Nick Hayden

Founder | Chief Operating Officer | Investor

United Kingdom

About

Working at a fast-growing start-up from 10 employees to over 500 during the past 9 years has allowed me to prove the strength of my solution-based & innovative mindset in attacking operational and strategic problems every day. Initiatives which are now engrained in the day-to-day operations of the business at scale allowed me to grow within the company from community agent to director. I’ve built and managed global teams covering key functions within the business: - Product development - Lead company-wide projects - Sales & sales operations - Ticket & hotel room fulfillment - Customer experience - Program / product operations - Strategy

Experience

  • Cheif Operating Officer at Culinary Collective
    Dec 2024 - Present · 1 yr 7 mos

  • Founder at HAYDS CONSULTING LTD
    Sep 2022 - Present · 3 yrs 10 mos

  • Pollen (Full-time · 5 yrs 2 mos)
    • Global Director of Strategy & Operations
      Jul 2021 - Sep 2022 · 1 yr 3 mos

      In my strategic-focused delivery role, I successfully orchestrated the attainment of KPIs and growth targets, while ensuring cost efficiency and administering operational processes across the entire customer lifecycle. My purview involved leading three global teams: Fulfillment, Program Operations, and Customer Strategy.

    • Global Head of Customer Operations
      Nov 2020 - Jul 2021 · 9 mos

      In 2021, I successfully spearheaded the strategy and development of our innovative in-house fulfillment tooling and process. This initiative enabled us to deliver wristbands and rooms to over 500,000 global customers spanning more than 150 hotels. Simultaneously, I expanded our operations by nurturing a third team (Fulfillment), while supervising the daily operations of over 50 in-house customer service agents. My managerial scope incorporated delivering against our goals. Company-wide reporting, strategic development, and tooling, all instrumental in driving operational success and efficiency.

    • Global Head of Program Operations
      Jun 2019 - Nov 2020 · 1 yr 6 mos

      I adeptly guided the transition and enhancement of our cross-functional tools and processes as we diversified from festival ticket sales to travel. Tasked with product roadmap development, I played a central role in numerous special projects, including facilitating travel for 15,000 Spring Break attendees.

  • Travelling at Traveling
    Mar 2017 - Aug 2017 · 6 mos

    In an enriching five-month sabbatical, I journeyed across the globe to gain diverse cultural experiences outside of the workplace. My travels spanned India, Japan, Uruguay, Brazil, Cuba, Mexico, and North America, fostering personal growth and broadening my global perspective.

  • Pollen (Full-time · 3 yrs 9 mos)
    • Client Support Manager
      Sep 2016 - Mar 2017 · 7 mos

      I collaborated with our product and sales teams to successfully launch our SAS platform. Leveraging my expertise, I crafted detailed marketing strategies designed to maximize sales, activating brand advocates at the core. This strategy significantly amplified word-of-mouth marketing, resulting in boosted year-on-year customer retention.

    • Community Manager
      Jul 2013 - Sep 2016 · 3 yrs 3 mos

      In 2015, I single-handedly managed and executed a record-breaking ticket sales campaign for Bestival. Harnessing the efforts of over 1,600 ambassadors, we achieved more than 25% of total ticket sales, contributing to over £2.5 million in revenue. This accomplishment marked the highest ticket sales in the company's history. Following the success of the Bestival 2015 campaign, in 2016 I took ownership of additional campaigns including Latitude Festival, Download Festival, and T in The Park.