Take a good look at the names on the following pages. These are the commercial leaders of the future, the chief executives of FTSE 100 companies 10 years hence - or sooner, if they get their way. For now, they are the brightest stars of the marketing industry.
They share many qualities. High-grade A-levels and a good Oxbridge degree: check. First job at the marketing academies of Unilever, Procter & Gamble or Mars: check. Second job, with a huge salary rise, at another top-10 company: check.
Yet this is not the only route to the top, and several members of the list have brought unusual backgrounds to the discipline. Marketing's Power 100 Next Generation includes a former chemist, a one-time cabin crew member and an ex-agency executive.
These marketers are the pace-setters in the career marathon. Well ahead of their peers, they are constantly seeking challenges. Business, brand or product transformation is high on their 'to do' list, as is gaining international expertise and a broad range of management experience dealing with retailers and financial directors, as well as managing internal teams and agencies.
However, a closer look reveals that their experience isn't too broad.
Most of these high-flyers have remained in a particular job for long enough to see the results of their hard work come to fruition and deliver results within the organisation.
The 40 marketers named on the following pages are characterised by their dynamism, energy and drive. Strong leaders, these people are adept at developing their staff to get the best performance from them, and when it comes to getting support for their ideas from different functions within the organisation, they have impressive powers of persuasion and are practised influencers.
If you are lucky enough to know any of these people, you will recognise that they are the ones who are at their desk before the rest of their team, who are active on industry committees and command the respect of their peers.
These are the ones to watch, the ones to meet, the ones to work for - and, if you get the chance, the ones to employ.
1. DAVID PULLAN EMAP
Former Five and MTV marketer Pullan, 36, took up the role of managing director of FHM Worldwide at Emap in April, and is charged with establishing the lads' mag as a global brand property in new markets such as China. A cerebral marketer with a first from Oxford University and MBA from Harvard who started his career at McKinsey, this rising star has also worked at BMG Entertainment and MTV.
2. JOHN PETTER - BT
BT poached Petter from rival Telewest in June to fill the role of chief operating officer at BT Consumer. His task is to boost profits by bringing a sharper focus to the telecoms giant's sales and marketing operations, and his experience will be valuable in the broadband war. At Telewest, he was customer strategy director, having joined in 2000 as head of digital TV. Petter previously worked at P&G in roles including global brand manager, beauty care.
3. JOE GARNER - HSBC
'No one quite realises how big this role is,' says one industry insider of Garner's job as general manager, customer propositions. He heads development and marketing of products and services across HSBC's personal and commercial banking operations, including telephone and internet bank First Direct. He joined in July from Dixons Stores Group, where he was group operations director.
4. PHILIP MEHL - WANADOO
Mehl joined in June, just as the Freeserve ISP relaunched under the Wanadoo name. As managing director of sales and communications, he is responsible for a 拢15m marketing budget as the brand battles for awareness in a competitive market. Previously vice-president of international advertising and communication at T-Mobile, Mehl's CV includes spells at Mars and Van den Bergh Foods.
5. PIPPA DUNN - ORANGE
UK brand marketing director Dunn is charged with re-establishing Orange as the UK's cutting-edge mobile phone brand. The company recruited her in April 2003 to handle global sponsorship, but following Jeremy Dale's departure this year, she was promoted, reporting to chief marketing officer Alexis Dormandy. One of her first efforts to rebuild Orange's credibility is its 拢12m 'Reasons to be Orange' ad push. Dunn previously headed sponsorship at Coca-Cola and NTL.
6. JEREMY DAVIES - ABBEY
Davies, Abbey's director of brand and communications, reports to marketing chief Angus Porter, and has played a central part in the company's efforts to 'turn banking on its head'. Although the future of this strategy is now in question, as Abbey faces a takeover by Spanish bank Santander Central Hispano, Davies is regarded as a high-flyer. He joined Abbey from NTL; prior to that, he spent 10 years at agency J Walter Thompson.
7. MARGARET JOBLING - UNILEVER
As European brand director for Lynx, Jobling has been a key figure in cultivating the personality of one of Unilever's best-performing brands across Europe. She oversaw last year's 'Pulse' campaign, whose soundtrack sparked a dance craze. Armed with a PhD in chemistry, Jobling began her career at Unilever 13 years ago as a chemist, but moved into marketing for brands including Dove and Impulse.
8. DAN BROOKE - CHANNEL 4
Brooke, managing director of 4Channels, has made E4 one of the most distinctive brands in pay TV, and was The Marketing Society's Young Marketer of the Year in 2001. Having spotted a gap in the market for a channel showing first-run programmes, his team established its audience with shows from the likes of Ali G alongside series such as Friends. Its quirky concepts, such as Second Chance Sunday, offering repeats of weekday shows, were part of the winning formula. Brooke was promoted in 2003 to lead C4's pay-TV, interactive TV and online activities.
9. NIALL MCKINNEY - IPC IGNITE
Now the standard-bearer for some of the UK's coolest magazines - Loaded, NME, Uncut and Nuts - 28-year-old marketing director McKinney was named The Marketing Society's Young Marketer of the Year in 2003. He won the accolade after relaunching music weekly NME for a younger audience, leading to a 5% rise in sales that saw the title reclaim the market lead from Emap's Kerrang!
10. SHARON LANG - AOL
Vice-president of marketing Lang was promoted from director of brand marketing two years ago, and oversaw last year's agency review that resulted in the appointment of Grey and development of a creative strategy that killed off the 'Connie' character. Before joining AOL in 2001, Lang co-founded and ran direct media agency Mansfield Lang.
11. DANIEL ORDONEZ - UNILEVER
Changing the way detergent is marketed is no mean feat, but 35-year-old Ordonez, European brand development director for Surf, set out with this objective when repositioning the brand. Although new to the category - he previously worked on anti-perspirants - he embarked on a 拢12m revamp of packaging and ads. Ordonez trained as an accountant before joining the marketing ranks.
12. KEVIN STYLES - B&Q
The ambitious 34-year-old director of format development has an impeccable retail pedigree: at Thresher he helped transform the venture capital-backed brand from its First Quench identity and developed the Threshers+Food format. He is a former head of UK marketing at Thomas Cook.
13. JENNY ASHMORE - PROCTER & GAMBLE
When a Pampers ad featuring a man as the primary carer broke this year, it was a radical step. Enter 33-year-old Jenny Ashmore, then associate marketing director of babycare and familycare, who wanted to ensure the brand kept up with social changes. As brand manager, Ashmore helped Pampers reassert its sector leadership, taking its share from 49% to 59%. In July she was promoted to associate marketing director for paper. Ashmore joined P&G in 1995 and has also worked at Shell.
14. KATE NICHOLSON - SAINSBURY'S BANK
Sainsbury's' financial services joint venture with Bank of Scotland is something that Nicholson, as its marketing director, can be proud of. Her latest project is the 拢15m launch of Sainsbury's car insurance. Before moving to the banking arm last year, she ran the Sainsbury's national advertising team, which won a silver at the IPA Effectiveness Awards for its Jamie Oliver TV ads. Previous roles include marketing manager at Masterfoods-owned Pedigree.
15. PHILLIP GLADMAN - DIAGEO
Gladman, 34, was promoted to UK head of innovation in September, prior to which he was responsible for Archers and Captain Morgan's, and oversaw a relaunch of Smirnoff. He has been involved in Diageo's social responsibility activity, and previously spent four years at P&G.
16. BEN PEARMAN - HEINZ
Marketing manager Pearman is responsible for this summer's 'Superbean' ads through Leo Burnett, featuring a Woody Allen-style baked bean explaining the product's health benefits. He joined Heinz at the start of this year from Unilever Frozen Food & Ice Cream, where he was European brand marketer for Magnum and oversaw 2003's Seven Deadly Sins range. Pearman has also worked at Nestle.
17. GUY CARLING - RED BULL
A brand beloved of students, Red Bull has a marketing director who graduated recently himself; Carling was a Red Bull student brand manager from 1997 to 1999 while at Cambridge University. After joining the firm full-time, he rose to become board-level marketing director at the end of last year, aged just 26. Since then, he has masterminded efforts to broaden the brand's appeal, including targeting older consumers with a strategy centred on golf.
18. ALISON PYE - VIRGIN MOBILE
Having started her career as a member of Virgin Atlantic's aircraft cabin crew, this 33-year-old head of consumer communications progressed to various roles in the company's head office, and helped found group-wide staff discount scheme Virgin Tribe. She became a junior brand manager on Virgin Mobile at its launch and has since worked across its ad campaigns, as well as driving advertiser-funded activity such as V Festival. Pye, who sits on ISBA's TV Action Group, was promoted to her current role earlier this month.
19. MARC OVERTON - WANADOO
Overton, 34, joined Wanadoo from 3 in the summer, reporting to chief executive Eric Abensur. As managing director of strategy, products and services, he is leading the company's evolution from ISP to multimedia services brand. He was head of products and services at 3, having joined at launch and overseen its roll-out to eight countries. He began his career as a commercial graduate at the Daily Mail General Trust, then joined Yellow Pages. He has an MBA from Henley Management College.
20. NATASHA BELL - MASTERFOODS
European brand leader Bell, 33, has masterminded the launch of Mars Delight, the softer-centred Mars variant aimed at women, as well as advertising tied to the Euro 2004 tournament that continued the 'Pleasure you can't measure' theme. She started her career at Unilever, where as brand activation manager, she oversaw the company's move to become the first interactive advertiser on ITV Digital.
21. JONATHAN WALSH - NESTLE
Foodservices marketing director Walsh is responsible for growing Nestle's foodservice and 'on the go' divisions. His career began at P&G, where he was Sunny Delight's launch brand manager. He left at the height of the dotcom frenzy for gambling site Betfair.com, and joined Nestle in 2001 as kids' drinks and strategic innovation marketing director.
22. AJAY KAVAN - HOMEBASE
Marketing director Kavan has just embarked on a review of the DIY retailer's advertising, which is predicted to bring an end to its long-running campaign pairing Leslie Ash and Neil Morrissey. Homebase poached Kavan last year from B&Q, its closest rival and the sector's market leader. Aged 34, he has an MBA from Manchester Business School.
23. HAZEL DETSINY - ASDA
Detsiny is Asda's 'health czar' - a role of undoubted significance as the obesity debate rages on. She will have an overarching marketing-focused task promoting healthy food. The 32-year-old starts at the supermarket chain tomorrow (Thursday), having previously been marketing director at Manpower. Detsiny has also worked at P&G and Shell.
24. RICHARD CHRISTOFOLI - WH SMITH
Brand director Christofoli, 34, joined WH Smith in August with responsibility for brand development and customer communication - a critical task after the retailer last month announced its worst ever losses. He returns to the company after a seven-year absence, having started in marketing in 1993. In the interim, he was at Sainsbury's, where his roles included head of marketing for Sainsbury's Egypt and head of non-food marketing and development.
25. COLIN HADDLEY - KIMBERLY-CLARK
Haddley, 33, has risen from UK marketing manager on Huggies, where he grew the brand by 22% in volume sales, to insight and marketing excellence director in three years. Charged with developing a Kimberly-Clark approach to brand-building, he has launched its biggest-ever shopper research programme in Europe. Haddley began his career in sales and brand management at Bass Brewers.
26. BILL GRIFFIN - CHANNEL 4
Head of marketing Griffin oversees C4's day-to-day marketing activity. A former St Luke's account manager, he has helped to reinforce the edgy branding for which the channel is famous: this year, he oversaw its 'Black Friday' campaign promoting the last episode of Friends and the first night of the fifth series of Big Brother.
27. HELEN PAGE - NATWEST/RBS
Page's move to NatWest as brand director reunited her with former boss Paul Geddes, to whom she reported in her former role as head of brand marketing at Argos. With banking experience on her CV - she was formerly an Abbey marketer - she returned from maternity leave to take up her role in August.
28. NICK CANNING - ICELAND
Canning started in packaged goods, launching the Terry's Chocolate Orange bar as a brand manager at Suchard. After spells at Heinz and KP Foods, he was marketing director at The Sun and News of the World before being poached as marketing director for Iceland in 2002. While the brand has been beset by wider troubles, Canning is a name to watch.
29. DEBORAH CUTLER - CAHOOT
Marketing director Cutler worked for Safeway, Whitbread and Tesco before joining Cahoot at its launch in 2000. By 2003, it was the second-most recognised internet financial services brand behind Egg, despite having only a third of its spend. Cutler is a member of ISBA's TV Action Group.
30. TRISTIA CLARKE - CARPHONE WAREHOUSE
Clarke, 31, is marketing director at the mobile phone retailer. Starting in a PR role, she moved over to marketing in 2000, and was the driving force behind the launch of Talk Talk, the company's foray into fixed-line telecoms. Enthusiastic and entrepreneurial, Clarke is said to be highly regarded by Carphone Warehouse founder Charles Dunstone.
31. SIMON THOMPSON - HONDA
As UK marketing director, Thompson's ambition is to make Honda an iconic brand. He is credited with helping it transform its image to a cutting-edge marque. A long-time Honda employee, Thompson oversaw the launch of Wieden & Kennedy's 'Cog' work last year and its recent animated ad for diesel cars. He sits on ISBA's executive committee.
32. REBECCA MORGAN - BT
It is rare for an agency executive to move client-side in a senior role. Morgan, 37, joined BT as head of marketing communications in September from Bartle Bogle Hegarty, where she was group planning director on accounts including Barclays. At BT, she is in charge of agency relationships and integrating communications across the business.
33. MARY NEWCOMBE - SKODA
As head of marketing, Newcombe, who came to the car marque from parent company VW, has taken over where former marketing chief Chris Hawken left off. She is responsible for rejuvenating what was once one of Europe's most-derided brands.
34. SIMON DOWNING - FIVE
Head of marketing Downing has helped develop a consistent personality for Five. He oversaw a high-profile print campaign for its Back to Reality series, with contestants such as Jade Goody shot by style photographer David LaChapelle.
35. KATE HARDCASTLE - SILENTNIGHT BEDS
Hardcastle is this year's Marketing Society Young Marketer of the Year. As marketing manager, she has helped boost Silentnight's share in the single beds sector by launching the My First Bed range for children. This has helped to re-establish Silentnight as the most-recalled consumer bed brand in the UK.
36. EMMA LOWNDES - MINI
Marketing manager Lowndes got Britain back into the Mini. The former Rover and BMW marketer has been at the helm during the runaway success of Mini under the ownership of BMW. She oversaw the 'Mini Adventures' campaign, which, together with some creative guerrilla marketing, has helped the marque shake off nostalgia for its predecessor and become a sought-after style brand.
37. GAIL GALLIE - BBC
The BBC's head of youth marketing made her mark as marketing manager for Radio One, where she helped develop the station into one of the UK's premier youth brands. Gallie was recruited from ad agency BMP DDB in 1997.
38. CHARLIE HISCOCKS - SABMILLER
Hiscocks, previously a director of WPP Group-owned integrated agency Added Value, joined SABMiller as group brand communications director last year, having been poached by Mark Sherrington, his former boss at Added Value and Tempus. Since taking the role, he has worked with Miller's brand directors on its core brands, including Miller Genuine Draft, Peroni and Pilsner Urquell.
39. NICK ROBINSON - DIAGEO
Guinness marketing director Robinson, 35, is in the throes of updating the stout brand for a new generation of drinkers to combat struggling sales. Its 'Out of darkness comes light' campaign, targeting under-35s, is his attempt to 'mark a new chapter in the heritage of Guinness ads', and he is also strengthening the brand's association with rugby. Prior to taking the role last year, Robinson led Diageo's innovations team for 18 months, launching Baileys Minis and Glide and Smirnoff Black Ice.
40. CHRIS SEDGWICK - BP RETAIL
Consumer director Sedgwick's role was created last year to increase customer footfall and profitability at the petrol firm's retail outlets. BP lured him from Costa Coffee, where he spent a year as marketing director and worked on expanding the coffee chain's concession and franchise partnerships. He was previously WH Smith's head of brand strategy.
SIR MARTIN SORRELL, CHIEF EXECUTIVE, WPP
What advice would you give someone looking to become a powerful member of the industry? Make sure you enjoy yourself. It's all about having fun.
Did you have a clear career plan when you were starting out? Is it important? I did have a career plan: I always wanted to run my own business, although you find out you are never in that position; you are always dependent on others.
Is it important to have a mentor? Did you have one, and if so, who was it? My mentor was my dad.
How important are qualifications and training? Or is it more about ideas and personal charisma? I think qualifications and training are very important. But commitment, hard work and loyalty are all important too.
How important is it to network in the industry? It's not just a question of what you know, but who you know. But do not be too methodical or clinical about networking. Focus on things you enjoy - for example, charities, education, new technologies.
How important is it for an ambitious marketer to move jobs frequently? Moving jobs frequently doesn't help. Commitment and loyalty are important. However, this is a distinctly unfashionable view.
How would you define power, career-wise? I would define power in terms of achievement.
MARTIN GLENN, PRESIDENT, PEPSICO UK & IRELAND
What advice would you give the future stars of marketing? Look for angles and new ways of seeing things.
What attributes does someone in marketing need to make it to the top of their profession? Be curious; have your preconceptions challenged.
How should you go about getting noticed by more senior colleagues? Get taken seriously by championing ideas that challenge the firm. Translate marketing ideas into tangible benefits.
How important is it for marketers to get a business qualification? Don't rush to do an MBA: it's almost certainly valuable, but not a critical qualification to have.
Does networking help a person's prospects? Network only to learn and to gauge your own value.
Who did you look up to, or have you learned from? Mark Sherrington, formerly of Added Value, now at SABMiller; Mark Ripley, formerly of DDB; and last but not least, Gary Lineker - he's a good, smart and savvy observer of business.
TIM MASON, MARKETING DIRECTOR, TESCO
What qualities should a high-flying marketer aim to develop on their way to the top? Demonstrate that you win by satisfying customers. A good marketer also needs energy, to enthuse the whole company.
How important is it for an ambitious marketer to keep moving on? Organisations that don't value marketing are barriers to a successful career. If you are doing well in an organisation that values marketing, don't be too quick to move; they are rare places.
Who have you respected as a mentor figure? I've worked directly for Terry Leahy for 20 years.
Do you think it is important to have a career plan in mind when you first start out? You don't necessarily need a clear career plan. I did have one, but I ended up doing something completely different.
Do you believe that networking is essential? For some people networking is what you do, but others hate it. It's up to you - it doesn't define success, except for a rare few.
How would you define power, with regards to a career in marketing? Power is in the eye of the beholder. I just try to do my job the best that I can.
JAMES KYDD, BRAND DIRECTOR, VIRGIN MOBILE
How should someone go about becoming a player in the marketing industry? Be a consumer. Constantly put yourself in the buyer's shoes. Don't waste money on masses of research. Read The Sun and The Mirror religiously every day as a minimum.
What do marketers need to make it to the top of their profession? Ideas are what marketing is all about: use imagination, instinct and insight to generate them. Use logic to sell ideas - non-marketing enthusiasts tend to respect it.
How important are ideas? The standard way of doing things is rarely the best way, particularly when all your competitors are doing the same. Corporations often do their best to stifle ideas and involve too many people in the process.
Did you have a mentor, and if so, who was it? The best mentors are fellow consumers. But I've worked with lots of people I respect, not least Richard Branson, who is still able to put himself in the heart and mind of a consumer.
How important is it to network? Networking is vastly overrated. It's good to go outside your comfort zone to get your brain stimulated - listening to people who confirm your beliefs is a waste of time.