Campaign summary
Matt has revolutionized Bidwells’ market position, putting it at the heart of a £60bn opportunity for the UK economy. Matt’s visionary leadership has transformed a multi-award-winning marketing campaign into the groundbreaking Supercluster Board.
He now leads this government-backed and internationally recognised industry group that unites over 45 global science and technology leaders, world-class universities, and investors managing over £3 trillion in assets – many of Bidwells’ most valued clients. This strategy has elevated Bidwells (a £60m business) into this highly attractive sector beyond its multi-billion global competitors.
He has redefined Bidwells’ role, elevating it from discussions about bricks and mortar to engaging at the forefront of the market and helping to shape the future of UK science and innovation. Importantly giving Bidwells’ clients early market intelligence to make multi-billion property decisions.
All achieved while studying for an Executive MBA. The results speak volumes:
- Revenue from Bidwells clients on the Supercluster Board has grown 45% in the past 12 months, now accounting for 10% of Bidwells’ revenue.
- Matt has created the most significant event in UK Science & Tech that attracts 550 business leaders each year.
- Gained access to a £15m government fund to develop and promote Bidwells core region.
About the candidate
For seven years, Matt has revolutionized professional services marketing through a series of groundbreaking, multi-award-winning campaigns. His innovative approach has firmly established Bidwells as the preeminent advisor in the science and technology (S&T) sector. Matt’s exceptional achievements over the past two years include:
- Emerging as a recognized leader in S&T.
- Executing an ambitious, company-wide marketing strategy to relaunch the business.
About the brand or organization that they work for
Bidwells is a £60m turnover regional property consultancy that advises real estate owners, developers, and investors. Headquartered in Cambridge with offices in Oxford and Milton Keynes it is primed to capitalize on the Government’s investment in the OxCam economic region. A part of the country that is at the heart of the boom in science and technology.
Significant career achievements
- Won 12 industry awards. Since 2019 Matt has led his team to become serial award winners across B2B, Drum, and Property Marketing. From individual awards to thought leadership, website, and AI. With limited budgets, these awards have been achieved in-house without agencies.
- Driving S&T Business. From campaigns and sales enablement initiatives, Matt has delivered more than £10m+ in fees and cemented Bidwells’ position as market leader in S&T.
- Ranked in the top 15 marketers in professional services, Matt has pushed the boundaries in this sector, developing client-centric offers and high-profile thought leadership initiatives, and has guided his team to become market leaders in AI.
Achievements in the last 24 months
Matt had galvanized the leading players in industry and academia through a lobbying campaign that had put the OxCam region back on the government agenda. The critical next step was to ensure government investment and policy aligned with the private sector drive to unlock a £60bn economic opportunity.
Writing letters wasn’t going to be enough, Matt realized his strategy needed an official organization to stand a chance of playing an active role in shaping the government’s agenda. This led him to create the Supercluster Board, a group of 45+ leading S&T businesses, world-class universities, and global investors, brought together behind common goals and shared purpose.
Featuring leaders from many of Bidwells’ largest customers this group has transformed Bidwells’ client relationships. Creating a platform for a fully-aligned multi-channel campaign that is delivered in partnership with its top clients, and the biggest brands in science and academia. In the past 24 months through creating the Supercluster Board, Matt has:
- Attracted 45+ global businesses including AstraZeneca, Airbus, RedBull Racing, DarkTrace, Moderna, GSK, and the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge.
- Been elected Executive Director by Supercluster Board members- Established a strategic regional alliance with 26 local authorities, 9 leading universities, and the key regional transport groups, including the £8bn EastWestRail.
- Gained access to a £15m government fund to support the growth of Bidwells core region – focused on regional brand, investment,t and global promotion.
- Attracted the leaders of 23 of Bidwells largest S&T clients to join the Supercluster Board. Over the past 12 months revenue from these clients has grown 45% and now equates to 10% of Bidwell’s total turnover.
- Invited Bidwell’s top clients to high-level meetings with the Secretary of State for Science, Science Minister, Shadow Business, and Science secretaries.
- Led initial meetings with the government on plans to double Cambridge through 120,000 new homes and triple the city’s science space – creating an immense growth opportunity worth tens of millions for Bidwells’ in its core market.
- Unlocked major science park opportunities in seven cities across the country. Creating a multi-million pipeline for Bidwells, that will take the business into its new target markets.
Matt has established the country’s leading event on the economic potential of UK Science and innovation – Creating a Scientific Superpower. Conceiving and actively leading the event Matt has:
- Personally attracted over £200k in sponsorship from major brands to fund the conference.
- Become the only event in the UK property sector to attract two Secretary of State keynotes.
- Hosted the 550-person conference and interviewed the Science Minister on stage.
- Delivered the A-list speaker line attracting the biggest names in science, investment, and academia.
- Mobilized his in-house team to run the event without an events company.
Strategic vision and/or impact on the business
Matt has played a central role in reshaping Bidwells strategy working with the CEO, COO, and CFO to devise an ambitious plan to double the size of the business by 2030. In the past nine months to launch this new ambition for Bidwells, Matt has led his team to:
- Create a new internal brand for Bidwell’s mission, vision, and values – to drive cultural change and appetite for growth.
- Deliver an internal comms strategy, culminating in a company conference that reimagined the 185-year-old firm with robots, TED Talks, and immersive experiences.
- Refreshed Bidwells’ brand, redefined its service offer, and brought this to life through a new corporate website that was delivered in six months.
- Delivered Bidwells’ first CRM system, fully integrated with the firm’s finance system and digital marketing stack.
- Partnering with 30+ major clients to produce a major thought leadership project to launch Bidwells’ new service offer.
- Delivered a Dragons Den competition to capture and support entrepreneurial ideas across the business.
- Led a sales enablement programme for rising stars to become rain-makers which has generated £1m+ in new business and a pipeline of a further £1.5m.
Impact on other employees and departments
Initiative and innovation
Seeking ways to stay ahead of the competition Matt created a role in his team to explore new technology and innovation. This led to Bidwells becoming an early adopter of AI and winning the inaugural Best Use of AI at the B2B awards. Using AI to save the team 190 days of work and an ROI of £180k.
Community engagement
Matt has reshaped Bidwells’ charitable activity, creating a multi-year headline partnership to sponsor the MDUK Town & Gown 10ks in Oxford and Cambridge. Attended by tens of thousands these events have elevated Bidwells’ brand and market perception across its core markets. Matt has also joined MDUK’s organizing committee for the charity’s annual property dinner, raising over £650,000 from the event.
Judging Panel Comment
“It’s clear that Matt has a broader strategic and commercial impact on the business, which is exactly what we need B2B marketers to achieve in order to uplift the segment. Professional services are extremely tough to stand out in, but Matt has helped Bidwells find their niche.”
