Role: Communications & Digital Strategy
Organization: Global Forum on Cyber Expertise (GFCE)
Scope: Website transformation, LinkedIn growth strategy, content system building, stakeholder coordination

Background

The Global Forum on Cyber Expertise (GFCE) is a global multi-stakeholder platform that brings together governments, international organizations, private sector, and civil society to strengthen cyber capacity building worldwide. As the organization expanded its global footprint and partnerships, its digital presence no longer reflected its strategic role or growing community.

Website

The existing GFCE website functioned primarily as a static information platform. While it contained essential information, it faced several limitations:

• Lack of a consistent brand identity aligned with GFCE’s evolving positioning
• Limited capacity to showcase knowledge systems and global initiatives
• Low engagement and limited pathways for stakeholder participation

The website did not fully reflect the scale of GFCE’s work across regions, nor did it effectively position the organization as a global convenor and knowledge hub in cyber capacity building.

LinkedIn

Similarly, GFCE’s LinkedIn presence was underutilized:

• When I started, the website has approximately 4,000 followers with limited engagement
• Inconsistent posting schedule
• Content primarily focused on event announcements and partnership updates

As GFCE’s community expanded globally, the need emerged for a more strategic digital presence that could:

• Strengthen thought leadership
• Showcase regional impact
• Increase partner visibility
• Foster community engagement
• Support long-term organizational growth

This led to a comprehensive website and LinkedIn rebrand initiative designed to reposition GFCE’s digital presence as a dynamic global knowledge and partnership platform.

Approach

1. Website Transformation: Building a Knowledge-Driven Platform

The website transformation focused on evolving from a static information page into a dynamic knowledge and community platform.

Strategic Direction

I led the strategic planning and implementation of the new website, working closely with:

• Design agency
• Website development agency
• GFCE Secretariat
• Regional coordinators
• Knowledge and program teams

The process began with defining key objectives:

• Strengthen brand identity and positioning
• Improve knowledge accessibility
• Highlight regional initiatives
• Increase stakeholder engagement
• Support partnership development

Information Architecture Redesign

To improve usability and storytelling, I coordinated the development of a new website structure that included:

• Regional pages showcasing activities across continents
• Knowledge hub integrating GFCE tools and resources
• Weekly blog system for thought leadership and updates
• Partner and community testimonials
• Event integration and visibility
• Project and initiative showcases

This required cross-regional collaboration to ensure each region’s priorities, initiatives, and partnerships were accurately represented.

Stakeholder Coordination

The project involved coordinating multiple stakeholders:

• Collecting inputs from regional offices
• Aligning messaging with Secretariat priorities
• Ensuring consistency in tone and branding
• Streamlining content contribution workflows

To ensure sustainability, I also developed content governance guidelines for ongoing website updates, allowing regional teams and program leads to contribute effectively.

Brand and Visual Identity

Working closely with designers, I supported the development of:

• A refreshed visual identity
• Consistent brand tone and messaging
• Improved user experience and navigation
• Modern storytelling formats

The new website was designed to reflect GFCE as a global convenor, knowledge hub, and community platform.

2. LinkedIn Rebrand: Building a Community-Driven Growth Strategy

Content Strategy Development

I introduced four strategic content pillars:

1. People of GFCE & Partners: Highlighting community members, partners, and contributors to strengthen relationship visibility and humanize the network.

2. Cyber Knowledge & Thought Leadership: Sharing insights, knowledge resources, and key cyber capacity building developments.

3. Community & Collaboration: Showcasing initiatives, partnerships, and collaborative efforts across the network.

4. Regional Efforts & Impact: Amplifying activities from regional hubs and strengthening global representation.

This pillar system ensured balanced, consistent, and strategic content delivery.

Editorial Planning and Governance

I developed a monthly content calendar aligned with:

• Organizational priorities
• Major events
• Regional activities
• Partner initiatives

To ensure consistency, I also:

• Allocated percentage of content across pillars
• Created content contribution workflows for regional teams
• Built internal coordination mechanisms
• Developed templates and content guidance

This approach enabled regional teams and partners to actively contribute while maintaining a unified voice.

Community-Driven Growth

The LinkedIn strategy focused on:

• Increasing partner visibility
• Highlighting regional leadership
• Encouraging community participation
• Strengthening thought leadership

Over time, this created a more dynamic, engaged, and collaborative LinkedIn presence.

Result

Website Transformation

The new GFCE website successfully repositioned the organization as a global knowledge and partnership platform:

• Modern, cohesive brand identity
• Integrated knowledge system and resources
• Dedicated regional pages highlighting global footprint
• Weekly blog and storytelling content
• Improved user navigation and engagement

The launch of the new website resulted in 2x increase in engagement and significant growth in website traffic.

LinkedIn Growth and Engagement

The LinkedIn rebrand led to substantial growth and stronger community engagement:

• Followers increased from 4,000 to 10,000 within one year
• 350% increase in monthly engagement
• More consistent and strategic content delivery
• Increased regional representation
• Stronger partner visibility

The LinkedIn page evolved from a static update channel into a dynamic global community platform, supporting GFCE’s strategic positioning and partnership growth.

Through the website and LinkedIn rebrand, GFCE strengthened its role as:

• A global cyber capacity building convenor
• A knowledge and collaboration hub
• A community-driven platform

This project helped transform GFCE’s digital presence into a strategic communication ecosystem that supports long-term engagement, partnership building, and global impact.