The loss of Hytner, who was behind the rebranding of ITV in 2003 in the run-up to the £5.5bn merger Carlton and Granada, comes as the network is under increasing pressure as audience figures drop off and a revenue shortfall as high as £100m is being talked of.
His departure to one of the network's biggest advertisers comes as ITV chief executive Charles Allen is under renewed pressure, with investors again reported to be lobbying for former BBC director-general Greg Dyke to take over.
Hytner joined ITV three years ago from what was then Channel 5, where he held the role of director of marketing and new business.
Hytner, who is 40 this year, joined Channel 5 in 1998 with responsibility for all aspects of marketing and communication. Before that, he was the marketing director at BSkyB.
Gulliford, who was ranked the 14th most-powerful marketer in Marketing's Power 100 league table last year, left to resume his consultancy career.
He was behind the appointment of Bartle Bogle Hegarty to Barclays' £25m ad account, which saw the introduction of its "Fluent in finance" strapline in the long-running campaign fronted by 'Pulp Fiction' star Samuel L Jackson.
According to a report in the Financial Times, ITV has appointed Bird & Co, the executive search firm, to find a successor.
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