Gilles HEMERY

More than 30 years' experience in developing and executing marketing strategies for high added value products and services in international environments.
I started my digital journey in 2001. Since then I have developed strong experience and skills in Digital Marketing - strategic and operational.
Always remember that Digital is one of the channels for Marketing, as printing, TV, Radios, trade shows ... are other channels. The key element remains a good Marketing Strategy.

I love Marketing. "The aim of marketing is to know and understand the customer so well the product or service fits him and sells itself." I am a passionate believer in the importance of understanding the Customer Journey. This is about methodology, about bringing people around the table and listening to them in an organised and structured way. Then the next steps become so interesting and easy!

Digital is a gamechanger and has transformed business forever - Knowing that business is not only to sell, but also to produce, to finance, to attract talents, to market activities... They call me "non-conventional-curious-early adopter". I keep looking at other's experiences, trying and testing new channels and technologies, doing developments on my own to better understand... With this mindset, I have built a good, strong and solid experience in Digital.

Connecting the methodical approach of marketing and digital innovation, I have developed successful strategies and efficient actions to target and reach specific audiences.
I am an open-minded team player. I love to share and transfer knowledge and experience, to build projects together and make them successful. I have lived more than 10 years abroad and have worked in international and multicultural environments. All these people with different experiences and education and culture keep bringing a very strong contribution building who I am now.

ETEX Group

ETEX Group from 04/2005 until 09/2021 - 16.5 years

--> From 01/2019 until 09/2021

ETEX Digital - Manager of BIM for Etex - Based in Brussels, Belgium

Role and Responsibilities:

At Etex, we believe in Digital Construction and new ways of building, even if the Building Industry is amongst the least digitized. But the trend is there.
Real-time collaboration software is already regarded as an essential component of the entire building process. Its impact on the sector keeps increasing every year.
It goes without saying that data is playing an integral role in this paradigm shift in construction.
The emergence of a data ecosystem where all the innovative players of the industry will come together and share data, experience and project knowledge is closer than we might think. And it is no exaggeration to maintain that it’s the only way forward for construction.

BIM – Building Information Modeling – is one of the hottest construction technology trends and the engine of the technological disruption that is happening in the Building Industry.

BIM technology is the catalyst for a fundamental change in how construction projects are managed, designed and developed.
From a general point of view, BIM brings more accuracy to the building process and empower the exchange of important project information between the numerous stakeholder.

At Etex we want to be recognized as a leader in the BIM technology. This is why we have decided to develop a specific structure dedicated to BIM, producing the best BIM Objects in the industry and marketing them amongst all the BIM users.

We believe that BIM is a game-changer in the building industry. Then we are addressing the following questions in the project BIM:

  • How to generate profitable growth for Etex with BIM?
  • How to treat BIM as a business?
  • How do we want to sell our products and materials, systems and solutions in the next 5 years?
  • What do we expect our salesforce to do in the next 5 years?
  • Participate to the digital transformation of the ETEX Group,

--> From 01/2017 to 12/2018 - 2 years

ETEX Exterior - Marketing Manager - Asia Pacific - Based in Singapore

To emphasize the good development of the activity, ETEX Exterior has decided to establish a stronger Marketing structure for Asia-Pacific to boost our development.
Marketing activities are focusing on:

  • Working with the architects to get a better understanding of the Customer Journey,
  • Establish the brand with the Architects in every country as a local brand,
  • Generating more qualified leads from the top Architects firms with Digital Marketing campaigns.

To achieve these objectives, I have implemented different action plans:

  • Establish the Architects' CJ with Focus groups, face to face interviews, research, analysis, online surveys,
  • Identify the Digital Journey of the architects to understand how to better target them during the different steps of the CJ,
  • Develop and launch digital campaigns using social media, programmatic, new technologies for profiling and building audiences,
  • Constantly assess the performance of each channel/campaign - nb leads, quality of the leads, level of engagement, ...

Achievements

  • Brand performance assessment was done in 09/2017 - Aus. and Sing. Ranked number 1 in more than 80% of the criteria after only 3 years on the market.
  • The number of leads is growing every month with an impressive improvement of the quality.
  • The number of followers and people engaging with us on the different social media grew dramatically. This created a very good qualified audience that we were able to retarget.

As Marketing Manager for the Region Asia Pacific, my role covers different aspects:

  • Organise and launch the different research to better understand our target audience and build the CJ: focus groups, online surveys, research, phone interviews...
  • Create, design and manage the Digital Marketing campaigns - on average 110 campaigns per month,
  • Be curious to identify the new channels, tools, technology to improve the performance of the Digital Campaigns,
  • Analyse the performance and the efficiency of the campaigns - number of qualified leads, quality of the audience
  • Build a marketing intelligence structure to analyse the trends and structure of different markets/countries
  • Train, stimulate, coach and support the Mkg of our partners in different countries to duplicate our efforts to grow the activity

--> from 06/2012 to 12/2016 - 4.5 years

ETEX Exterior - Commercial and Marketing Manager - Asia Pacific - Based in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Role and Responsibilities:

  • Start the activity in the Asia Pacific region with an analysis of the different markets to establish the priorities,
  • Recruit the sales team - Australia, Singapore, Hong Kong, Malaysia -, establish a central technical structure in Malaysia, a central marketing structure in Malaysia.
  • Identify and Develop partners in each country where we do not have our own sales force,
  • Drive the Marketing activity to create awareness, raise the interest and generate the demand from the architects.

Achievements

  • Establishment of the organisation for Asia Pacific - Australia, Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia,
  • Marketing and Technical support established at the HQ in Malaysia,
  • After 4 years, sales have reached more than 5 million Euros with a growth of 50% in 2016
  • Establish Australia as the most important market outside Europe, and even bigger than several markets in Europe
  • A strong network of motivated and dynamic partners in all the interesting countries,
  • More than 3.000 qualified leads received in 2016 through the Digital Marketing Campaigns.

--> from 01/2010 to 05/2012 - 2.5 years

ETEX Exterior - Commercial and Marketing Manager - France

Organise and structure the activity with two sales team of 23 people and a marketing team of 4 people, according to the strategy of the division.

Achievements

  • On a growing market of annual 10%, the growth of our turnover went from 21.5 million € to 35.7 million € in 2 years.
  • The trend for the year 2012 when I left was at 43 million €.
  • Significative growth of our market share, activity and profitability,
  • Growth of our distribution network by 20% with an innovative and dynamic digital marketing strategy, supported by strong "guerilla marketing" actions,
  • Successful launch of the activity in the French overseas territories.

--> from 06/2008 to 12/2009 - 1.5 years

ETEX EBM Division- European Business Manager - Brussels, Belgium

Under the responsibility of the division manager, in charge of designing and launching a new marketing approach for Cladding and Building Boards in Europe.

  • Creation of a working team with the Commercial and Marketing managers of the main countries,
  • Analysis of the different strategies in the different countries and identify the best practices,
  • Definition of the new marketing startegy witht the working team,
  • Support the countries for the implementation

Achievements

Creation of what became later the division ETEX Exterior

--> from 04/2005 to 05/2008 - 3 years

ETERNIT France - Regional Commercial and Marketing Manager - Albi, France

In charge of the roofing activity in the south of France wIth a team of 8 salesmen and a marketing assistant.

Achievements

  • In a market in recession, we were able to grow our market share and margins,
  • Awarded twice supplyer of the year by the most important distribution network,
  • Strong investment to identify the decision makers and to better understand the decision makiong process,
  • Strong digital marketing actions with efficient Google Adwords campaigns supported by the marketing analysis,
  • Very strong comitment of the team.
Alcove

--> from 11/2002 to 05/2004 - 1.5 years

Alcove - Commercial and Marketing Manager - Paris, France

Alcove was the first company created on the Open Source development, with a very strong expertise in GNU/LINUX.
Very good learning experience:

  • Open Source environment and philosophy,
  • Bazar organisation vs Cathedral organisation,
  • Web development...
Neurocom

--> from 05/2001 to 10/2002 - 1.5 years

Neurocom - Commercial and Marketing Manager - Paris, France

Neurocom was the first Network Security Integrated solution provider in France.
First steps into the world of services and integration, of Internet and development.
The company went bankrupt and was sold mid 2002.

Saint Gobain

Saint Gobain from 06/1989 to 04/2001 - 12 years

--> from 06/1994 to 04/2001 - 7 years

Saint-Gobain - SOVIS - Commercial and Marketing Manager - Chateau Thierry, France

Sovis is a Business Unit - production, marketing and sales - in charge of glass for commercial refrigeration.

Achievements

  • From a European based activity, we have expanded worldwide,
  • Contruction of a factory in USA - Madison, GA - to support our important growth in the US, Canada and Mexico,
  • Transfer of technology to Colombia and Brasil,
  • Strong and successful development in China and Korea.

--> from 06/1989 to 05/1994 - 5 years

Saint-Gobain - ECOPHON - Rantigny, France

ECOPHON France was created in 06/1989 following the acquisition of ECOPHON Sweden by Saint-Gobain.
ECOPHON produce a range of accoustic and architectural suspended ceilings.
Regional Salesman from 06/1989 to 12/1991,
Product Manager for the Swedish range from 01/1992 to 05/1994.

Sulzer

--> from 06/1987 to 05/1989 - 2 years

SULZER - Saint Denis, France

Salesman

Graduation

  • -->06/ 1985
  • CESEM – Group NEOMA , Reims, France - Diplômes d’Etudes Supérieures Européennes de Management
  • Middlesex University – London - BA HD European Business Administration

Languages

  • French: Native language
  • English: Fluent. 2 years in London – college - Graduated. 25 years of main professional language. 6.5 years living in Malaysia and Singapore.
  • Spanish and German: I had very good notions with full autonomy when I was working for SOVIS from 1994 until 2001.
Grand Citron Vert

Sailing

I started sailing at the age of 6.
At 23, I started sailing cruise and I have done more than 50 sailing cruises world wide since then.
I am skipper of sailing boats up to 55 ft, and organise sailing cruises with crew up to 12 people for period up to 3 weeks.
I run my website www.sailmore.org with some successes.

I am the proud owner of Grand Citron Vert.
Grand Citron Vert is a 45' catamaran by Erik Lerouge, to go sailing around the world.

Education

Education in ermerging countries

I believe in education.
Kids in emerging countries need more education. This means to learn how to read and write and count and think and use their brain.
Since I arrived in South East Asia, I have been personnaly involved with 6 kids and their families in Cambodia, Mynamar and Thailand.
To be personnaly involved means:

  • Make sure they go to school and are good kids at school,
  • Support their family to allow the kids to go to school,
  • Follow them, train and coach them to take the right decisions,

5 of these 6 kids have now a good job - Air Conditionning, Logistics, Accounting.

Digital

Digital environment

I started my Digital Journey in 2001, using Open Source software DotClear for my first blog to learn about the web.
I have developed in HTML and CSS and integrating some JavaScript already made.
I have reactivated my blog about sailing recently using the lastest version of DotClear.
I am what people call an "early adopter".
July 2018, I went The Rise Conference in Hong Kong, and attended more than 20 conferences during the three days event.
The subjects I followed more specifically wereabout:

  • Arificial intelligence
  • Voice recognition
  • Profiling
  • Big Data

Personnal assets

  • Strong adaptability to multicultural, international and technical environment
  • Curious early tester and adopter of new technologies and ideas
  • Personal involvement, highly committed with a focus on results
  • Dynamic and rigorous – Methodical - Team player

Personnal contact

To contact me is easy:
gilles [at] gilleshemery [dot] org
gilles [dot] hemery [at] gmail [dot] com

My resume in PDF

You can download my resume in PDF version