub-branding was starting to emerge, and many of our perceived issues were driven by an inward facing perspective. Rosemary saw the need to balance internal views with a real and authoritative consumer and external stakeholder perspective and proposed a qualitative external study of the brand image to be analysed alongside existing quantitative brand awareness and image data. The subsequent analysis of results, when coupled with internal interviews and topic consultancy, led to a very clear set of recommendations that we were able to agree upon and implement. The exercise added real value to the University’s journey towards a more consumer-driven perspective for our business.”
Stephen Lawrence
Chief Executive
Chawton House Library: Home to early English women’s writing
“Rosemary Stamp has an outstanding reputation as an expert in marketing and branding - from my experience of using her professional support, this view is fully justified. Professional, knowledgeable and a superb communicator, Rosemary has a highly strategic view of marketing that focuses on outcomes and delivery. I have found this expertise invaluable and extremely cost effective.”
Martin Holmes
Marketing Director
The University of Leeds
“Rosemary Stamp has an extensive knowledge of the HE sector and the breadth of issues that challenge it. She has a clear and focused approach to the application of marketing principles to help address these challenges. Rosemary’s practical pragmatic and overridingly sensible approach works well in all cultures.”
Professor Roger Murphy
Director: Visual Learning Lab Centre for Excellence in Teaching and Learning
The University of Nottingham
“Rosemary Stamp completed a crucial and very effective assignment for the Visual Learning Lab. She has a very collaborative way of working that helped enormously in making some critical strategic decisions. She is easy to work with and extremely professional in her approach. We have benefited greatly from her inputs, and her deep knowledge of the HE sector was a highly significant factor in the success of this assignment. We can now look back and see the impact her intervention had on our strategic planning for a critical phase of our work.”
Rob Mitchell
Web Editor
The University of Exeter
“Rosemary Stamp and her colleagues made an invaluable contribution to our web redesign. They provided a strategic review of HE websites which, coupled with an in-depth analysis of our institutional objectives, was developed into a set of key principles and imperatives. These formed a firm bedrock for our project and made a huge difference as we worked through a long and complex process. Rosemary’s enthusiasm and engaging approach helped to bring our stakeholders together and get our project off to a great start.”
Paul Wisher
Corporate Services Director
Derwent Living Housing Association
“Rosemary Stamp’s insight into our issues, our markets and challenges was outstanding. The time and skill Rosemary and her colleagues put into understanding the specifics of our brief resulted in realistic recommendations and action plans that we knew would really make a difference. From start to finish, our assignment was managed with the utmost professionalism.”
Jennie Horner
Head of International Marketing
Sheffield Hallam University
“I have commissioned Rosemary on many strategic projects in recent years. In the arena of branding this has included advising on the initial brand development project; guidance on a perceptions study; analysis of a wide range of market research results; extraction of key findings, internal study of employees’ perceptions and advising on implementation and communication.
Rosemary’s strategic advice, her broad understanding of the sector and her ability to provide succinct, often hard hitting reports are valued by the University’s Executive and consequently she has consulted on a wide range of strategic projects. We use Rosemary’s expertise because it brings a unique blend of professional attitude, understanding of the sector at the highest level and delivers well grounded, objective advice and guidance in what are often very difficult development issues.”
Jane Chafer
Director of Marketing & Communications
The University of Sheffield
“The University was in the process of reviewing and renewing its brand, reputation and visual identity and incorporated in this was revisiting the positioning statements. What we needed was an efficient and effective way of working with our current vision, mission and values and updating them to reflect their importance in communicating the brand values of The University.
Rosemary Stamp provided us with a clear and straightforward methodology to facilitate our thinking. This enabled us to get results quickly and we are now working with the output of the day to finalise our positioning statements.”
Maria da Graça Guedes
Manager: Design and Marketing Programmes
Universidade do Minho, Portugal
“Rosemary Stamp is an expert in marketing and brand and an excellent communicator, able to make the most complex and difficult issues clear. Her insight into education systems, institutional missions and goals is profound and inspired. Her approach to brand development enables her to understand and interpret the true identity of an institution with outstanding results. Rosemary approaches every project with complete honesty, creativity and genuine commitment: it is a pleasure to work with her.”
Dr Paul Temple
Co-Director, MBA in Higher Education Management
The Institute of Education, The University of London
“Rosemary Stamp is a major contributor to our MBA programme in Higher Education Management. Her wide knowledge of UK and European universities, her insights on the marketing challenges that they face and her practical approaches to them are valued highly by our participants, who include senior university managers from across Europe.”
Edith Caulfield
Marketing and External Relations
Queen’s University Management School
Queen’s University Belfast
“I have found Rosemary Stamp to be inspiring and her knowledge of marketing in higher education to be extensive: each year I have learned more from her that I could implement in the workplace. Rosemary is at the forefront of thinking in brand and marketing in higher education.”
Bruce Nelson
The University of Edinburgh
“The AUA very much values the long-standing relationship we have had with Rosemary Stamp, and I found her support extremely valuable during my two years as Chair. Rosemary Stamp has a deep understanding of higher education institutional structures, cultures and practices, and of best practice both within the sector and elsewhere. This informs the advice she provides and ensures that it is relevant and practical. I have appreciated her willingness to share her insights with AUA members. Her specialist conference seminars are always in great demand and often lead to valuable initiatives once colleagues return to their institutions.”