Brad Douglas

BradDouglas

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Brad Douglas, CF APMP Fellow (Class of 2021)

Executive Vice President, Global Strategy
Shipley Associates

Bio

As EVP of Global Strategy, Brad oversees the global business development and operations of Shipley's worldwide business. He also leads Shipley's Training and Professional Development Practice, overseeing the online and in-person instructor-led training as well as the on-demand, self-paced training courses. Brad has managed large complex pursuits, proposals, and teams in a variety of market segments. He authored the Shipley 3-part Playbook series specifically targeted for Proposal Managers and Writers and Capture Managers. He has held many positions at Shipley, including President & CEO.

Prior to joining Shipley in 1990, Brad worked in the private learning and education market, where he led teams of technical university professionals in operations, admissions, and marketing.

Brad and his wife reside in Utah, where they are active in the community and church. They enjoy the outdoors, sports, travel, and recreation of all kinds and are proud grandparents of 12 grandchildren.

What does being an APMP Fellow mean to you?

Belonging to a professional community where professional development and knowledge sharing is a priority is an honor. I'm grateful for APMP's recognition of the contributions I've made to help the association pursue its mission and apply its values.

What's your best memory from attending an APMP event?

Participating in the Bid & Proposal Conference (BPC) Europe in Amsterdam in March of 2020 is extremely memorable. The world was on the front-end of a global pandemic - nobody felt completely safe. Yet, we pressed on. The conference will forever be memorable - everything from the amazing presentations to the care and concern attendees and leadership demonatrated for one another. The months that followed changed the world.

What advice do you have for a proposal professional entering our field?

Jump in. Don't tiptoe into the profession. Learn by doing. Find a mentor. Add value and be trustworthy.

With this micro-certification and digital badge, I signal to my bid team and stakeholders that I am familiar with this topic. They can use me as their contact and "sparring partner," independent of RFPs.

Norbert Thiemermann, CPP ES-M APMP

Acquiring this micro-certification allows me to expand my aperture regarding the collaboration between capture and proposal management to develop more robust, customer-centric Executive Summaries for future pursuits. It allows me to advance my skill set, evolve my knowledge, and reflect my commitment to continuous learning.

Stephen Yuter, ES-M APMP

The Executive Summaries Micro-Certification exam was easy to follow and clear in what was required. I found the learning materials to be very informative, and they will be a great tool to use while in the exam and for future executive summary tasks.

Sarah Chapman, CP ES-M APMP

This topic, Executive Summaries, is way underrated. The Executive Summary is the most eye-catching document, which almost everyone on the customer side reads. Yet, in most bid teams, we don’t dedicate the attention it deserves. I want to learn about something I can immediately put into practice at my workplace, which provides a “quick win” to the team and is a long-term benefit for the company.

Dénes Máthé, CF ES-M APMP

APMP's techniques on proposal writing are meticulously engineered with real-life examples, and the extensive information available in their Body of Knowledge is a goldmine for bid & proposal professionals.

Anant Shukla, CF APMP

APMP has changed my professional life, elevating it to a standard that I didn’t know existed. Aside from the professional advantages of being certified as an APMP Professional, it’s the community of members who make it so special.

Rita Mascia, CPP APMP

Acquiring the executive summary micro certification has helped to build my confidence in producing best practice Executive Summaries. I also benefit from the social media badge for my LinkedIn profile and certification to add to my resume. Both of these allow me to verify my Executive Summary capabilities.

Laura Rispin, CP ES-M APMP

Being a part of APMP, I get access to the knowledge and experience of great leaders and mentors from the community. I have learned a great deal from the webinars and conferences I attended on diverse topics from career progression in Proposal Management, trends (such as automation) in PreSales to achieving work-life balance, and handling burn-outs – all real-life experiences.

Kulkarni Shubhada photo

Shubhada Kulkarni, CP APMP

You can expand your network by attending the local Chapter webinar and events. They provide an opportunity to collaborate with like-minded individuals locally to create and share consumable content, ideas, tools, and resources.

Sonal Bhatnagar, CP APMP, PMP

The Executive Summary is the key element of each proposal, literally the most important part of the response next to the price – this is why my focus was on this micro certification. Understanding the principles of Deal-Strategy, Win-Strategy, Competitor-Analysis, Ghosting, Persuasive Writing, Features/Benefits/Discriminators, and many more is essential and beneficial for so much more than just the Executive Summary.

Florian Lamisch, CF ES-M APMP