Commercial Director | Advisor
I help businesses make sustainability work commercially.
Win and retain contracts. Protect your business. Refine market position. Strengthen your operations. Improve commercial performance.
London • Thames Valley
“Gavin combines commercial thinking with practical sustainability expertise. He focuses on what sustainability means in real business terms rather than theory or ESG reporting.”
-Nick Payne, MD, SA Brain
“What really sets Gavin apart is how well he gets both the sustainability world and the commercial one”.
-Group Managing Director, Retail Marketing & Logistics Company
"Gavin facilitated a full-day sustainability session for a room of people from the same sector but with very different commercial priorities. He managed something genuinely difficult - bridging real commercial pressures with genuine sustainability ambition, without making either feel like a compromise”.
-Cheryl Chung, Corporate & Government Affairs
RECENT WORK IN PRACTICE
The work takes different forms.
Embedded leadership, practical projects and capability building.
FRACTIONAL ROLE · 18 MONTHS
Retail marketing services business
Working within the agency to strengthen its ESG credibility and response to client tenders and RFPs across FMCG, food and beverage, tobacco and confectionery.
This included ESG audits linked to key client accounts, alongside development of a clear sustainability strategy, plan and measured pathway for the business.
STRATEGY
Craft brewery
Sustainability strategy and a practical pathway for the leadership team.
CAPABILITY BUILDING
Workshops, training and teaching
Work with an insurance PLC, the German National Tourist Board and as a Corporate Sustainability Tutor for the Chartered Institute of Marketing.
PRACTICAL ACTION
Carbon, cost and operational priorities + risk assessments
Carbon footprint audits and practical initiatives to reduce energy use, waste and cost + sustainability reviews and materiality assessments.
Business first
Before talking about sustainability in isolation, I start by understanding your business.
Where do you make money?
Where is margin being lost?
What is your proposition?
What do your customers value?
How do you compare with competitors?
What are the barriers to growth?
Where are the operational constraints?
Throughout, I apply a sustainability lens to identify the commercial risks, opportunities and priorities that matter.
How I work
I work with businesses in three ways.
Fractional Commercial & Sustainability Director
Part-time support as part of your leadership team, typically one or two days a week or a few days a month, depending on the need.
Commercial Sustainability Review and Strategy
A focused piece of work to understand the business, identify what matters and establish practical priorities.
This may involve customer and tender requirements, carbon, climate and business risk, ESG, social value, governance or operations. The focus is always on what is material to the business.
Workshops and Board Support
Working sessions for boards, leadership teams and client teams.
Helping people understand what sustainability means for the business, what customers are asking for, where the risks and opportunities lie, and what to do next.
About Me
I’m a Commercial Director with 25+ years’ experience helping organisations grow, strengthen their commercial capability and navigate change.
My career has spanned BBC Worldwide and Universal Pictures to mid-market leadership roles. I focus on working with businesses where commercial experience can make a meaningful difference.
I work with companies facing changing customer expectations, commercial pressures and sustainability demands, helping them strengthen performance while making informed strategic decisions.
Commercial Experience
Commercial strategy & growth
Business improvement & performance
Marketing & customer development
Commercial sustainability
Leadership & change
Qualifications
MBA, Durham University Business School
Fellow, Chartered Institute of Marketing
Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership
Corporate Sustainability Tutor, Chartered Institute of Marketing
Contact
Gavin Miller
London • Thames Valley
SOME CLIENT TESTIMONIALS
“Gavin combines commercial thinking with practical sustainability expertise. He focuses on what sustainability means in real business terms rather than theory or ESG reporting.
He provided clear, actionable advice and a coaching style that helped us rethink how we approached the challenges we were facing. He also delivered a written strategy document that gave us a practical foundation and pathway for moving forward.
It was a strong mix of commercial clarity, practical sustainability insight and hands-on support.” May 2026
-Nick Payne, Managing Director SA Brain
"Gavin facilitated a full-day sustainability session for a room of people from the same sector but with very different commercial priorities. He managed something genuinely difficult - bridging real commercial pressures with genuine sustainability ambition, without making either feel like a compromise.
His candour, warmth and depth of experience created an environment where people felt comfortable being honest and had their thinking genuinely challenged. Lively, enjoyable and substantive - a rare combination.
If you're looking for a facilitator who can hold a complex room and leave people energised, I'd recommend Gavin without hesitation."
-Cheryl Chung, Corporate & Government Affairs
“What really sets Gavin apart is how well he gets both the sustainability world and the commercial one. That mix meant we ended up with a strategy that wasn’t just ‘nice to have’ but something people could get behind and deliver. He brought our teams along for the ride and helped us talk to clients about it in a way that felt honest, inspiring, and practical.
He made a big difference to our journey. I’m really glad we had him on board and I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend him to anyone looking to do sustainability properly." November 2024
-Group Managing Director, Retail Marketing & Logistics Company
“Gavin consistently demonstrated an exceptional ability to engage audiences, from CEOs and senior directors to junior colleagues. His commercial leadership and deep ESG knowledge enabled teams to build practical capability that translated into meaningful outcomes.
He played a pivotal role in strengthening Acosta’s ESG credibility and retaining key clients. His impact as a commercial ESG professional is both lasting and measurable”.
-Michelle Carter, Interim Head of HR Acosta Europe
"We had a brilliant workshop with Gavin – lots of fantastic insights and a whole new perspective on sustainability and marketing in a sustainable world."
-German National Tourist Board
"Gavin is consistently helpful, knowledgeable, and a pleasure to work with. He's helped us to get started with clarity about sustainability and what this means in practice, well beyond carbon footprints. Thought-partnership in these early stages has been invaluable."
-Saskie Dorman, NHS Palliative Care Consultant, Forest Holme NHS Hospice
“We would like to thank Gavin Miller for his time with the Climate Partnership Steering Group. He has had a brilliant and useful impact on business interactions and the Climate Strategy.”
-RBWM Climate Partnership Committee Chair
