.png)
We are pleased to welcome David Coutts back to Active Directions after two years working overseas. David brings more than 20 years of experience helping organisations strengthen customer experience, sharpen brand strategy and drive commercial growth across sectors including Aged Care and NDIS, Travel, Insurance, Entertainment, Telco, Motoring, Construction and Retail.
David’s expertise spans customer insight, brand development, acquisition and retention, sales and marketing effectiveness, CRM improvement, segmentation and journey mapping. He works closely with teams to identify opportunities, clarify priorities and design practical solutions that build capability and deliver measurable results.
As he returns to Active Directions, David brings fresh international perspective along with a calm, pragmatic and outcomes‑focused consulting approach.
Below is a Q&A that explores David’s experience and ways of working.
Q&A with David Coutts
What’s your biggest business learning from the past year?
To take advantage of the rapid advancement of AI and other adjacent technologies, businesses must shift from treating AI as a "shiny object" to integrating it as a core component of their business strategy, tools, and teams.
What’s the one thing SMEs need to know to thrive this year?
With 80% of SME's experiencing financial pressure in the last year due to increasing costs, global trade disruption, and consumers facing cost of living pressures, SME's are now entering a period of recovery. At this time it’s not enough to keep driving down costs to achieve profit targets. Advancements in AI and the realignment of global trade will create significant opportunities for SME’s in 2026. To take advantage of these opportunities and thrive SME's will need to invest - in new technologies, R&D, and team capability, to ensure they can pivot with speed to achieve sustainable competitive advantage.
What would the title of your autobiography be?
The Growth Whisperer.
What three words would describe you?
Strategic, commercial, transformational.
What book or podcast are you currently reading or listening to?
"Global Roaming" podcast presented by Geraldine Doogue and Hamish MacDonald.
The best piece of advice I’ve ever been given is…
"Look after your employees and they'll look after your customers." My first marketing role was working for Richard Branson. His advice is as relevant now as it was then. In the current age of AI and technological disruption leaders can empower teams by aligning innovation with business objectives, providing frameworks to manage risk, and rewarding experimentation and learning to maximise the opportunities technological advancement presents. Studies have shown that technology paired with a culture of trust produces transformative results.
What’s something you wish people would ask you?
I would like people to ask why something isn’t working, “what’s the root-cause?”, rather than just stating what needs fixing. Asking deeper questions helps move beyond surface-level fixes to address the real drivers of performance. For example, asking why customer acquisition costs are increasing instead of directing that paid advertising be stopped, may determine that the messaging is misaligned to the audience, or that funnel issues are driving up costs. By identifying underlying issues businesses can achieve sustainable growth, use resources more efficiently, and gain clearer insight into customer needs, ultimately improving ROI and effectiveness.
Want to connect?
Follow David on LinkedIn or reach out via email to start a conversation about your business needs.
.png)
.png)
-3.png)
.png)
-1.png)
-1.png)
.png)
.png)
.png)
-1.png)
-1.png)
-1.png)
-1.png)
