Tim Pemberton doesn't fit the stereotype of the Northern & Shell executive. He refuses to sit behind his vast dark wood desk in his Thameside office (N&S recently moved into HSBC's former eyrie near the City), saying this would constitute a power statement which really isn't him. And, instead of a Marine-inspired crop-ped hairstyle, he has longish hair and Harry Potter-esque glasses.
Yet there is a quietly steely side to Pemberton that you shouldn't underestimate. N&S's new group marketing director is certainly not a desk-thumper, mainly because he refuses to sit behind one. Instead, he seems to possess a toughness that is based on intellectual rigour more than on physical force.
Pemberton joined N&S three weeks ago from Carat, where he was a strategy director. He replaces Roland Agambar, who, having built a good reputation at N&S, has returned to News International to become the marketing director of News Group.
The role encompasses marketing across the Express Newspapers titles, N&S's magazine portfolio (which includes OK! and New) and on more titillating content such as The Fantasy Channel.
Pemberton's main task is to get his teeth into the national newspapers, but he is also looking forward to the imminent launch of Happy magazine (N&S's first foray into glossy monthly magazines).
There is also the prospect of marketing a London newspaper, should N&S decide (after much delay) to launch one. Did Ken Livingstone's recent remarks, about inviting publishers to tender to distribute an afternoon freesheet via the Tube, cause celebration at N&S? "It's another step forward but there's a long way to go and it's not a shoo-in for Northern & Shell," a cautious Pemberton says.
Express Newspapers is famously aggressive in its cover-price strategy - its current slashing of the Daily Star's price to 15p in the South-East is an example of its readiness to undercut rivals. Otherwise, its main skill seems to be running promotions such as CD giveaways on a tighter budget than its rivals (who refer to N&S as "the master of parody" for its marketing).
Given the ubiquity of promotional activity used by newspapers and the market position of Express Newspapers (the Daily Express, which had a 2 per cent sales loss in December, is well behind its mid-market rival, the Daily Mail, with a circulation of 898,697, and the Daily Star is the third red-top behind The Sun and the Daily Mirror), will we see any change of marketing strategy under Pemberton?
"Our newspapers are not market leaders so we need to do things differently, but I don't know what that strategy is yet," Pemberton admits. "Almost every paper does promotionally driven work on a Saturday. We're all spending millions on advertising and standing still."
Pemberton sees N&S's entrepreneurial culture, with the group's owner, Richard Desmond, able to make quick strategy decisions, as a benefit.
Some observers counter that Desmond's involvement in every decision might prove frustrating. One Associated Newspapers executive says: "Pemberton's got to handle everything, including The Fantasy Channel - he's got no experience of that. He's now in a di-fferent league. Desmond has huge input and decides how every promotion will appear in the paper."
Some worry that Pemberton may find the N&S culture aggressive and overwhelming.
Neil Jones, a commercial director at Carat, says: "Tim has a nice style - he's bright and articulate. The only concern is that the Express is quite an aggressive environment. I hope he can cope with that, but he's definitely got the skills to do the job."
Pemberton himself has no fears, arguing that N&S's reputation does not fit the reality. He also argues that his time working on Dixons at Walker Media will be good preparation. "(Dixons) is probably the most aggressive and successful company I've ever worked with," he says.
A Londoner, Pemberton graduated from the Polytechnic of Central London (now the University of Westminster) before landing his first job in media at WCRS in 1992. He joined CIA in 1995 before taking the Walker Media job as one of its launch team. Relishing a new challenge every three or four years, Pemberton then took time out to complete an MBA at Cranford, before returning to agency life at Carat. As a planner, his main account was News Group, which brought him right to the centre of the newspaper business.
Former colleagues testify to Pemberton's quiet toughness. Richard Britton, the managing director of Brand Connection, worked with Pemberton at CIA. He says: "He's like a dog with a bone - he's tenacious and his attention to detail is amazing.
"He's a lovely guy but can be a little pugnacious and abrasive. He can be difficult to get to know but it's worth the effort."
Pemberton seems an outwardly cool individual who takes most things in his stride. The one flicker of worry during our conversation is unrelated to N&S. Pemberton, a teetotaller, is a long-standing Chelsea fan and, "about ten years ago", he promised his friends that he'd have a good drink should they ever win the Premier League. With Chelsea ten points ahead of their rivals Arsenal, we might yet witness the once-in-a-lifetime sight of Pemberton losing control.
THE LOWDOWN
Lives: Barnes
Family: Married to Ginny
Describe yourself in three words: Loyal, thoughtful and tenacious
Most treasured possession: 1920s watch given to me by my wife
Interests outside work: Fanatical about Chelsea FC and "indie" music.
You can never have enough CDs except on the front of newspapers!
Favourite TV programme: The Simpsons
Most challenging job so far: This one
Person most respected in the industry: Pat Myers at M&C Saatchi for his
complete dedication.