WHO HE

Gordon McKinnon is a global brand veteran – although he hates the use of all of these words in this context

He can create brands, recreate brands, build brands, operate brands, buy brands and sell brands

But it is at the creation and building end of the business where his heart really lies

Emphatically believing in creating demand, not merely satisfying supply

Creating and building on positions of strength by constantly evolving to stay relevant to peoples’ ever-changing needs and expectations, and market opportunities

He is seen as an industry expert across hotels, bars, restaurants, retail, product development, customer experiences and the dreaded “lifestyle”

He is more than comfortable across all the necessary disciplines - development, interiors, design, art, film, people, writing, digital and traditional

And is a strategist accomplished in working in the new normal, and in new and traditional markets

But it is in the sum and the management of the whole, combined with a view of the future, and a heavy dose of big idea thinking and a dogmatic yet pragmatic creative vision of the way things need to be, where his skills sweet spot is truly recognized

In January of 2015, Gordon established himself as an “independent”: but an independent with an extraordinary global network of like-minded co-conspirators. Allowing Gordon to lead opportunities and projects, and bring his unique perspective, in a variety of ways: flying solo, working as part of an existing team, or bringing to the party a trusted gang of great people and organizations capable of creating and building brands and businesses through three hundred and sixty degrees.

Prior to this Gordon was Chief Branding Officer of Carlson in Minneapolis, MN, USA for five years (click here for profile). And before that he was EVP Brands and Marketing for The Rezidor Hotel Group, based in Brussels, Belgium, for seven years. Before that again, seems like too long ago, but suffice to say he held various senior positions in prominent UK based consultancies, agencies, media and a boutique hotel company too.

Past-Present

Brands and Businesses

Include

• Best Buy
• The Democracy
• Yawn
• Bespoke
• MinneBigArt
• Minnesota United FC
• Carlson Companies
• Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group
• Rezidor Hotel Group
• Rezidor SAS
• SAS International Hotels
• Malmaison
• Radisson SAS
• Radisson Blu
• Radisson
• Radisson Red
• Park Inn by Radisson
• Park Plaza
• Regent
• Regent Seven Seas Cruises
• Hotel Cerruti
• Hotel Missoni
• Quorvus Collection
• TGI Fridays
• Rosewood
• Penta
• Generator
• Gotham
• Carlson Family Foundation

Initiatives, Projects, Outcomes, Roles

Too many to mention but significants include

• Brand creation, development and global launch of Quorvus Collection
• Brand creation, development and global launch of Radisson Red
• The Blu Collection
• Development and launch of Country Inn & Suites G4, USA, Canada and India
• Radisson Blu New Blu
• Radisson Blu global alignment
• Radisson Re Imagined: USA, Canada, Asia Pacific
• Carlson Rezidor One Web
• Carlson’s Vision 20/20
• Hands on development Radisson Blu Chicago, Radisson Blu MOA
• Hands on redevelopment Radisson Blu Philadelphia, Radisson Blu Minneapolis
• Development and launch of Radisson Blu London, USA and Asia Pacific
• Development and launch of Park Inn by Radisson NexGen EMEA, Asia Pacific, Lat Am
• Development and launch of Club Carlson globally
• Brand development of global hotel Styleconomy brand
• Strategic brand extensions new product development TGI Fridays
• TGI Fridays visual ident
• Re-write, re launch Yes I Can!
• Foundations
• Nice Shoes
• Strategic, product development and governance all named hotel brands
• Creative director all named hotel brands
• Marketing globally all hotel brands
• Marketing and E Comm all brands
• Brand lead - growth and profitability all brands all businesses
• MFA partner relationships
• Partner relationships
• Carlson Innovation
• Global Hotel Steering Committees
• Global Revenue Generation Council
• Global Sales Team
• Global Brand Councils
• Formation and operation all global brand teams
• Carlson Rezidor reposition and re-brand
• Carlson Rezidor and all individual brands GBC’s / ABC’s
• Carlson’s Ambition 2015
• Carlson reposition and re-brand
• Global development strategic alternatives hotel lifestyle brand
• Strategic growth and profitability
• Rezidor SAS IPO
• Hotel design responsibilities: hundreds of hotels, across the world
• Development and launch of Radisson Blu, from Radisson SAS, EMEA
• Development of Radisson SAS ‘new breed’ strategy
• Development and launch of Park Inn, EMEA
• Development and launch of Regent, EMEA
• Regent global strategic evaluation
• Rezidor SAS multi brand portfolio strategy
• Creation, development and launch of Hotel Cerutti
• Creation development and launch of Hotel Missoni


• EVP Chief Branding Officer Carlson
• EVP Brands and Marketing Rezidor SAS
• EVP Hotel Missoni
• President, Regent
• Managing Director, Malmaison Brand Company

CO-CONSPIRATORS

No man is an island. There is advice and consulting, both necessary and perfectly valid at the appropriate time, but at some point all the theorizing and strategizing and analyzing must turn in to tangible outcomes. To deliver highly innovative and successful outcomes, needs do-ers, across all the disciplines. Gordon can come to projects and opportunities and change, as one man, or one man with the connections and more importantly the relationships, to bring the consulting to tangible and successful outcomes. A highly collaborative, highly skilled, highly motivated gang of co-conspirators who love the work, love to work together, love to join the dots, have a shorthand to making all of that happen, and, understand that there is an “it”.

Previous partners have included organizations of the scale of McKinsey and Accenture. Regular members of the gang include Jim Hamilton, Graven Images, Teviot, BrandCap, Soluis, Mardicks PR, Equator, the Industrial Clairvoyants and the Gorgeous Group.

Portfolio

360

Hotels Bars Restaurants Retail Product Experiences
Development Interiors Design Art Film People Words Digital Traditional
Strategy Dreaded Lifestyle New Normal New Markets Co Everything Brands