Master, Wardens & The Court

Professor at Cranfield University, FCIM, FIoD, FRSA, FBCS

With over 30 years International experience and formerly Director of Global Brand Strategy for Hewlett Packard in California (HP Invent), Ian now has a portfolio which includes NED and Board Adviser roles, consulting on business sales, as well as his pro-bono charity work, speaking engagements and guest lecturing.

Two recent Chairman positions include Romonet Ltd., a world-leading software and services company operating in the data centre analytics market, and DCD Group Ltd. for three years. Currently Chairman of Buzzword Creative (Southern) Ltd., a marketing services company. Ian spent several years in Palo Alto California with Hewlett Packard and includes roles of CEO for Uffindell, a medium-sized brand consulting company, Senior Corporate Vice-President for Unisys Corporation and Deputy Group CEO responsible for the relaunch of BCS, The Chartered Institute for IT in his extensive career.

Ian was a subject specialist reviewer for Harvard Business School Press and a visiting Professor for the Stockholm School of Economics and Thunderbird Business School in the USA, a guest lecturer at Manchester and Reading Business Schools, and the Management Institute de Paris, France and sat on the Advisory Board for Cranfield’s MSc Strategic Marketing Programme for 5 years before doing a full term as External Examiner for this programme.

Ian is now a Visiting Professor at Cranfield and External Examiner for the Masters in Management degree which is ranked 7th in the world, and also the Masters in Management Leadership. A graduate of IMD in Lausanne, he has held senior marketing roles in several major technology companies and has provided independent strategy advice to many other companies inside and outside the technology industry. International speaker at more than 200 events across 4 continents, Chairman, author, and lecturer on the subjects of business and brand strategy, leadership, reputation and customer management, and a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Marketing, Ian has pioneered some breakthrough thinking in marketing and the role of CRM, CSR (ESG) and “responsible brands”.

Ian was also a non-executive adviser to the British Olympic Association and did a complete business transformation there which led to the strategy for TeamGB. He is a Fellow of the CIM, RSA, IoD and BCS, sits on the Editorial Board of The Journal of Brand Management, the Global Academic Liaison Board of CMO Council and was Chairman of the Technology Industry Business Leaders Group for The Marketing Society and Chairman of the Conference Board’s European Council on Customer Strategy. Ian is also a Freeman of the City of London, a Liveryman of the Worshipful Company of Marketors since 2005, and is the current Master of the Worshipful Company of Marketors for 2024.

Author, co-author and contributor to many books and published works, and a founding Director of The Medinge Group, a global brand think-tank, two of his co-authored books include “Beyond Branding”. (see www.beyond-branding.com) and “Securing the Business Benefits of Globalisation”.

Julian began his career in advertising sales and direct marketing, before joining the advertising agency world in 1980. He worked in independent UK agencies HJL and Allen Brady and March, developing marketing strategies and creative advertising campaigns for iconic UK brands of the time, including Thomas Cook, BUPA, British Rail, Cussons Imperial Leather and Everest Double Glazing.

However, he always wanted to work internationally. So in 1987, he accepted a role as International Account Director for D’Arcy Masius Benton & Bowles - now part of Publicis Groupe but at that time, one of the world’s leading advertising agency networks. Following work in London for major US corporates like M&M Mars and Procter & Gamble, he moved with his family to DMB&B’s Amsterdam office, where he led the agency’s work for Dutch multinational Philips Electronics, building the agency’s assignment from 7 to 44 countries.

In 1994, he moved to Brazil on a four year assignment to integrate DMB&B’s then largest acquisition, the Salles agency, into the DMB&B family. In 1999 he moved to New York where he relaunched the NW Ayer brand, also then acquired by DMB&B, into the agency’s new holding company structure, winning assignments from companies like General Motors, Avon and Continental Airlines.

However, Julian never forgot his passion for the independent sector and in 2003, he left the world of large traditional agencies to found his own business, “thenetworkone” – an ambitious project to connect large corporates with the best independent agencies for each one’s individual needs, anywhere in the world. Twenty years later, thenetworkone now works for more than 1200 independent creative, media, PR, digital and social agencies across 116 countries.

Along the way, Julian founded or co-founded a number of global initiatives in support of the independent agency sector, including the Independent Agency Showcase at Cannes, the independent PR Firms’ Forum at the Global PR Summit in Washington DC, the “World’s Leading Independent Agencies” publication with Campaign magazine, the Indie Awards and also the Indie Summit conference, which this year will take place in Singapore.

Julian’s pro bono activities have ranged from eight years as a Community Governor for a local primary school near his home in Fulham, to six years as a Non-Executive Director (and three years as Treasurer) for The Marketing Society, of which he is now a Fellow.

Since joining the Marketors, he has been a member of committees including Mentoring, Events, Education and Knowledge Development and PR & Communications. He also served as Honorary Treasurer from 2021 to 2023 and is a Trustee of the Marketors’ Trust.

Julian has an MA in English Literature from Cambridge University. His personal interests include hill walking, restoring old houses, travel, history, art, music and the inter-relation between language and culture. He is an active follower of Tottenham Hotspur football club and Harlequins rugby club.

Julian is married with two children and one grand-daughter.

Following a 50-year career in the FMCG business in both marketing and CEO roles, David is stepping back from full time employment to focus his time on the Marketors and some consulting projects.

After reading Chemistry at Oxford, David began his marketing career at Spillers Foods working on petfood and in 1977 joined BirdsEye Foods to work initially on ready meals and then across other sectors of their portfolio. In 1985 he was transferred to Walls Ice Cream where he refocused the impulse business onto more adult products and on building key brands, culminating in the development of Magnum.

Moving to Unilever’s head office in 1990, he was the SVP responsible for developing the food business in the Latin American and South Asia regions travelling extensively across both regions. He then moved to Latin America where he worked for 21 years, latterly as the regional director of Del Monte Foods, living in Venezuela, Argentina and Mexico and developing a taste for all things Latino before returning to the UK at the end of 2016.

Since 2017 he has been Chairman of Capsicana Ltd., a challenger brand in the Latin American Food sector, helping you create meals at home with a Sensational Fresh Latin Vibe, and he has just negotiated its sale to a multinational food company.

He has extensive experience in the consumer products industry primarily in food and drink, with in depth knowledge of the South Asia and Latin American Regions where he worked for 21 years.

David is a Fellow of the IOD and RSA and a member of the Marketing Society and a Marshall Goldsmith Stakeholder Centered Coach.

David joined the Marketors in 2018 and became a Court Assistant in 2021 and Treasurer in 2023. He has served as Chair of the Livery Committee, Vice Chair (Army) of the AFCC and a member of the Education & Knowledge Development Committee.

He is married to Jane with two daughters and four grandchildren.

Interests include strategic marketing, branding, innovation and start-ups. In his spare time, he enjoys playing tennis, scuba diving, drinking wine and going to the theatre and opera.

John joined the Company in 2005 and has been a Liveryman since 2006. Prior to being elected Junior Warden, John Chaired the Livery Committee and has previously served on the Heritage Committee. He is also part of the mentoring programme.

John is a career-long marketer. He started out in Brand Management with Procter & Gamble. He then transitioned to management consulting, serving clients in consumer-led industries and marketing. John was initially with McKinsey & Co, then in Board Search at MWM and later with Accenture. His work includes roles serving global CPG clients and leading their worldwide Consumer Goods Group. John was also the leader of the Global Marketing practice for Accenture Song. He now works independently, advising entities on strategy and marketing matters in the consumer, tech and startup arenas

John is a Fellow of the Marketing Society and a member of the Marketing Group of Great Britain. Marketing publications include ‘Marketing Excellence -Wiley’ and ‘Relevance over Loyalty- HBR’.

Besides the Marketors, John’s charity & not for profit roles have included Which?, Cancer Research UK and the Chartered Management Institute. He has served as an independent Governor of Oxford Brookes University.

Personally, John is a keen long-distance runner, cyclist and pilot. Married to Sue, they have 4 adult children.

Rhian is a strategic marketer with over 4 decades of professional experience at companies including Accenture, IBM, BT (British Telecom), and a wide range of projects in digital, telecoms, media, sustainability, finance & banking. She currently undertakes consulting roles in marketing, as well as career coaching, mentoring and philanthropy and managing personal investment projects. 

After joining the company as a Freeman in 2013, and advancing to Liveryman in 2015, Rhian has been involved in multiple membership campaigns, event direction and committee positions. Her role of Honorary Treasurer for the Worshipful Company of Marketors encompasses responsibility as leader of financial management to drive our company’s growth and support our strategic plan. She is also responsible for the company’s affiliation with St Bride's Church in Fleet Street, which has played a pivotal role in the City of London community over its 2000-year history, for marketing, journalists and the printing industry.

Rhian enjoys life on the south coast of England and spending time with family and friends, She is a champion of history and culture, and has a regular commitment to English Heritage to work on data management and conservation projects. She also enjoys walking, fitness and outdoor adventures with her two dogs.   

Honor started her working life as an Army Officer. She went on to be a Manager with Marks and Spencer; Chief of Staff to an American newspaper publishing company and the Events and HR Manager at St Paul’s Cathedral which was where she first encountered the intricacies of the Civic City and Livery Companies.

For the last 30 years Honor has been involved with the City and the Livery. She has worked for the Stationers’ Company, the Mercers’ Company and was Clerk to the Loriners’ Company for 12 years. Her husband served on Common Council for 10 years so she has experience of the workings of the Corporation of London and state events. She is a Liveryman of the Loriners’ Company.

Honor was recruited to be Clerk to the Marketors’ Company in 2023 because of her in-depth experience of Livery Companies of varying sizes, age and wealth. This experience enables her to assist in the raising of the Company’s profile in the Civic City, to advise the Master on Livery and City matters and to ensure the Company is respected amongst Livery Companies. She is ultimately responsible for the City facing aspects of the Company.

Suzie was born in Trinidad and grew up in Aden and Australia. She had her own business in Soho and then moved to Sydney for 10 years, working in agencies and design studios as an art director/copywriter. She returned to London in 2000 to continue at JWT London.

She left the agency world in 2009 and joined DigitalTheatre.com, initially as Operations Manager and then was promoted to General Manager/COO in 2011. DigitalTheatre.com filmed and uploaded West End and similar productions to the internet for purchase and download and was considered to be a pioneer of filmed theatre.

The company was supported by an investment of £4M, and her role involved employing and managing 25 staff, assisting on production and legal contracting, including financial and operational strategic planning and implementation reporting to the Board and Founders.

She completed a Diploma in HR during this time, and wrote all company policies and the company handbook.

Suzie was a co-producer on the award-winning Stones feature film (see www.stonesmovie.com) and she volunteered at the Chelsea and Westminster Hospital during the pandemic and continues to do so when she can.

She completed a seven month contract at the Worshipful Company of Bakers in 2022 and started at the Marketors in November 2022 as a freelance contractor assisting the Clerk. She joined as Deputy Clerk in January 2023 on a two-day-a-week basis to review the operational processes of the WCM including the IT and membership requirements including a new website and CMS. She also manages the supplier contracts including negotiations, and day to day finances for the WCM. She is the main point of contact for members including any HR requirements and ultimately responsible for the operational running of the business.