Master, Wardens & The Court

Julian comes from a family of scientists. He was the son of a graduate engineer and a physicist, and his grandfather was closely involved in the invention and development of many scientific advances, from including radar, the microwave oven and television.  

Julian, however, was more inclined towards arts and letters.  

He studied English literature at the University of Cambridge, in between travels through several European countries, including five months in Italy in his teens. 

On graduating from Cambridge without a clear career path in mind, he answered an advertisement offering fame and fortune; the route to which turned out to be a junior position in advertising sales. After short stints in sales and direct marketing, he gained experience in a succession of independent London advertising agencies of increasing size and stature, before joining the American-owned DMB&B Group in 1987.  

In a 12 year stay with DMB&B, including four-year spells in Europe and then Latin America, followed by two more years in New York, he led the development of global marketing communications activities for well-known global companies and brands, including Procter & Gamble, M&M Mars, General Motors, Philips Electronics, Avon and Continental Airlines. 

In 2002, as the internet and other new digital technologies began to transform the world of marketing and communications, he saw an opportunity to launch a radically different kind of international agency network, known today as “thenetworkone.”  

Previously, the ability to create and deploy international marketing, advertising and PR campaigns had been limited to large, slow-moving multinational agency groups, consolidating themselves into holding companies of ever increasing size. 

The advent of digital technology opened up opportunities for much smaller, independently owned agencies and start-ups; who were more creative, more diverse and more agile than the holding companies, to develop and deploy creative marketing initiatives on a global scale. The new millennium would belong to a new generation of companies who started small and grew rapidly: Microsoft, Google, Facebook, Apple and Amazon. 

And while agencies are driven by people and will always be much smaller than the technology platforms, the same principle applies: agility, adaptability, speed of thought and a willingness to re-invent, are the characteritics of a successful business today. 

Fast forward to today: Julian’s company, thenetworkone, is the largest network of independent agencies in the world, with 1500 agencies across 117 countries creating and managing marketing and communications campaigns through an ecosystem of complementary skill sets, without a common ownership, working collaboratively rather than hierarchically.  

Julian remains at the helm of this organisation, but also finds plenty of time for other collaborative activities in the marketing sector. He is a Fellow of the Marketing Society, a not-for-profit, UK based professional networking group, where he has also served as a non-executive Director and Treasurer. Through thenetworkone, he is a member of UKAEG, the UK Advertising Export Group) and ICCO, the International Communications Consultancy Organisation.  

In 2017 he became a Freeman of the Worshipful Company of Marketors, progressing over eight eventful years to Liveryman, Court Assistant, Treasurer and Warden until his election as Master of the Company, with effect from January 2025.  

At the Marketors, he is a member of a team which is transforming the Company into a truly modern, technologically enabled organisation, focussed on using its members’ marketing expertise for the benefit of our society, as much as on upholding professional standards and fellowship activities. Marketors believe in the power of marketing to deliver economic and social good. 

When not bashing away at a keyboard, or standing on a conference stage - he enjoys hillwalking, restoring old houses, travel, history, art, music and studying the inter-relations between language and culture; and most of all, relaxing and discovering new interests with his wife Anna, daughters Lucy and Emma and now grand-daughters Clara and Eloise. 

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.