Hi, my name is
Aaron Darke.
Senior Project & Program Manager with 25+ years driving high-stakes initiatives at the intersection of technology and brand strategy. I turn complex business goals into structured, scalable realities — from post-merger integrations unifying global business units to AI-driven automation optimizing operational workflows.
A rare blend of technical depth in app and web development and strategic oversight in digital marketing and brand architecture — so every project delivers measurable business value, not just deliverables.
- Name
- Aaron Darke
- Nationality
- Australian
- Work eligibility
- AUS · NZ · USA · MEX
- Phone (US)
- +1 530 440 5448
- Phone (MX)
- +52 624 317 9344
- Experience
- 25+ years
- Employment
- ● Available
Long enough to have seen the pattern.
Recent enough to ship in the current stack.
Career shaped at Clear Channel Entertainment, LexisNexis, Century Yuasa Batteries, and Foster's Group — then independent for the last 17 years on national rollouts, large-scale digital applications, and post-merger integrations.
My expertise areas.
Executive Management
High-level strategic leadership with a proven track record of scaling ventures across international borders. Multi-national founder and VP experience driving sustainable organizational growth.
- Business Founder (AUS / USA / MEX)
- Division Vice President Experience
- Founder, Darke Marketing (Australia)
Project Management
Streamlining complex workflows from conception to completion. Focused on removing inefficiencies and aligning multidisciplinary teams to deliver high-impact results across brand, digital, and live event sectors.
- Brand Projects
- Digital Projects
- Strategic Projects
- Event Projects
- Creative Projects
Brand Projects
Building robust brand identities and market presence through disciplined design systems and strategic positioning. Expert guidance for brands entering new markets or launching transformative new identities.
- New Market Launch
- New Brand Launch
- Brand Strategy
Digital Projects
Managing sophisticated digital ecosystems that prioritize user experience and technical scalability. Specializing in high-performance applications, custom integrations, and cutting-edge AI automation.
- Large Scale Applications
- AI & Automation
- System Integrations
- Website Development
Post-Merger Integration
Navigating the technical and operational complexities of business transitions. Seamless continuity by consolidating assets, codebases, and the management of legal assimilation following a merger or acquisition.
- Rebrand Projects
- Legal Consolidation
- Financial Consolidation
- Digital & Technical Integration
Projects that shipped.
A snapshot from 25 years across SaaS, brand, post-merger integration, and event activation. Happy to walk through any of these — or the ones not listed — on a call.
Develop & Launch National Digital Promotions Platform
End-to-end project lifecycle for a web-based sales & marketing application — discovery, design, build, delivery. On time, on budget, into the hands of the national sales org.
Corporate RebrandButterworths Legal & LexisNexis
Corporate rebrand and consolidation program — unifying legacy Butterworths under the LexisNexis identity across marketing, product, and customer-facing assets.
New Market LaunchLaunch LexisNexis Australasia
Coordinated regional go-to-market for the Australasian rollout — comms strategy, channel enablement, and launch operations across AU & NZ.
Corporate RebrandCentury Batteries & GS Yuasa
Strategic project roadmap across 4 automotive brands generating $120M+ in annual revenue. Multi-channel campaigns, retail rollout, agency orchestration.
New Market LaunchGS Yuasa & Yuasa Battery Launch Australasia
Regional product launch program — packaging, channel comms, retail activation, and cross-brand positioning across the Australasian battery market.
Post-Acquisition IntegrationAPV · Vehicle Solutions
Post-acquisition integration program — technical consolidation, brand unification, and operational hand-off following the corporate transaction.
Plenty more not listed — including national branding rollouts, Wild Turkey Darts Pro Tour event activation, and Cargo Bar hospitality work. Happy to walk through specifics relevant to your project.
The job is making sure the thing
actually gets done.
Most projects don't fail at the technical layer. They fail in the gap between what was promised, what was understood, and what was actually built. That gap is the work.
Frame the outcome
Before any plan, we agree on what success looks like in a sentence a stakeholder could read aloud. Scope, success criteria, non-goals — written down, signed off.
Deliverables: one-page project charter, success metrics, decision-rights map, risk register, communication cadence.
Map the path
Workstreams, dependencies, and a delivery rhythm matched to the team — not a methodology dogma. Agile when iterative, waterfall when sequential, hybrid when both.
Deliverables: milestone plan, RACI, sprint or phase structure, vendor & resourcing plan, tooling setup in your stack.
Drive delivery
Daily and weekly cadence, clean status comms, decisions escalated early. I'm the person who notices the slippage in week 2 — not the one flagging it in week 9.
Deliverables: weekly status, blocker resolution, scope-change protocol, executive briefings, demo cadence, launch readiness.
Hand off cleanly
A contract PM should leave the team more capable than they found it. Documented playbooks, warm transitions, and a retro the team will actually read.
Deliverables: runbook, handover doc, retrospective, recommendations for what to build, fix, or kill next.
Formally trained.
Currently certified.
25 years of pattern recognition, paired with refreshed credentials and current tooling. The trade has changed; the discipline hasn't.
Foundations of Project Management
Planning, execution, and risk across traditional and hybrid methods.
Agile Project Management
Scrum, Kanban, and hybrid agile delivery for cross-functional teams.
Google AI Essentials
Practical AI in modern workflows — from drafting to automation.
Google Analytics Certified
Measurement frameworks, GA4 events, attribution and reporting.
Google Ad Search Certified
Paid-search strategy, account structure, performance optimization.
AI Automation
Workflow automation across PM, ops, content, and CRM pipelines.
Bachelor of Business
Quick questions,
direct answers.
What is a fractional project manager and how much do they cost?
A fractional project manager is a senior PM who plugs into your team on contract — typically 2–4 days a week, or for a defined program scope. You get senior-level delivery oversight without the cost of a full-time hire (and without the 60–90 day recruiting cycle). Day rates for a 25-year practitioner running a high-stakes program land between US$1,200 and US$2,500, depending on scope and region.
How does a contract program manager differ from a full-time hire?
A contract program manager joins for a defined window — usually 3–12 months on a single transformation or integration. Full-time hires build long-term continuity but take three months to recruit and onboard. A contract program manager ships from week one, is accountable to outcomes, and leaves a documented operating model behind so your team can carry on without them.
What does post-merger integration project management involve?
Post-merger integration (PMI) is the program of work that turns two organisations into one — consolidating brands, IT systems, finance and legal entities, customer assets, and operational workflows. It typically runs 6–18 months across multiple workstreams. A PMI program manager owns the integration plan, the cross-workstream dependencies, the cutover sequencing, and the executive reporting.
How long does a brand strategy project typically take?
A brand strategy project ranges from 6 weeks (a positioning sprint or brand refresh) to 6 months (a multi-brand portfolio realignment with full rollout). The key driver is rollout scope — changing the website is fast; changing every physical asset, packaging SKU, and partner channel takes a quarter of programmatic work.
What industries do you work in?
SaaS and web apps, CPG and FMCG, automotive, legal and information services, sports and entertainment, hospitality, beverage and spirits, and real estate. The common thread is complex programs with multiple stakeholders — not the sector.
Are you available for remote contracts outside Australia?
Yes. I'm work-eligible across the United States, Mexico, Australia, and New Zealand, and I run programs remotely across all four. Based in Zephyr Cove, Nevada — so US Pacific and Mountain coverage is direct, US Eastern and Mexico City overlap with normal hours, and Australia/New Zealand work fits early-morning Pacific or evening Eastern windows.
Let's / talk.
Bring the project. I'll bring the structure, the cadence, and the calm. Best place to start is a short note about what you're trying to ship and by when.