What people say about us
Working with HBM Advisory has been an incredibly worthwhile experience. They have truly helped us to focus our resources and our efforts to accelerate the digital transformation of MIT Technology Review
We asked Michael to help us unlock the potential of our digital content. His practical approach engaged the wider business, the editorial team and a complex mix of senior stakeholders, identifying and prioritising multiple new digital revenue streams for Future to pursue
Michael and Alan introduced a clear strategic approach to The Times’s subscription model that reshaped the way we commissioned and delivered our journalism. This allowed us to reach new audiences while maintaining satisfaction among existing readers. They were always great to work with, giving straightforward guidance that was easy for everyone in the subscription chain – from journalists to the commercial team – to get behind
Michael has harnessed the digital disruption of the publishing industry with enormous success. Sharing his experience and thoughtful, practical approaches will be a huge asset for any content business. Being the best has always been his guiding light
We'd been thinking of starting a Popbitch membership club for a while but had a number of difficult conundrums with which to wrestle. We brought in Alan to consult on this process. He brought to this process both invaluable advice from years of experience of the digital publishing sphere, but also a way of working and thinking that helped bring clarity and simplicity to seemingly complex issues. We appreciated Alan's jargon-free, calm and fun way of working as he helped us find a solution we're excited about
Michael transformed the circulation business at The Economist from loss-making to the largest contributor of group profits. He achieved this with a relentless focus on improving the customer journey
Alan is one of those rare journalists who not only understands the commercial imperatives of a newspaper, but takes responsibility in the newsroom to contribute to circulation, subscription and revenue growth. The potential to bring stories to life and to engage readers in new ways driven by the transition to digital are right at the heart of how he operates. His understanding of how to organise for a digital-first world is driven by years of first-hand experience
Alan was Head of Digital for The Times and The Sunday Times when we worked with each other. I was aware of his deep experience in journalism and content creation – what I was blown away by was Alan's knowledge of digital product from different industries and how he brought those two things together in a fearless way to drive meaningful change to the digital experiences of the subscribers. World class
I worked with Michael on new digital product development, with a global remit. With great success, he led a systematic process for generating ideas rooted in customer insight. My commercial team and the editorial team were engaged throughout. Our work together resulted in the development of a new strategic product offering that was embraced by clients immediately, and went on to double revenue in our second year. I would recommend any content business to work with Michael
Michael was instrumental in helping me restructure and transform my team. Together we realigned resources to the industry verticals and products with the greatest potential, with great success
Michael truly understands how to build a strategy informed by data. His advice and support enabled me to build analytics and reporting that allowed everyone in the business to understand how our digital initiatives were performing
Alan and Michael were so easy to work with – accommodating and focussed on both our business needs and the needs of our audience