Head of CRM

I build CRM that actually works. Personalised, scalable, and built to drive real revenue.

With 15+ years in CRM, I build customer journeys that do more than look good on a dashboard. I've led teams, migrated millions of users, and turned CRM from a background function into a genuine revenue driver, through smarter automation, better personalisation, and a relentless focus on what actually moves the needle.

Portrait of Phil Singer
Currently:

Head of CRM · UK

Findmypast (part of DC Thomson).

Experience

Selected roles and impact.

Head of CRM

Findmypast · Jan 2023-Present · London/Remote

Family history is deeply personal. So the CRM has to be too. At Findmypast, I lead the team responsible for connecting millions of subscribers with their stories through email, push, and on-site messaging that's timely, relevant, and built to grow the business.

  • Migrated millions of customers from Selligent to Iterable improving deliverability and personalisation in the process.
  • Increased customer-triggered comms from 15% to 65% of all messages, making messages more relevant and timely.
  • Increased free trial conversion rates by 5.5% and grew overall paid subscriptions by 16.7%.

CRM Manager

Tote · Aug 2019 - Jan 2023

Betting and horse racing are unpredictable, fast-paced, and sometimes chaotic. My job? Keep the CRM strategy ahead of the race. I managed email, SMS, push, and direct mail, turning them into real revenue-drivers while staying compliant with strict gambling regulations.

  • Grew CRM revenue by 54.4% year-over-year
  • Delivered highly personalised race-day emails and push messages using Iterable and Movable Ink, with live odds, leaderboards, and value statements that kept customers engaged.
  • Managed the migration from SendGrid to Iterable, improving segmentation, automation, and reporting while navigating complex regulatory challenges.

CRM Manager

Manchester Airport Group · Aug 2016 – Jul 2019

Airports never sleep. Neither did our CRM strategy. I worked across Manchester, Stansted, and East Midlands airports, ensuring that our emails, SMS, and direct mail campaigns kept passengers informed, engaged, and spending.

  • Delivered over 300 million emails a year, working at massive scale while keeping messaging relevant and effective.
  • Played a key role in the migration from Eloqua to Salesforce Marketing Cloud, improving automation, segmentation, and reporting across the business.
  • Drove millions in direct revenue through carefully planned and tested email and SMS campaigns.

Senior Digital Marketing Executive

Oxford University Press · Oct 2011 – Jul 2016

Global scale, local relevance - that's the challenge of marketing across a dozen countries and cultures. At OUP's English Language Teaching division, I helped local teams run campaigns that felt native to their markets while keeping everything aligned to a single strategy.

  • Led the migration from Adestra to DotDigital, improving automation and personalisation across OUP's global teams.
  • Delivered 1,200+ email campaigns a year across international markets, averaging a 30% open rate and 8–12% click through rate - above industry benchmarks at the time.
  • Trained marketing teams in Japan, South Korea, Spain, Germany and Switzerland, ensuring email best practice was embedded worldwide.

Testimonials

"Phil is an expert in his area and always thinking of new ways to improve success. He's a delight to work with—one of the best teammates I've ever had"

— Product Owner

"Phil is knowledgeable, pro-active, and driven. He'll go the extra mile to help you out, and you won't be disappointed working with him."

— CRM Manager

Contact

Want to talk CRM, lifecycle strategy, or a freelance project? The best way to reach me is email or LinkedIn.