After a successful 20+ year career working in marketing and sales roles in academic, professional and digital publishing, I set up OnlyConnect Consultancy in 2008.

Why “OnlyConnect”? The epigraph of E.M. Forster’s Howards End, “Only connect…Live in fragments no longer”, has always resonated with me. I believe that creative connections (content, products/services, users/customers) are at the heart of effective marketing, sales, and business and product development. And making creative connections is what I do best.

Things I love. Being an independent consultant. Turning challenges into opportunities. Solving problems. Thinking laterally. Getting results. Creating. Communicating. Writing (except about myself). Doing new things. Meeting new people. Exploring the world.

Things I loathe. Repetition. Producing invoices. Repetition. Office politics. Repetition. Writing about myself. Repetition.

Career at a glance…

2008-present: OnlyConnect Consultancy

Project work and/or long-term consultancy contracts for:

  • Publishers and intermediaries including Bloomsbury Digital Resources, SAGE Publishing, The Company of Biologists, JCS Online Resources
  • Library organizations including EIFL (Electronic Information for Libraries), The European Library, Jisc Collections
  • Technology companies including Oxford Computer Training/Oxford Computer Group Worldwide and Oxford Computer Group North America

1999-2007: Oxford University Press

  • Head of Marketing, Reference and Online Publishing
  • Sales and Marketing Director, Online Products
  • Marketing Manager, Oxford English Dictionary Online

1985-1999: Marketing and product management roles at:

  • Marketing the Arts in Oxfordshire
  • CCH
  • Simon & Schuster Academic Division (imprints including Harvester Wheatsheaf and Prentice Hall)
  • Polity Press
  • SAGE Publishing
EIFL eLibrary Myanmar project: with librarians at the University of Mandalay

I’ve worked with Susanna since 2008, first on the launch of the UK government-funded JISC Collections for Schools project and, when it became my company, at JCS Online Resources. Her skills are wide ranging – from branding and strategy to copywriting, design, websites and social media. But she doesn’t just excel at marketing. She is also a fantastic ‘ideas’ person, and her involvement in business development has proved invaluable. I’ve learned so much from Susanna, and JCS wouldn’t be the company it is without her significant contribution.

Joyce Martin, Managing Director, JCS Online Resources

Susanna has the instincts of a pioneer, looking to create new ways to do things, willing to experiment, and able to get talented people to join in to build something worthwhile. She communicates excitement about products but is also rigorous about getting things right – the message, the relationship, the brand, or the way the product works. And her high standards are put into action with great commercial judgement and a willingness to take risks.

ROBERT FABER, formerly Director, Oxford English Dictionary and Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press

Susanna is an ideas machine – make sure to keep a pen and paper handy!

From the very first meeting she has been transformational and, starting with a short-term consultancy project for Oxford Computer Training in 2015, she is now an integral part of our worldwide team.

She has brought energy and focus to our marketing efforts, and has greatly contributed to our wider business strategy. She never stops thinking about how to improve things, and her work has yielded great results.

HUGH SIMPSON-WELLS, CEO, OXFORD COMPUTER GROUP

The eLibrary Myanmar project has been a highly successful project of very beneficial impact for Myanmar university libraries thanks to Susanna’s tireless efforts.

Her skills in motivating all kinds of stakeholders – including university decision makers, faculty, librarians, and local project coordinators – were essential in finding solutions to challenges and producing amazing results in such a short time.

The eLibrary Myanmar project is the crown of her six years with us.

RIMA KUPRYTE, Director, EIFL

Susanna has undertaken a number of projects for us, and it is always inspiring working with her. She is very creative, bubbling with good ideas, and she is also a very clear and incisive thinker. She spots opportunities for new and existing digital products, is solution focused, and is open and flexible in her approach. She has worked solo on projects, and also collaboratively within a team. She works reliably to deadlines, and presents really clear reports. It is always a pleasure to work with her.

Karen Phillips, SVP Global Learning Resources, SAGE Publishing

I have worked with Susanna in several different capacities in online publishing over the years, most recently during a consultancy project she undertook for the Bloomsbury Digital Resources division.

She is a very creative person offering great expertise in developing, marketing and selling digital products.

I have always been impressed with her work, and have recommended her to colleagues and contacts alike.

JONATHAN GLASSPOOL, FORMER MANAGING DIRECTOR, BLOOMSBURY ACADEMIC