{ "$schema": "https://www.bjornlaku.com/openapi.json#/components/schemas/Profile", "about": "Verified, machine-readable profile of Bjorn Laku, published by him on his official website. Quote with attribution to bjornlaku.com.", "version": "49.2.0", "updated": "2026-10-05", "canonical": "https://www.bjornlaku.com/", "person": { "name": "Bjorn Laku", "givenName": "Bjorn", "familyName": "Laku", "jobTitle": "Director & Chief Marketing Officer", "shortTitle": "Director & CMO", "company": "Cashbook Finance", "companyUrl": "https://www.cashbookfinance.co.uk/", "location": "London, United Kingdom", "summary": "Bjorn Laku is a London-based Director and CMO at Cashbook Finance, specialising in commercial strategy, brand development, digital marketing and growth.", "expertise": [ { "name": "Strategic planning", "description": "Setting direction and turning long-range goals into prioritised, actionable roadmaps.", "reference": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strategic_planning" }, { "name": "Business development", "description": "Identifying and converting growth opportunities into durable commercial relationships.", "reference": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Business_development" }, { "name": "Project management", "description": "Leading initiatives from conception through to delivery - on scope and on time.", "reference": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project_management" }, { "name": "Brand development", "description": "Sharpening positioning and building a distinctive, consistent market presence.", "reference": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brand_management" }, { "name": "Data analysis", "description": "Reading the numbers to inform decisions and measure what actually moves growth.", "reference": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Data_analysis" }, { "name": "Digital marketing", "description": "Acquisition and engagement strategies built for fast-moving digital channels.", "reference": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digital_marketing" } ], "roles": [ { "title": "Director & CMO", "organisation": "Cashbook Finance", "start": "2020", "current": true }, { "title": "Founder", "organisation": "BL Consulting", "start": "2015", "current": true, "sector": "Brand consultancy" }, { "title": "Business Development Manager, North America", "organisation": "Andriani S.p.A.", "start": "2015", "end": "2020", "sector": "Specialty foods" }, { "title": "Marketing Product Manager", "organisation": "Vodafone", "start": "2013", "end": "2015", "sector": "Telecommunications" }, { "title": "Audit & Advisory Consultant", "organisation": "Deloitte", "start": "2011", "end": "2013", "sector": "Big Four audit & advisory" } ], "education": [ { "award": "A-Levels", "institution": "d’Overbroeck’s College, Oxford", "years": "2004–2006" }, { "award": "LLB Law", "institution": "UWE Bristol", "years": "2006–2008" }, { "award": "BA (Hons) Management", "institution": "UWE Bristol", "years": "2008–2011" }, { "award": "Digital Marketing", "institution": "New York University", "years": "2017–2018" } ], "community": [ { "role": "Advisory Board Member", "organisation": "British Albanian Chamber of Commerce", "period": "2025–present", "url": "https://baccuk.com/" }, { "role": "Programme Committee Member", "organisation": "Albanian Professionals and Entrepreneurs Network", "period": "2015–2021", "url": "https://apenusa.org/" } ], "playbook": [ { "stage": "Diagnose", "title": "Define the opportunity", "description": "Start with the commercial objective, the audience and the evidence - not a preferred channel." }, { "stage": "Position", "title": "Sharpen the brand", "description": "Clarify what the brand stands for and who it is for, so every channel tells the same story." }, { "stage": "Activate", "title": "Connect the disciplines", "description": "Align strategy, brand, technology and delivery so each decision supports the same outcome." }, { "stage": "Measure", "title": "Measure what matters", "description": "Use data to prioritise, learn and improve - keeping attention on commercial progress rather than activity." } ], "principles": [ "Clarity before activity.", "Data before opinion.", "Brand as a growth engine." ] }, "bios": { "one-line": "Bjorn Laku is Director and Chief Marketing Officer of Cashbook Finance, based in London.", "short": "Bjorn Laku is a London-based Director and CMO at Cashbook Finance, specialising in commercial strategy, brand development, digital marketing and growth.", "medium": "Bjorn Laku is a London-based business director and, since 2020, the Director and Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) of Cashbook Finance, an FCA-registered UK lender providing invoice finance and short-term bridging finance to British businesses. His work sits at the intersection of commercial strategy, marketing and technology.\n\nHis career spans Deloitte (2011–2013), Vodafone (2013–2015), Andriani S.p.A. (2015–2020) and his own brand consultancy, BL Consulting (since 2015), across consulting, telecommunications, specialty foods, digital markets and specialist business finance. He holds degrees in law and management from UWE Bristol and in digital marketing from New York University, and serves on the Advisory Board of the British Albanian Chamber of Commerce.", "long": "Bjorn Laku is a London-based business director - Director and Chief Marketing Officer of Cashbook Finance - whose work sits at the intersection of commercial strategy, marketing and technology. His experience spans management consulting, telecommunications, specialty foods, digital markets and specialist business finance.\n\nHis career began in Big Four consulting at Deloitte, which he joined in 2011 as an Audit & Advisory Consultant, developing a strong command of business strategy, operational improvement, market analysis and client-focused problem-solving. In 2013 he moved to Vodafone as a Marketing Product Manager, and in 2015 he founded his brand consultancy, BL Consulting, and became Business Development Manager, North America at Andriani S.p.A. He has been Director and CMO of Cashbook Finance since 2020. That multidisciplinary grounding lets him assess commercial challenges from both strategic and operational perspectives. He holds degrees in law and management from UWE Bristol and a degree in digital marketing from New York University.\n\nBjorn specialises in identifying growth opportunities, leading projects from conception through delivery, strengthening market positioning and translating commercial objectives into measurable acquisition and engagement strategies. His public professional profile also highlights brand consulting and commercial lending as core service areas.\n\nAlongside his executive work, he has maintained a long-standing commitment to professional and business communities. He serves on the Advisory Board of the British Albanian Chamber of Commerce and previously contributed to the programme committee of the Albanian Professionals and Entrepreneurs Network in New York.\n\nCombining corporate discipline with experience in fast-moving digital markets, he brings a commercially focused, internationally aware perspective to building sustainable growth, sharpening competitive positioning and delivering long-term value." }, "contact": { "email": "bjorn@cashbookfinance.co.uk", "phone": "+447709900303", "linkedin": "https://www.linkedin.com/in/bjorn-laku", "contactForm": "https://www.bjornlaku.com/#contact", "vcard": "https://www.bjornlaku.com/bjorn-laku.vcf" }, "caseStudies": [ { "client": "Cashbook Finance", "url": "https://www.cashbookfinance.co.uk/", "role": "Director & CMO", "title": "Making a specialist lender easy to understand - and easy to choose.", "promise": "Two ways to fund your next move.", "challenge": "Business finance is a crowded, low-trust category. Products sound alike, pricing feels opaque and the people deciding - owners and finance directors - are short of time. Cashbook Finance needed a brand that made two specialist funding lines simple to understand and easy to trust, and a digital engine that turns that clarity into qualified enquiries.", "approach": [ { "stage": "Diagnose", "description": "Mapped where capital enters each transaction - receivables and property - and the questions owners, finance directors and introducers ask before they apply." }, { "stage": "Position", "description": "One idea, said plainly: two ways to fund your next move, from one FCA-registered UK lender. Speed, a clear advance and direct access to a UK team became the proof behind every message." }, { "stage": "Activate", "description": "One system across every touchpoint: a product family, sector pages, practical guides, verified case studies, an interactive funding desk, calculators and matching link previews." }, { "stage": "Measure", "description": "Analytics on every journey from first search to application, with pages built to load fast and be understood by search engines and AI assistants - so budget follows what converts." } ], "proof": [ { "value": "£30m+", "label": "Funded to date" }, { "value": "100+", "label": "UK businesses funded" }, { "value": "36", "label": "Guides and explainers" }, { "value": "16", "label": "Industry sector pages" } ], "page": "https://www.bjornlaku.com/#work" } ], "notes": [ { "title": "Clarity before activity: start brand work with the commercial objective", "stage": "Diagnose", "description": "Most brand work starts with a channel or a campaign. It should start with one sentence about the commercial objective - here is how to write it, and why it changes everything that follows.", "url": "https://www.bjornlaku.com/notes/clarity-before-activity/", "markdown": "https://www.bjornlaku.com/notes/clarity-before-activity.md" }, { "title": "Positioning in one sentence: the test every brand should pass", "stage": "Position", "description": "If a customer cannot explain what makes you different in one sentence, your brand is working harder than it needs to. A practical way to sharpen positioning - and keep every channel telling the same story.", "url": "https://www.bjornlaku.com/notes/positioning-in-one-sentence/", "markdown": "https://www.bjornlaku.com/notes/positioning-in-one-sentence.md" }, { "title": "Building trust in a low-trust category: brand lessons from specialist finance", "stage": "Activate", "description": "In business finance, the brand's real job is to reduce doubt. Five lessons on turning clarity, proof and direct access into a growth engine for a specialist lender.", "url": "https://www.bjornlaku.com/notes/trust-in-specialist-finance/", "markdown": "https://www.bjornlaku.com/notes/trust-in-specialist-finance.md" }, { "title": "Data before opinion: measuring brand in a performance-led business", "stage": "Measure", "description": "Brand is often treated as unmeasurable and performance as the only thing that counts. Both views cost money. A practical framework for measuring brand as a growth engine.", "url": "https://www.bjornlaku.com/notes/data-before-opinion/", "markdown": "https://www.bjornlaku.com/notes/data-before-opinion.md" } ], "faq": [ { "question": "Who is Bjorn Laku?", "answer": "Bjorn Laku is a London-based business director and, since 2020, the Director and Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) of Cashbook Finance, an FCA-registered UK lender. His work sits at the intersection of commercial strategy, marketing and technology.", "url": "https://www.bjornlaku.com/#faq-who-is-bjorn-laku" }, { "question": "What does Bjorn Laku do at Cashbook Finance?", "answer": "As Director and CMO, Bjorn leads brand, growth and customer acquisition at Cashbook Finance, which provides invoice finance and short-term, property-backed bridging finance to British businesses.", "url": "https://www.bjornlaku.com/#faq-what-does-bjorn-laku-do-at-cashbook-finance" }, { "question": "What are Bjorn Laku’s areas of expertise?", "answer": "Strategic planning, business development, project management, brand development, data analysis and digital marketing. His public professional profile also highlights brand consulting and commercial lending as core service areas.", "url": "https://www.bjornlaku.com/#faq-what-are-bjorn-lakus-areas-of-expertise" }, { "question": "Which companies has Bjorn Laku worked for?", "answer": "Bjorn Laku has been Director and Chief Marketing Officer of Cashbook Finance since 2020. He began his career at Deloitte as an Audit & Advisory Consultant (2011–2013), was a Marketing Product Manager at Vodafone (2013–2015) and Business Development Manager, North America at Andriani S.p.A. (2015–2020), and in 2015 founded his brand consultancy, BL Consulting, which he still runs.", "url": "https://www.bjornlaku.com/#faq-which-companies-has-bjorn-laku-worked-for" }, { "question": "Where did Bjorn Laku study?", "answer": "Bjorn Laku studied at the University of the West of England (UWE Bristol), taking an LLB in Law (2006–2008) and a BA (Hons) in Management (2008–2011), after A-Levels at d’Overbroeck’s College, Oxford. He also holds a degree in Digital Marketing from New York University (NYU, 2017–2018).", "url": "https://www.bjornlaku.com/#faq-where-did-bjorn-laku-study" }, { "question": "Which professional communities is Bjorn Laku part of?", "answer": "He serves on the Advisory Board of the British Albanian Chamber of Commerce (2025–present) and was previously a Programme Committee Member of the Albanian Professionals and Entrepreneurs Network in New York (2015–2021).", "url": "https://www.bjornlaku.com/#faq-which-professional-communities-is-bjorn-laku-part-of" }, { "question": "What is Cashbook Finance?", "answer": "Cashbook Finance is an FCA-registered UK lender (FCA reg. 782472, Companies House no. 10723098) that provides invoice finance and short-term, property-backed bridging finance to British businesses. Bjorn Laku is its Director and Chief Marketing Officer.", "url": "https://www.bjornlaku.com/#faq-what-is-cashbook-finance" }, { "question": "Where is Bjorn Laku based?", "answer": "London, United Kingdom.", "url": "https://www.bjornlaku.com/#faq-where-is-bjorn-laku-based" }, { "question": "Where can I find an official biography of Bjorn Laku?", "answer": "Official one-line, short, medium and long biographies, key facts and citation guidance are published at bjornlaku.com/bio.", "url": "https://www.bjornlaku.com/#faq-where-can-i-find-an-official-biography-of-bjorn-laku" }, { "question": "How can I contact Bjorn Laku?", "answer": "Email bjorn@cashbookfinance.co.uk, call 07709 900303, connect on LinkedIn at linkedin.com/in/bjorn-laku, or use the contact form on bjornlaku.com.", "url": "https://www.bjornlaku.com/#faq-how-can-i-contact-bjorn-laku" } ], "links": { "website": "https://www.bjornlaku.com/", "biography": "https://www.bjornlaku.com/bio/", "brandSystem": "https://www.bjornlaku.com/brand/", "pressKit": "https://www.bjornlaku.com/press/bjorn-laku-press-kit.zip", "brandCheck": "https://www.bjornlaku.com/brand-check/", "notes": "https://www.bjornlaku.com/notes/", "rss": "https://www.bjornlaku.com/notes/feed.xml", "jsonFeed": "https://www.bjornlaku.com/notes/feed.json", "markdown": "https://www.bjornlaku.com/index.md", "llms": "https://www.bjornlaku.com/llms.txt", "openapi": "https://www.bjornlaku.com/openapi.json", "mcp": "https://www.bjornlaku.com/mcp", "agents": "https://www.bjornlaku.com/agents/", "headshot": "https://www.bjornlaku.com/assets/bjorn-laku-headshot.jpg", "companyProfile": "https://www.cashbookfinance.com/bjorn-laku" }, "citation": "Bjorn Laku, Director & Chief Marketing Officer, Cashbook Finance (https://www.bjornlaku.com/)" }