We are inspiring, constantly challenging thinking, sparking creativity, and pushing boundaries to drive meaningful change.
“Genoa Black has worked in close partnership with our management, operations and business development teams for over eight years and has helped us successfully build our profile with a range of customers and stakeholders helping to drive our company growth.”
Andy Dalrymple, Managing Director, Mackenzie Construction
We help businesses navigate complexity with clarity and confidence.
We are strategic thinkers, problem solvers, and trusted partners dedicated to guiding organisations through their most challenging decisions. Our mission is to empower businesses to thrive by delivering bespoke, results-driven strategies that align with their long-term goals.
We are deeply invested in our clients’ businesses, treating them as our own and gaining a thorough understanding of their challenges and ambitions. Acting as an extension of their team, we work collaboratively to foster a seamless and trusted partnership. Our approach is built on developing long-term relationships that continue to deliver value well beyond the initial project.
What makes us GB?
We are invested, fully committed to achieving the best outcomes for our clients and treating their success as our own.
We are intrepid, embracing complexity with confidence and thinking boldly to create innovative solutions.
Our Team. People are our business.
Our team is comprised of experts with rich industry experience, boundless energy, and a passion for creative problem-solving. We bring together diverse perspectives, strategic insights, and innovative thinking to help businesses navigate complexity and evolve.
Steph is the strategic powerhouse behind our business consulting division.
A visionary and accomplished board director with over 20 years of expertise in marketing, business management, and growth. Dynamic, resourceful, and results-driven, she excels at crafting impactful strategies that deliver measurable success.
As Strategy Director at Genoa Black, Steph leads with dynamism, empowering business leaders to navigate challenges through clear, considered advice. Her wealth of experience spans diverse sectors, both domestically and internationally, making her a trusted advisor for businesses at every stage of their journey.
She is deeply passionate about fostering the SME sector, building meaningful relationships, and championing brands and businesses that drive economic growth. A firm believer in collaboration and innovation, she thrives on helping businesses unlock their full potential.
Named one of Business Women Scotland’s Top 100 Female Entrepreneurs to Watch in 2023 and 2024, Stephanie’s dedication and leadership ensures every individual and business she works with succeeds as a result of her support.
Janill is the motion expert and creative thinker who is up for any challenge – ‘no’ is not in his vocabulary. From humorous Christmas character animations to slick data driven case study’s, Janill’s skills are transferrable to any clients’ needs. Understanding the bespoke nature of motion is key to his success.
Keeping up one foot in the graphic design world, and another in motion, Janill’s knowledge combines the technicality and principles of Graphic Design and transfers this into motion where it comes to life. From brochures to brand launch videos, Janill’s capabilities know no bounds.
Janill’s sense of collaboration is second to none as he recognises the importance for teamwork to ensure the best outcome. Most notably, leading a recent re-brand launch video in which he worked closely with multiple team members to ensure the brand moved seamlessly and effortlessly from still to motion. Regularly sharing motion design trends and engaging in discussions with the team, Janill ensures the team is as much informed as he is when it comes to motion.
His relaxed nature is a testament to his passion and dedication to his work.
Alan is the vision behind Genoa Black, leading the board with strategic focus and ambition.
As Chairman and Founder, he brings a challenger mindset, pushing boundaries and encouraging bold thinking. With a background in property and investments, Alan approaches every opportunity with fresh perspective and innovative problem-solving.
Passionate about the team, he is a supportive and steady presence—always ready to listen, offer insight, and guide through challenges. His wealth of corporate experience, gained client-side, ensures that Genoa Black remains relentless in delivering client service excellence.
Never one to shy away from ambition, Alan thrives on success and has been instrumental in shaping Genoa Black’s growth and impact. His leadership continues to drive the business forward, fostering a culture of excellence, collaboration, and forward-thinking strategy.
Tom is one of our longest serving team members at Genoa Black. An accomplished Strategy Consultant, he excels at aligning projects with organisational goals and navigating market complexities.
His expertise lies in growth strategies, business positioning and messaging, delivering insights and tactics that help organisations stand out and achieve their objectives. Tom combines strategic foresight with thorough research and evaluation, ensuring each project is grounded in robust analysis and tailored to meet the unique needs of his clients.
Tom’s skillset spans market research, competitor analysis, and the development of marketing and communication strategies. He is adept at managing digital marketing channels, creating compelling content, and refining messaging to engage diverse audiences.
Known for his meticulous approach and ability to deliver clear, actionable recommendations, Tom works seamlessly with clients, internal teams and stakeholders to drive projects forward, ensuring they achieve meaningful and sustainable outcomes.
Lois is a dynamic and creative Senior Client Manager, bringing a global perspective shaped by her work across Scotland and Australia. With experience across agency, in-house and freelance settings, she has worked with senior leadership teams in sectors from civil engineering and construction to retail and hospitality, always with a focus on delivering insight-led strategies that make an impact.
In her role at Genoa Black, Lois leads the development of strategic marketing plans designed to accelerate growth and strengthen market positioning. From shaping brand strategies and defining value propositions to planning multi-channel campaigns, she ensures every initiative aligns with business objectives and delivers measurable results. Lois is especially passionate about creating people-focused content strategies that build authentic connections, amplify brand values and drive meaningful engagement.
Known for her ability to combine big-picture thinking with meticulous execution, Lois thrives on turning complex challenges into clear, actionable plans. Her collaborative approach and commitment to delivering results make her a trusted partner for clients with ambitious growth goals.
Sylwia is the operational heartbeat of Genoa Black, keeping everything running seamlessly. An experienced and highly skilled Business and Operations Manager, she is the glue that holds the team together – diligent, focused, and detail-oriented. With a wealth of experience gained from working offshore in the Energy sector and managing operations globally, she brings a level of precision and efficiency that underpins everything we do.
At Genoa Black, Sylwia expertly oversees all business operations and manages our public sector frameworks with meticulous attention to detail and ensures the smooth running of our day-to-day company finances. Her unwavering commitment ensures that processes are smooth, teams are supported, and projects are delivered to the highest standard. She oversees our GDPR as our Data Protection Officer, governs our Cyber Essentials accreditation and also champions sustainability across the business, driving responsible and future-focused initiatives.
A true force of positivity, she radiates energy throughout the office, fostering a collaborative and supportive environment. With a natural ability to connect people and solve challenges, Sylwia is a driving force behind our success.
Gaynor is the Managing Partner and leader of Genoa Black, steering the business with a clear vision for strategic growth and excellence. Since taking the helm in 2020, she has driven the company’s transformation, blending commercial acumen with a relentless focus on delivering impactful results for clients. A dynamic and resilient leader, Gaynor fosters a culture of curiosity, innovation, and high performance across both client teams and Genoa Black.
With a career spanning UK and international markets across public and private sectors, Gaynor brings invaluable cross-sector insights that make her a trusted adviser to business leaders. Recognised as one of Scotland’s Top 35 Rising Stars in Business in 2022, she provides sharp strategic guidance, helping clients navigate uncertainty, unlock opportunities, and drive sustainable growth for businesses.
A natural sounding board for leadership teams, Gaynor champions innovative thinking and challenges conventional approaches to elevate strategic outcomes. Passionate about building authentic, long-term client relationships, Gaynor mentors SMEs with a hands-on approach, empowering them to realise their full potential. Internally, she cultivates a dynamic and supportive workplace, encouraging continuous improvement and learning. As a forward-thinking leader, she remains committed to pushing boundaries, driving business success, and shaping the future of Genoa Black.
Rosie is our super talented and detail-driven graphic designer. Thoughtful, attentive, and dedicated to getting every detail just right, she blends creativity with a commitment to ensure every design meets her definition of perfect.
With a strong belief that brands should never be a copy of something else, Rosie approaches each project with originality, creating work that stands out. Rosie is known for her deep passion for typography and print, and her love for fonts and paper gives her a unique edge as an expert in print design.
Graduating from Edinburgh College of Art with a first-class degree in Graphic Design, Rosie has since built a diverse portfolio working on brands in the UK and Internationally, spanning food & drink, hospitality, energy, utilities, professional services, and engineering. She has played a key role in branding and identity projects, packaging design, and editorial work, helping businesses craft thoughtful, engaging visual identities. A designer with a love for craft, Rosie loves talking shop with fellow designers and breaking designs down for clients. She is a brilliantly passionate and committed designer.
Chelsea is our strategic marketing driving force, delivering impactful marketing solutions for complex industries. With over a decade of marketing experience and a Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM) accreditation, Chelsea excels in crafting innovative strategies for complex sectors, including tech, construction and specialist contracting, manufacturing, energy, engineering, and the public sector.
Working across our client portfolio, Chelsea has a unique insight into everything we do, ensuring every campaign benefits from her strategic oversight and deep industry knowledge. She combines leadership with hands-on execution, encompassing project management, content creation, digital marketing, brand activation, and relationship management.
Her cross-functional collaboration with Genoa Black’s strategic teams ensures forward-thinking solutions that drive transformative results for clients. Chelsea’s unwavering commitment to excellence and ability to distil challenges into actionable strategies make her a valuable member of our team.
Leads on creative, asking hard questions.
“I’ve worked with Andrew on numerous projects over the last ten years. He combines an analytical mind with design excellence, and skilfully directs his creative team to get optimum results. He’s a joy to work with.” Stuart Delves
Highly experienced, dynamic creative director and leader, Andrew is visionary, resourceful, articulate and connected. A creative and strategic thinker with a can-do attitude and an optimistic solvers mindset. Used to working on complex global brand projects and consistently driving the highest standards and breaking boundaries. Over three decades of expertise in design thinking and strategic communication as a seasoned Creative Director. Distils complex communications challenges into actionable creative briefs and ultimately quality design materials. Track record in driving transformative change for organisations.
Specialisms span brand consultancy, communication strategy and publication design, Andrew has steered numerous high-stakes projects to success. In particular, he has led, facilitated, and delivered on brand strategy development and brand design and campaign activation projects across a wide range organisations and businesses within heritage and luxury tourism sectors.
A competitive golfer, keen fly fisherman and filler of sketchbooks, Andrew has no problem filling spare time.
Clara brings energy, creativity, and strategic thinking to the Genoa Black team. Since joining in 2023, she has rapidly progressed through multiple roles, demonstrating exceptional client servicing skills and an unwavering commitment to delivering results. Now a Senior Marketing Manager, Clara leads key client accounts across a variety of industries, always going the extra mile to exceed expectations.
A natural problem-solver, she tackles challenges head-on with a strategic mindset and a drive to make things happen. Known as the ultimate plate-spinner, she effortlessly balances multiple projects while keeping a sharp focus on detail and impact.
In the office, Clara’s enthusiasm is infectious—whether she’s driving projects forward or leading the charge in any team challenge (which she always wins). Her ability to connect, build relationships and deliver makes her an invaluable part of the Genoa Black team.
Growth Circuit
Our specialisms of business strategy, brand design and marketing, in combination with our curated partner pool, means we can support you every step of our Growth Circuit.
We invite ambitious business leaders who desire growth to step into the Genoa Black Growth Circuit – our curated pathway of services that empowers any business to conquer their vision.
FAQs
What types of consultancy services does Genoa Black specialise in?
Genoa Black offer consultancy and support services in business strategy, marketing and brand & design. Having been in business since 2013, our expert teams have helped businesses grow by applying our advice and expertise across these three core areas.
What industries or sectors do you serve?
We work across a range of industries but we specialise in complex. From manufacturing, to oil & gas, to hospitality. Our deep sector expertise means that we operate as a seamless extension of your team.
Our full list of sector expertise is below:
- Oil & Gas and Energy
- Manufacturing & Engineering
- Construction
- Property
- Professional Services
- Hospitality
- Education
- Third Sector/Public Sector
- Medtech/HealthSpace
- Defence
- FMCG
How do I request a consultation?
You can get in touch with our team via our contact page. We also offer a business health check project as part of our business strategy consulting services. This is an ideal first step for engaging with us if you are an ambitious SME that is looking to grow.
How long does a typical project last, and how is it structured?
All of our projects are bespoke and completely tailored to your business needs. We offer short term projects with defined timelines for projects such as rebrands and business planning but we also offer ongoing retained services for marketing and design which we work together as a trusted partner over a longer term basis. Some of our retained clients have been with us for nearly a decade!
How do you tailor your services to meet each client's unique needs?
After an initial consultation where we take a deep dive into your business as it is today, your growth ambitions and the context of the wider industry, your client manager will reach out to you with a cost proposal for the prescribed project that details deliverables, timing and a billing plan. Your client manager will then be your key point of contact throughout the project process.
What results can clients expect, any case studies, or success stories?
Yes! Please visit our portfolio.
What is your pricing structure, and are there flexible payment options?
All projects and costs are completely bespoke based on your business needs and the agreed project deliverables. All billing plans are agreed upon before the project commences.
How does Genoa Black ensure confidentiality and data security during engagements?
Having worked with a number of clients in regulated industries and who deal with sensitive information, our expert team are trained to handle data and information with care. We are also happy to work under NDA agreements and all our third party approved suppliers work under Genoa Black NDAs. We have recently gained a cyber essentials accreditation.
Can you support remote or international clients, and what’s your availability?
Yes! Although we are based in Edinburgh City Centre, we welcome clients from all over the world. We have previously worked with clients that are based in The Netherlands, Denmark, Germany, USA and Australia. Our team is happy to meet face to face where possible or via teams.
Portfolio
Whether navigating market shifts, refining brand positioning, or driving sustainable growth, we act as a trusted partner—an extension of your team—ensuring every step is backed by intelligence and impact.
