Reference – John Barker                                                                                   February 2009
I am pleased to provide a reference for John  Barker.
John worked for me at Avery Dennison from August 1991 (when I joined as Sales and Marketing Director) to July 1994.  In that time he worked in a variety of increasingly important Marketing roles.
John is an enthusiastic and passionate Marketer, with very good Commercial acumen, In a tough market with multiple competitors, he developed successful strategies and tactics to defend and grow the Avery business.
He actively participated in customer meetings and presentations and displayed good interpersonal skills on all occasions.
Internally, he was a popular and successful member of the team, and readily helped coach new members of the Sales and Marketing department.
I would have no hesitation in recommending John for a senior Commercial role in any B2B business.
Jonathan Smith
Vice President – Sales.
Avery Dennison Office Products Europe

Reference - John Barker                                                                                        February 2009

I first met John in March 2003, when I joined Helix as Key Account Sales Manager for the commercial division.
At the time John was the Product Marketing Manager for all the categories that were specific to the commercial division. He also work extensively with the rest of the sales team in placing his product portfolio into other channels such as the retail, export and education markets.
It was these strengths that gave me no hesitation in recruiting him for the role of Marketing Manager for Sterling International in January 2007. John again demonstrated his attributes in abundance. As well as the marketing and development role John took on direct responsibility for major customers in the retail and education markets.
I have absolutely no hesitation in recommending John for his expertise in all aspects of marketing and general all round business experience.
Mike Easton
Sales Director
Sterling International Office products Limited

Reference - John Barker                                                                                          March 2009

I worked with John for just over 2 years at Helix Limited where he was Marketing Manager for the commercial division. John lead all the marketing activity for the division encompassing;
New Product Development
Leading a multi-functional team commercialising and driving category growth from concept development to product launch.
Product & Category Management
Incorporating all elements of the marketing mix including supply chain liaison, trade marketing and marketing communications including PR, advertising and consumer promotions.
Sales Development
Not only providing marketing support to the sales team but on many occasions leading the sales drive with both existing and new customers. John has excellent contacts throughout the commercial products industry.

John is a truly hardworking and commercially aware marketing professional with excellent internal and external communication skills. An asset to any company.

Gary McClintock
Marketing Director
EB Brands UK (formally Marketing Director at Helix Limited)