Marketing's annual list of the industry's most influential people is the definitive guide to who really calls the shots.
These marketers have cause to celebrate. Not only do they lead marketing creativity and innovation in the UK, but they have also survived the still-difficult conditions of the past 12 months.
The selection process is a tough one, with the influence of both the marketer and brand under the Marketing spotlight. The result of this evaluation recognises the 100 marketers who have made the most impact in the past 12 months and those who hold the key to the future of the discipline.
100: BORIS JOHNSON - GREATER LONDON AUTHORITY
It has been a big year for the capital's unmistakeable figurehead, the Mayor of London. Barclays may have stumped up the sponsorship cash, but it was Johnson who took the plaudits when 'Boris bikes' made their way onto the city's roads last summer. With the Olympics in London next year, the high-profile mayor will be in the spotlight - as will the role of London & Partners, the body that will promote tourism in the capital. The not-for-profit body, formed from the merger of Visit London, Think London and Study London, has a fraction of the budget the combined marketing authorities previously enjoyed. The pressure is on Johnson and London & Partners to make the city more famous and considerably richer by embracing the great opportunities provided by London 2012 and the Queen's Diamond Jubilee.
99: KATIE SHEPPARD - MATCH.COM
Having just completed her first year in the role of head of marketing at online dating company Match, Sheppard's debut in this list recognises both her entrepreneurial spirit and rapid ascent through the ranks. This is due to her sheer passion for the Match brand and her understanding of what makes its members tick. By making marketing central to Match's growth, she has kept it ahead of rivals. Last year, Match rolled out MatchAffinity, aimed at consumers seeking long-lasting relationships, and Sheppard has ambitions to grow it to the size of its other property, Match.com.
In January, she oversaw a major push for the MatchAffinity brand, its 'Going the distance' ads featuring real couples sharing their secret for long-lasting love. In a market predicted to be worth £150m by 2014, Sheppard is one to watch.
98: MARK HARDY - SYCO MUSIC
The exit of Hardy's boss, Simon Cowell, from Britain's Got Talent may have caused the viewing figures to slide, but Hardy has bigger fish to fry. Having joined from Sony PlayStation as marketing director of the 30-strong Syco Music team, he is responsible for marketing some of the biggest music acts in Britain. The company operates as a standalone unit within Sony's music division, but punches far above its weight, thanks to the power of its associated TV formats, such as The X Factor. Sony will be watching closely. Whether Hardy can achieve lasting fame for the endless stream of blink-and-you'll-miss-them artists will be his toughest challenge.
97: JONATHAN RIGBY - MANCHESTER UNITED
Rigby joined Premier League champions Manchester United in September after a period in which fierce rival Manchester City had been using outdoor ads to goad the Red Devils. Rather than respond to the ads, Rigby, United's head of marketing, concentrated on raising his club's profile further around the globe. His background of building interactive TV company NetPlay TV into a global player bodes well. Commercial partnerships now touch all corners of the globe, with Turkish Airlines, Betfair, Singha, Vina Concha y Toro and Epson signed up to long-term deals. Having had a mediocre 2009/10 season, it has been business as usual on the pitch this year. Rigby will use this to build on United's multimillion-strong global fanbase.
96: THOMAS DELABRIERE - INNOCENT DRINKS
Persuading consumers to part with almost £2 for a smoothie in the recession is a tough marketing challenge. Marketing director Delabriere put Innocent through its paces over the past year, from relaunching its lagging Veg Pot line to heavily investing in the children's market. The brand has recovered from the backlash it received after Coca-Cola took a majority stake in the business, but has continued to cause a stir with its agency appointments. In the past year, it has handed its ad account to RKCR/Y&R and put its digital business up for pitch while Fallon resigned what was left of the account. Delabriere is hoping that two marketing drives will help grow sales of the company's Veg Pot range from £12.1m in 2010 to £15m this year.
95: CLAIRE ANDREWS - MAZDA UK
In an industry dominated by middle-aged male petrolheads, former Lotus marketer Andrews is that rarest of creatures - a female automotive marketing director.
She was promoted from senior marketing manager in September last year, following the departure of Mark Cameron to Land Rover, and set about making the most of Mazda's limited UK budget with some innovative marketing. Earlier this year, the Japanese marque became one of the first brands to run a Facebook Deals promotion in the UK. Andrews enjoys a close relationship with media agency Mindshare, and has sought to activate the brand's ongoing pan-European TV campaign with a series of TV sponsorships, including Channel 4's Jamie's American Road Trip and Gordon's Great Escape.
94: MIKE HOBAN - CONFUSED.COM
Having been appointed Confused.com's first chief marketing officer just under a year ago, Hoban has wasted no time in making his mark on the company since joining from Directgov. He has deployed a new ad strategy, including the creation of Cara, an animated character based on the Confused.com logo, to rival comparison-site mascots Gio Compario and Aleksandr Orlov. However, to differentiate the brand from these relative newcomers, in a highly competitive market, Hoban has set about positioning the brand as one of the original price-comparison sites, celebrating its claim to 18m users in recent campaigns.
93: RICHARD CRISTOFOLI - DEBENHAMS
The ex-WH Smith group marketing director moved to Debenhams this spring, taking on the role of marketing director along with a place on the executive board. Cristofoli takes the reins at an interesting time. In January Debenhams signed up to sponsor Australian soap opera Neighbours on Channel 5. The retailer is also seeking to boost its presence across social media channels with an increased focus on blogs and driving ecommerce. Cristofoli's retail experience is vast, with Sainsbury's also featuring on his CV.
92: BRIAN WARING - STARBUCKS
A Power 100 debutant, Waring will become much better-known in marketing circles over the next year. Despite professing a few years ago that he had little belief in 'conventional marketing', Starbucks' vice-president of marketing and category for the UK and Ireland seems to have had a change of heart - prompted, in part, by fierce competition. In March, Starbucks unveiled a major global campaign carrying the strapline 'You & Starbucks. It's bigger than coffee'.
It also relaunched its logo, significantly dropping the 'coffee' tag below its siren figure. Clearly this global brand, which retains an entrepreneurial spirit, wants to continue expanding outside its US heartland, with tea and ice cream already being touted as potential new categories. Waring, too, has his own lofty ambitions, telling Marketing in March he expects this year to be a 'career highlight'.
91: PAUL BARTLETT - C&C GROUP
Bartlett's impressive CV sports a host of major blue-chip companies, including Nestle, Mars and Scottish & Newcastle. He left the latter in 2009 to join C&C, where he was drafted in to boost flagging sales of cider brand Magners, having previously enjoyed success growing the Foster's, John Smith's, Kronenbourg and San Miguel brands. The group marketing director believes that 'big ideas' drive marketing and has made vocal his ideas-led approach at The Marketing Society. He is also not afraid to be controversial, having launched a one-off tactical print campaign shortly after he joined C&C to admonish then-Chancellor Alistair Darling for increasing taxes on cider by 10%. More recently, he unveiled a fresh strategy for the Magners brand and overhauled its digital activity. Bartlett also added the Gaymers, Blackthorn and Olde English cider brands to his responsibilities after C&C acquired them in late 2009.
90: SIMON WALLIS - DOMINO'S PIZZA
With extensive marketing experience at Pizza Hut and Papa John's, Wallis was an obvious choice for the Domino's marketing director role when it became vacant last June and has set to work revitalising the brand. He has continued to take Domino's more heavily into social media, picking up a 北京赛车pk10 Media Award in November for its 'A social success' Facebook initiative. He is also behind the roll-out of its Levi Roots-inspired Reggae Reggae pizza, and has been driving the sales of Domino's lunchtime bites, such as oven-baked subs. The launch of the latter was backed by an ad campaign across TV, radio and online. Wallis is also rethinking the way in which the brand approaches marketing by working with media agency Arena Media to use behavioural economics in campaign planning.
89: MARK FELLS - LASTMINUTE.COM
It has been a big year for Lastminute.com's UK marketing director, who has invested heavily in promoting the brand as more than just an online travel retailer. The 'Stories start here' campaign was rolled out across all European markets with TV, print, digital and outdoor executions. Fells, who was responsible for the brand's return to TV advertising after a four-year absence, has a challenge on his hands in persuading cash-strapped consumers to treat themselves to a leisure experience.
88: IAN ARMSTRONG - HONDA
A well-known face in the industry, in 2010 Armstrong shifted from a UK-specific role to become manager of European communications, as Honda looked to spread the success of its UK advertising. Armstrong commissioned a special version of its popular 'Impossible dream' ad, by Wieden & Kennedy, which ran across Europe for the first time. Honda also launched a sizeable integrated push in support of its CR-Z hybrid sports coupe. Most recently, it ran the first UK TV ad to link live with an iPhone app in support of its Jazz model.
87: JEREMY ELLIS - TUI TRAVEL
It has been a year of upheaval for TUI Travel, which overhauled its marketing department last September as part of a broader restructure of its senior management. Former chief marketing officer Tim Williamson's customer division was split into two teams: Brand and Marketing, and Overseas Operations and After Travel Customer Service. Leading the former is head of marketing Ellis. He reports directly to chief executive Johan Lundgren, who has taken a more hands-on role with branding and marketing. An interesting move by Ellis is positioning First Choice as the 'all-inclusive' operator. Both men should also take credit for impressive financial results that defied the downturn.
86: MIKE TILDESLEY - RBS INSURANCE
A true industry godfather, Tildesley is the man who introduced More Th>n's launch mascot, Lucky the Dog. He has continued to make his mark, and is known as a direct-marketing heavyweight. Armed with the biggest budget in the insurance sector, he advocates the importance of direct marketing in the digital age and has played a key role in the IDM, championing its Diploma in Digital Marketing. Having joined Direct Line as marketing director in 2006, he is now responsible for the full marketing mix across the Direct Line, Churchill, Privilege, Green Flag and Partnerships businesses.
85: STEVEN OVERMAN - NOKIA
Nokia promoted Overman, its director of global brand management, to the role of vice-president, global head of marketing creation, in July last year. The manufacturer's former UK marketing director, Will Harris, who moved to the same role at Nokia's South East Asia and Pacific division, remains a key figure on the marketing circuit. Both have their work cut out to improve Nokia's stock. A new global partnership with Microsoft means the death of the dated Symbian operating system and a chance to leave turbulent times behind.
84: ELENA BERNARDELLI - FIAT UK
A relative unknown in the UK, marketing director Bernardelli presides over a host of car brands, including Fiat, Alfa Romeo, Chrysler and Jeep. Despite Fiat's tendency to generate rather limp pan-European advertising, under her stewardship its UK marketing division has earned a reputation for innovative digital activity. She has empowered Fiat's head of digital, UK and Ireland, Claudio Annicchiarico, and digital agency AKQA to produce award-winning work such as the Eco:Drive digital dashboard. The Fiat brand's UK ad budget rose 27% year on year to £18.8m in 2010, and last August the brand launched an innovative tie-up with UK dance act Faithless.
83: MARTIN GLENN - BIRDS EYE IGLO GROUP
The so-called 'alpha marketer' and chief executive has been out of the spotlight over the past 12 months as his business grappled with rising food prices, which have placed significant pressure on the UK market. In response, Glenn has looked overseas to grow the group, launching in countries including Russia and Turkey. Birds Eye has also stepped up its sustainability efforts with Forever Food, a 112-point environmental push. Amid City rumours of an IPO, the former PepsiCo boss could be firmly in the public eye in the year ahead.
82: AMANDA THOMPSON - PEPSI
Pepsi has been uncharacteristically quiet this year, while Thompson has kept a low profile. Since she replaced Bruno Gruwez as UK marketing director in January 2010, Pepsi has concentrated on its US activity and let the brand go somewhat flat in the UK. Having axed Pepsi Raw in September, following what it called a 'less than successful' grocery roll-out, Pepsi lost its second place in the US cola market to Diet Coke - this despite signing up to sponsor the US version of The X Factor. Coca-Cola has stolen the limelight recently with its activity to mark its 125th anniversary, but there are rumours that Pepsi has something big in the marketing pipeline.
81: MICHAEL JOHNSON - THOMAS COOK
Johnson, the travel company's low-profile UK and Ireland marketing director, has taken a step back from the public eye in the past year, while chief executive Manny Fontenla-Novoa, who casts a long shadow, served as the brand's mouthpiece. Thomas Cook has had a tough 12 months, with challenges from the volcanic ash cloud to an investigation by the Office of Fair Trading into the merger of its retail outlets with those of The Co-operative Travel. Meanwhile, critics argued that the Redknapps, who fronted its TV ads, were too tanned and rich to be taking its holidays. However, in a sector where many brands have pulled back from marketing, the holiday firm deserves credit for investing in the brand. Despite this, in December, Thomas Cook reported a 4.1% fall in revenue to £8.9bn and a UK restructure cut 500 jobs.
80: PETER HOPE - VAUXHALL
Hope's staying power (he has been at Vauxhall for 22 years) paid off last June when he was promoted from integrated communication manager to marketing director. Before this, he was responsible for launches including the Zafira. Now, as the brand's driving force, he is determined to get Vauxhall on track. Last summer, he led its first brand-led, rather than model-focused, campaign, using the strapline 'A warranty can now last a lifetime'. More recently, his attention has turned to the brand's £25m sponsorship of the home nations' football teams.
79: OSCAR NIEBOER - BETFAIR
Four years into his role, and with a series of impressive sponsorship deals with high-profile football teams under his belt, group marketing and brand director Nieboer has enjoyed another bumper year. Last August, he was responsible for rolling out Betfair's biggest campaign to date, positioning it as the world's biggest betting community. The online betting brand also raised its kudos with a listing on the London Stock Exchange in October. While Betfair eyes mobile as a key platform for expansion, it has also made a successful foray into social media, being the first betting company to launch a YouTube channel.
78: ANDREW MORLEY - MOTOROLA
This is a pivotal year for Morley. Over the past four years at Motorola he has been gearing up for a raft of launches, intended to restore the brand to its former glory. The vice-president of marketing, EMARA, thrives in an entrepreneurial environment, which is why in January he set up Motorola Mobility, an innovation hub focused on mobile devices. Emerging products include the durable Defy smartphone, the Xoom Android tablet and the powerful Atrix device. A former marketing director at Harrods, he has a broad understanding of the competitive retail environment.
77: STELLA DAVID - WILLIAM GRANT & SONS
Since joining the distiller as chief executive from Bacardi in 2009, David has quickly made her mark and helped the business punch above its weight. Her successful transition from chief marketer to head honcho clearly demonstrates her blend of creative and analytical skills. In October, David presented impressive end-of-year results, despite tricky market conditions, increasing operating profit by 8.8% and turnover by 40.1%. Continued investment in marketing through the downturn was one of her key priorities: it has paid off, particularly on the Glenfiddich whisky brand. David has also opened a global marketing office to ensure a consistent strategy for the firm's second-tier brands, such as Sailor Jerry rum and Hendrick's Gin.
76: CLARE DOBBIE - ASOS.COM
It is a great time to work at Asos; not only did the online fashion and beauty retailer record a 24% increase in sales in the first quarter, but shares jumped 14%. In challenging times, such strong results are a credit to Dobbie, the brand's marketing director. Reporting to chief executive Nick Robertson, Dobbie is also a member of the Asos.com operating board. While she does not yet enjoy the profile of her predecessor, Hash Ladha, Dobbie is starting to make her mark on Asos' complex marketing team. She was previously vice-president of marketing for Europe at Gap, where she set up the European marketing team.
75: JIM SLATER - COSTA COFFEE
The past year has been action-packed for marketing director Slater, as Costa has stepped up its marketing battle with arch-rival Starbucks by launching its first TV campaign. The ads, created by Karmarama, sought to demonstrate the superiority of Costa's products by showing monkeys apparently trying to create the perfect coffee. Since joining Costa in 2008 Slater has overseen a period of rapid expansion, with the brand now available in 27 countries. The former CRM director at Phones4U is a well-known face on the marketing circuit.
74: MIRIAM LAHAGE - EBAY
Auction site eBay has been attempting to establish itself as a style destination over the past 12 months. At the heart of the marketing push has been Lahage, general manager of eBay Fashion. Since her appointment last August, the site has forged ahead with marketing aimed at its estimated 10m fashion buyers. She certainly has the CV to succeed, having launched Koodos, the UK's first online designer outlet. She has also worked with Net-A-Porter and The Outnet.
73: CATHY FERRIER - OXFAM
Over the past year, Ferrier has continued to bring her commercial edge, gained from 25 years in the commercial sector at brands including WH Smith and Disney, to Oxfam. As director of supporter marketing and fundraising, she has masterminded the creation of an innovations team to devise ways to raise funds and market the brand. The latest of these, '100% giving', was launched in February. This is a partnership with PayPal in which the transaction company picks up the cost of processing donations made to Oxfam online.
72: RICHARD HUDSON - BMW GROUP UK
The engaging and inquisitive marketing director of BMW is responsible for all aspects of its UK marketing. This year Hudson has been working in a highly challenging market, especially in light of the difficulty consumers have had in securing credit to make major purchases. Hudson is focused on driving BMW's 'EfficientDynamics' positioning and underlining its environmental credentials. He was previously responsible for CRM and ecommerce at the brand.
71: STEPHEN MCGILL - XBOX
Microsoft's UK director for Xbox and entertainment has had a big year, not least in taking on Nintendo and Sony with a £300m launch campaign for Kinect, a motion-sensitive controller for the Xbox 360. The brand was also one of the first to sign a UK product-placement deal as part of its sponsorship of Sky1 sports panel show A League of Their Own. McGill has also built his own profile, not least by declaring that Blu-ray's days are numbered and it will be 'passed by as a format'. In a year when Kinect became the fastest-selling consumer electronic device to date, he has reason to celebrate.
70: ROLAND AGAMBAR - ASSOCIATED NEWSPAPERS
For a man said to have a big personality, chief marketing officer Agambar is surprisingly quiet, seldom carousing at marketing shindigs or speaking at events. This is a shame, as in February the Daily Mail launched its biggest campaign in 10 years. Created by M&C Saatchi, it encouraged readers to 'upgrade' to the title. Agambar is a former News International marketer, known to be ambitious, and will likely have one eye on the prize of group marketing director across the Daily Mail and Express titles - should the company buy the latter from Richard Desmond.
69: NATASHA HILL - CANCER RESEARCH UK
Hill has pioneered a new approach to advertising at Cancer Research UK, using real cancer patients and survivors in its campaigns, rather than actors or celebrities. She is also the main driving force behind the marketing of the hugely successful Race for Life fundraising campaign. As supporter marketing director, she has boosted participation in the popular races and is constantly looking for ways to keep CRUK's marketing fresh, leading a roster shake-up last June. Being ex-agency, she is renowned as a 'good' client and for knowing how to get the best out of creative partners, as well as her ability to maximise data to better reach consumers.
68: MATT HILL - HEINZ
Hill is clearly well-thought of at Heinz, having been promoted from chief marketing officer to chief commercial officer within 12 months of joining from Unilever. This year, the brand launched an innovative social-media marketing promotion, when it started selling bottles of a limited-edition ketchup via its Facebook page. Some observers have tipped Hill for a further step up the ladder sooner rather than later.
67: DARRAN BRITTON - CARLSBERG UK
It has been a big year for Britton, the marketing and strategy director at Carlsberg UK. He started the year by identifying the five core public events upon which the company would focus its marketing during the course of the year, including the Royal Wedding and the FA Cup Final. The brand also introduced the strapline 'That calls for a Carlsberg' as part of a global repositioning. It is no coincidence that this campaign was overseen by a former Coke marketer, Carlsberg's senior vice-president of global, sales, marketing and innovation, Khalil Younes: the repositioning included the introduction of an embossed 'icon' glass bottle.
66: HELEN PAGE - RBS GROUP
As managing director for marketing and innovation at the bailed-out bank, Page is faced with one of the toughest jobs in marketing in rebuilding its reputation. In April last year official figures revealed that RBS was receiving more than 1600 complaints a day and data released by the bank showed that it admitted making a mistake to eight out of 10 customers who complained about a banking problem. At the time, Page pledged to address consumer concerns, but in March the Financial Services Authority revealed that the bank received 40% more customer complaints in the second half of 2010 than in the first. Page is tackling this head-on by introducing a Customer Charter to form the cornerstone of the group's marketing strategy.
65: MARTIN GEORGE - BUPA
The past year has heralded the start of a new chapter for George as managing director of group development at Bupa.
In the past he gained a high profile for the wrong reasons; in his previous role as commercial director at British Airways, he led the department that in 2006 was accused of colluding with rival airline Virgin Atlantic to fix the price of fuel surcharges. The company was fined £120m and George resigned, insisting in a letter to BA chairman Martin Broughton that he 'had not behaved in a dishonest way'. His ambition is to bring Bupa's lesser-known products and services to the fore of its marketing, which means ditching its long-running animated ads.
64: SARAH WARBY - HEINEKEN POUNDS
The straight-talking Heineken marketing director worked as a welder in a South Wales steelworks before receiving a masters degree in engineering from Oxford. She now requires nerves of steel to lead her brands in the UK beer market, in the face of fierce price promotions, intense regulatory pressure and heavy duties. Despite these challenges, Heineken, the world's third-biggest brewer by volume, returned to volume growth in the first quarter, boosted by a strong performance in emerging markets, while European volumes also grew.
63: SALLY ABBOTT - WEETABIX
Over the past 12 months, Abbott, Weetabix's marketing director, has focused on continuing to broaden the appeal of the brand. Last year it claimed to have created 'the Holy Grail' of kids' breakfast time - a chocolate-flavoured cereal that can still be advertised to children. Chocolate Weetabix has continued to top Abbott's agenda this year and she has overseen campaigns to promote its new Choc and Minis ranges.
62: VICKI FRANKS - KAO BRANDS EUROPE
Franks moved to her role as UK marketing director at the European arm of Kao Corporation in 2006, and has fared well since. Consumers may have reined in their spending, but Kao's premium John Frieda haircare brand has gone from strength to strength. The Japanese FMCG firm, which also owns Jergens and Molton Brown, has also delivered on ambitious expansion plans in the UK. It has been number one by volume sales in the haircare market five times over the past 12 months, while its loyalty scheme, John Frieda Elite, has proliferated to 100,000 members. In Franks' previous tenure at Unilever she was senior product manager for Sure and Impulse.
61: RICHARD HOLMES - SPECSAVERS
Former Boots marketer-turned-Specsavers marketing director Holmes has worked hard with his in-house team over the past year to maintain the high-street optician's record of using humour in its marketing. A campaign launched just after England's World Cup exit, for example, boasted 'goal-line technology' for £25, and then showed a pair of glasses. Holmes' efforts paid off as Specsavers scooped several creative awards, including the Grand Prix at the Cream Awards. The brand's good humour ran out, however, when it claimed copyright infringement over a recent ad for rival GetLenses that used a doctored Specsavers promotion to compare prices. GetLenses was forced to back down.
60: ANDREAS HILGER - ANHEUSER-BUSCH INBEV UK
Since securing the position of marketing director for the merged InBev and Anheuser-Busch UK operations in April 2009, Hilger has kept a relatively low profile. The same cannot be said for the company's brands. Budweiser and Stella Artois, for example, have both rolled out new campaigns. The big challenge for the brewing group remains its efforts to establish US stalwart Budweiser as a global brand. It is also seeking to boost sales through product launches such as Stella Artois Cidre.
59: GILL BARR - THE CO-OPERATIVE GROUP
Barr's 10-month stint as marketing director at MasterCard ended in January, when she took up the group marketing role at The Co-operative Group. She will look to build on the group's positioning as a convenient option for regular food shopping, as emphasised by its recent 'Great food within easy reach' campaign. As the supermarket chain continues to integrate the Somerfield stores it acquired in 2009, Barr must focus on increasing the group's voice in a sector where others are shouting louder.
58: ANDREW COCKER - YAHOO!
The past 12 months have been action-packed for Yahoo!'s 36-year-old European consumer marketing director, from re-launching the Yahoo! brand and homepage across Europe to bringing in footballer David Beckham as its global ambassador. The football tie-up follows the brand's exclusive sponsorship deal to provide English Premier League highlights to Yahoo! users. In addition, Cocker is playing a key role in Yahoo!'s drive to differentiate itself by repositioning as a media brand, including the launch of Yahoo! Lifestyle, a content hub for women, as well as leading the roll-out of Yahoo! Answers 'First Time' campaign. Cocker has also found the time to take flying lessons.
57: JEREMY DAVIES - E.ON
As director of brand and communications at energy supplier E.ON, Davies has a big role. The brand's £30m sponsorship of the FA Cup expires at the end of this season, while environmental concerns and energy savings are top of the consumer agenda. Don't expect any greenwash, though. While Davies is active in encouraging the more considered use of energy he has lambasted rival companies for overplaying their green credentials. 'Energy efficiency' is E.ON's favoured phrase, a long-term view that long-copy print and outdoor ads by DLKW described in detail. It will be interesting to see how Davies allocates his refreshed budget to build on this position.
56: DANIELLE CROOK - VODAFONE
As brand director of Vodafone, Crook looks after the overarching brand strategy for the telecoms company. This is in a market where rivals Orange and T-Mobile have been galvanised by their merger. Crook is on her third stint at Vodafone, most recently having left in 2009 for a four-month sojourn to ad agency Fallon, where she was strategy director. The former European brand director at Gap, Crook was recently a judge for the Clear Channel Outdoor Planning Awards.
55: PETER HARRISON - KELLOGG
The cereal company appointed Harrison as its permanent UK marketing director in December. He had been covering the role on an interim basis since its high-profile marketing director Kevin Brennan left the company to join Premier Foods in the summer. Having previously managed campaigns for Kellogg's Crunchy Nut and Frosties brands, Harrison is seen as a safe pair of hands. Top of his to-do list is to run more integrated campaigns to fend off cheap own-label products.
54: KATIE VANNECK-SMITH - NEWS INTERNATIONAL
As chief marketing officer at News International, Vanneck-Smith faces a major hurdle: persuading consumers who have become accustomed to free content that The Times is worth paying for online.
An ardent networker, she oversees all marketing for The Times, The Sunday Times, The Sun and News of the World. She has a reputation battle on her hands in the case of the latter title, as the phone-hacking scandal continues to take its toll. In addition, paid-for newspaper sales are down and opinion on the success of The Times' paywall is mixed. The latest figures suggest that revenues from it will not offset those lost from declining print sales. However, there is little Vanneck-Smith does not know about newspapers, so these challenges will not faze her.
53: CLAIRE SHEIKH - RSA
The outgoing RSA group strategy, marketing and customer director, who announced her departure this week, remains a significant figure in the marketing world, and is sure to emerge in another major chief marketer's role soon. Ex-ITV marketing director Sheikh has said she will be taking some 'time out', but must be given great credit for a comprehensive restructure of RSA's marketing functions, a major rebranding exercise and the insurer's first global brand campaign. A colourful character, she famously had her Porsche resprayed to match her favourite pair of high-heeled shoes.
52: KEVIN PEAKE - NPOWER
Npower has played to its strengths over the past year by continuing to plug into sports sponsorship and promote existing tie-ups, such as bringing its three-year Football League sponsorship to the fore with its biggest sales promotion to date. It also continued its title sponsorship of domestic Test match cricket, a deal due for renewal soon, and its tie-up with Sky Sports - 10 years and counting. Peake has also found new avenues for the brand. Teaming up with former England football manager Kevin Keegan in a campaign to inspire young people's career choices is one innovative project, while making the most of brand partnerships in the home-energy services market will keep him equally busy.
51: NICHOLAS HALL - GOCOMPARE.COM
As the man responsible for Britain's most-irritating ad, Hall has ensured his brand has achieved cut-through at any cost. Love him or loathe him, the opera singer character who fronts the campaign has become synonymous with the brand. Head of marketing Hall has held the post for four years, having joined from FirstPlus Financial, where he was retail marketing manager.
He previously held marketing roles at Barclays, Somerfield and the Environment Agency. A good networker, Hall's task will be to ensure his operatic star does not run out of steam in a dog-eat-dog sector.