Ian Harford FCIM CMktr is a Chartered Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Marketing — the most senior CIM designation — and co-founder of GTi Business Systems Ltd. He has spent more than 20 years working directly with UK SMEs, coaching and mentoring over 1,000 business owners from pre-start through to established growth.
His background spans strategic marketing, business coaching, and SME growth delivery. He holds qualifications in business strategy, financial management, and legal frameworks for business start-ups from Aston Business School — all with Distinction — alongside a CIMA Certificate in Business Accounting, giving him a rounded view of the commercial challenges founders actually face.
Before co-founding GTi, Ian founded Marketing4Growth in 2015, a strategic marketing consultancy that helped UK SME clients build and execute growth strategies over seven years.
At BGE, Ian writes on the practical business intelligence UK founders need — drawing on two decades of direct experience working alongside the business owners who read it.
