Commercial Director | Advisor
What does sustainability mean to your business?
I help SMEs understand how sustainability impacts their business and where it creates commercial value.
After senior commercial roles at BBC Worldwide, Universal Pictures and several media and marketing businesses, I now work with SMEs across Berkshire and Surrey to identify where sustainability creates challenges or opportunities and where action can reduce risk, cut costs or strengthen the business.
Sustainability is becoming a business issue for SMEs.
It’s no longer separate from commercial strategy.
Climate transition, regulation, customer expectations, supply-chain requirements and ESG priorities are changing how businesses operate, compete and create value.
For many businesses, the question is what this means in practice:
What risks do we need to manage?
What are customers and supply chains asking of us?
Where can we reduce costs or improve efficiency?
Where could sustainability strengthen the business or create value?
“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
How I Work
Fractional Commercial Director
Ongoing senior support to improve commercial performance, identify opportunities and build sustainability into day-to-day decision-making.
Commercial Sustainability Workshops
Practical sessions that help leadership teams understand what sustainability means for their business and what to do next.
Board Advisory & NED
Independent commercial perspective for boards dealing with performance, growth, risk and sustainability-related change.
Business Strategy & Sustainability Diagnostic
Commercial Business Review
I start by looking at:
Where the business makes money
Where margin is being lost
Barriers to growth
Customer position
Commercial capability
Operational constraints
Sustainability-related risks and opportunities
The outcome: a clearer view of what needs to change 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. Improving performance, strengthening the business, meeting sustainability demands, creating growth opportunities and helping determine what comes next.
Commercial Experience
Commercial strategy and growth
Business improvement and performance
Market positioning and customer development
Marketing and revenue growth
Commercial Sustainability Leadership
Building teams and capability
Leading change and transformation
Creating stronger foundations for future growth
Qualifications
MBA, Durham University Business School
Fellow, Chartered Institute of Marketing
Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership
Corporate Sustainability, Chartered Institute of Marketing
Contact
Gavin Miller
Berkshire • Surrey • 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
