Art Saxby
About Art Saxby
An innovator and born nomad, Art Saxby has secured a reputation as a "Mr. Fix It" for midsize and larger companies. Saxby's proficiency in finance and operations complements a solid background in branding and positioning, multi-cultural marketing, advertising, communications strategy, change management, and more. Saxby embraces the core values of Chief Outsiders, particularly the concept of the CMO as the #2 marketer to the CEO. He positions himself as an outsider to identify a company's original goals, develop plans to overcome obstacles, and ultimately align strategy, vision, and focus to achieve measurable profitability and success. He is known for providing new ways to think about a company's present and future, but he is also skilled at effectively implementing organizational change to realize a company's full potential.
Prior to his founding of Chief Outsiders, Saxby was hired as Vice President of Corporate Development, Sales and Marketing at Hines Horticulture, which was struggling at the time with the need to reorganize its organization from a focus on internal production to one of customer focused supply chain management. Saxby spearheaded the development of an outsourced production system as well as a product profitability system based on Activity Based Costing. The implementation of his new initiatives succeeded in refocusing Hines Horticulture and positioning it for its eventual sale.
Saxby had already developed a reputation as an innovator and corporate turnaround expert through his work for Imperial Sugar Company in the early 2000s. In his role as Vice President of Marketing, Saxby introduced an innovative, customer-based growth strategy that helped drive the billion-dollar company’s stock price from a previous $1.05 to an all-time high of $35 a share. His development of the consumer business segment and emphasis on improving investor relations communication was instrumental to this success story. He launched new products that met consumers' needs while also streamlining distribution channel operations, differentiating the company within the marketplace and boosting retailer margins by more than 20%.
A seasoned professional, Saxby built his extensive background in marketing and strategy during his years with such recognized industry leaders as Frito-Lay, Kellogg's, Coca-Cola and Compaq Computers/HP. For Coca-Cola he repositioned the Hi-C brand, boosting drink box volume by 17% within a year of the successful relaunch, while his introduction of Rice Krispies Treats brought in $125 million in new sales for Kellogg's, also within a year. At Compaq his efforts led to a 40% increase in 2001 profits in the midst of a particularly challenging business environment for "dot-com" companies.
Saxby earned a BS degree in Finance from the University of Southern California and and MBA degree in Finance from Southern Methodist University.
Client Resources
- When Hiring a CMO, Ask These Three Crucial Questions
- What can Industrial & Manufacturing CEOs do Right Now?
- How Fractional Executives Can Fill Leadership Gaps that Private Equity Firms are Facing
- PEI 2018 Operating Partners Forum Recap: Growth Guidance Role Becoming More Strategic
- It’s Not Just About EBITDA Anymore
- Not All EBITDA Is Created Equal
- How Can Operating Partners Work with Management Teams to Drive Growth?
- It’s Inc. 5000 Season – Should You Apply?
- Growth Opportunity: The Demand Chain
Executive Experience
- VP of Marketing for Imperial Sugar Company
- VP of Corporate Development, Sales and Marketing for Hines Horticulture
Education
- MBA in Finance, Southern Methodist University
- BS in Finance, the University of Southern California