Marketing's Power 100

Power is the ultimate intangible asset. It cannot be fed into a spreadsheet or plotted on a graph. Nor is it a case of ticking boxes. But that does not mean it is artificial. The people who appear on the following pages do so because when they speak, others listen.

For many marketers in the list, it is because of the budget they have to spend - little commands as much attention, though not necessarily admiration, as cold, hard cash. Or it could be the size of the brand they manage. But these cannot be the only criteria, as there are plenty of big-spending marketers who lack profile.

Being well-known - for a good track record or voicing opinions - is therefore another factor, as is the degree of influence a marketer holds among their peers. These criteria can apply to those with strong marketing backgrounds who have moved on to bigger roles, such as the trio of former Mars marketers now running major retailers: Justin King, Richard Baker and Sara Weller. Or, in the case of a few people such as Stuart Rose, it can apply to those who, even without a classic marketing background, have inspired a marketing-led turnaround of their business.

Entrepreneurialism is a further test - opening up fresh streams of revenue and developing new models, though sadly relatively few marketers in the list have met this criterion.

For these reasons, this year's Power 100 has plenty of new faces, as a fresh generation of marketers makes its mark. There is also the return of some familiar faces, such as Martin Glenn, and the departure of big names including Tim Mason, who for one reason or another have dropped out of the UK scene.

Those at the pinnacle are those who score highly across the criteria. They are there because, having reached the top, they deliver time and again.

Join the debate: Do you agree with the choices? 

Key: Spending power £; Influence      I; Brand B; Celebrity status      *;

Entrepreneur      E

1     Dianne Thompson Camelot     £, I, B, *

Last year, Thompson became the first woman to take the top spot in Marketing's Power 100; 12 months on, she has cemented her position. The Camelot chief executive has overseen a stellar year for the lottery operator, with sales in the final three months of 2006 up 10.6% year on year. Now even Richard Branson admits Camelot is a 'shoo-in' to win the next lottery licence later this year. Testament to Thompson's determination was Camelot's bid document: running to more than 18,000 pages, it cost more than £20m to put together. In the likely event that Camelot holds on to the licence, we can expect worldwide draws, lifestyle prizes and a partnership with BSkyB. The Yorkshire-born former ICI and Ratners marketer ascribes her character to being 'the product of a northern working-class family'. As befits her status and profile, she sits on the Press Complaints Commission and maintains her links with marketing via her involvement in WACL.

2     Stuart Rose Marks & Spencer      £, I, B, *

It is no longer enough to call Marks & Spencer's recent performance a recovery; the high-street stalwart is positively booming under canny chief executive Rose. The company's unstoppable ascendancy resulted in its share price hitting an all-time high earlier this year at nearly 750p. What a difference three years make. When Rose took over as chief executive in May 2004, the share price was languishing at less than 300p, with Bhs boss Philip Green nearly buying the business for what now seems a bargain basement price of 400p a share. Significantly, the turnaround has been driven by first-rate marketing, from TV ads to in-store work.

3      Charles Dunstone Carphone Warehouse   I, B, *, E 

It has been a transformational, albeit rough, year for Carphone Warehouse and chief executive Dunstone - a brand and man who, until recently, could do no wrong in the eyes of the City. The key change was the launch of a 'free' broadband service to customers who signed up to its TalkTalk offering. Carphone Warehouse underestimated demand to such an extent that a PR nightmare ensued as it struggled to connect people to its network. Yet the decision to move wholeheartedly into broadband is testament to the 42-year-old's ability to see which way the wind is blowing. In October Carphone bought AOL's connection business, transforming it into the third-biggest internet provider. It is now well placed to exploit a converged marketplace. Dunstone, meanwhile, is showing no signs of emulating his friend Tony Blair by leaving the public eye any time soon.

4     Justin King Sainsbury's        £, I, B

Sainsbury's is no longer the sick man of the grocery sector, and chief executive King can take the credit. The supermarket's like-for-like sales grew by 5.9% in the 12 weeks to 24 March as King's recovery plan - entitled 'Making Sainsbury's great again' - continued to bear fruit. Stints at Mars, Marks & Spencer and Asda before joining Sainsbury's in 2004 have made King a strong character who sticks to his guns. This year he has profited by sticking by the supermarket's 'Try something new today' campaign, while it is doing its bit for the environment by associating more closely with the fair trade movement. It says a lot for King's contribution that Sainsbury's was also able to fight off a projected private-equity takeover this year.

5     Sir Richard Branson Virgin       I, B, *, E

Branson remains the best-known face in UK plc thanks to his unrivalled talent for spotting an opportunity for publicity. Yet the past year has been as much about substance as style. The NTL deal that created Virgin Media was the first attempt at a 'quadruple play' of TV, phone, broadband and mobile. Judging by BSkyB's reaction - it has pulled several channels from Virgin Media's TV service - it has recognised the threat. Branson's clever use of PR, though, has ensured that Virgin Media has won the initial publicity battle. Virgin Galactic, the entrepreneur's consumer space-travel project, scheduled to launch in 2008, has continued to gather pace, while his company has also sought to prove its environmental credibility with a pledge of $3bn to combat global warming.

6     Sir Martin Sorrell WPP       I, *, E

As a businessman, Sorrell's clout is undiminished; 21 years after taking over WPP, he is now the longest-serving FTSE 100 chief executive. Yet he has been in the headlines, and caused rivals no end of amusement, for altogether more lurid reasons after a highly acrimonious few days in the High Court. Sorrell was accused of 'fleeing the battlefield' after agreeing to settle a libel case against WPP's former manager in Italy without admission of liability - though, having accepted £120,000 for the settlement, he bullishly described it as a 'two-nil win'. The 10 days in court revolved around an alleged internet hate campaign against Sorrell in which he was compared to a mafia don. His former mistress, Daniela Weber, was also dragged into the fray in an unseemly fashion. Away from the courtroom, WPP's performance has been good, with like-for-like revenues up 4.3% in the first quarter. And Sorrell certainly retains a nose for a deal. He bought 24/7 Real Media for £329m to bolster WPP's digital capability, and beat rival Havas to snap up Clemmow Hornby Inge.

7     Mark Thompson BBC        I, B, *

Critics claim Thompson's aggressive approach in negotiations with Gordon Brown over the licence fee was partly responsible for the below-inflation settlement. However, a major success has been winning approval for the iPlayer, which will allow the download of both TV and radio content and threatens grave consequences for the commercial web sector. The power of the Marketing, Communications and Audiences division was boosted further last year when Thompson told BBC staff that 'everything begins with audiences' and unveiled a flatter structure with MC&A at the Corporation's centre. As Thompson ploughs on with a cost-savings plan across the organisation, tough decisions remain ahead.

8     Andy Duncan Channel 4      I, B, *

Duncan has had to endure criticism not only of his channel's output, but also his wardrobe this year. When the Channel 4 chief executive appeared at a press conference at the height of the Celebrity Big Brother 'racism' scandal, he was criticised for his characteristically casual attire. The barracking is unlikely to ruffle the former BBC director of marketing too long. C4 has had another solid year and swiftly signed up Virgin Media to replace Carphone Warehouse as the sponsor of Big Brother. The channel's promotional activity and programming have continued to be cutting-edge, with E4's Skins gaining a record audience for original drama on digital. Film4 has found a new audience by launching on Freeview, and by introducing on-demand services, Channel 4 proved it is still ahead of the game.

9     Gavin Patterson BT      £, B

High-flying Patterson gains points this year for the boom in BT's broadband business. The telecoms provider beat all expectations in January by soaring to more than 10m broadband customers - a big feather in the cap of Patterson, who, as group managing director for BT Consumer, has been eulogising about high-speed web services for years. The 39-year-old Cambridge graduate is a product of Procter & Gamble's marketing hothouse, but left the world of FMCG behind for the media industry when he joined Telewest. He left for BT in 2004 after rising to managing director, and BT watchers believe he has further to climb. As if turning around a lumbering ex-monopoly in the face of more nimble competition was not enough, he has already set himself a fresh challenge with BT Vision, the TV service that soft-launched late last year. Taking on BSkyB may be Patterson's most ambitious undertaking to date.

10    Alan Bishop COI       £, I, B

The COI's chief executive recently took a break in the Caribbean to top up his tan and watch the cricket World Cup. Hopefully, he returned refreshed, as the government's communications body faces some difficult questions. Several government departments are seeking greater flexibility in the way the COI handles their campaigns. All this is taking place against a backdrop of shrinking COI spend as budgets come under pressure from the Treasury. Along with the rest of the civil service, the former Saatchi & Saatchi International chairman already has an eye on the post-Blair era. A first-rate politician himself, he is well placed to ensure the organisation fares well under new management.

11    Chris Townsend LOCOG I, B, *

Townsend has had a Midas touch in the past. In the early-90s he played a key part in Sky TV's rapid subscriptions growth and as customer marketing director at Transport for London, he oversaw the uptake of more than 6m Oyster cards. The 48-year-old will certainly need all the luck he can get with his latest challenge: raising more than £2bn in revenue for the successful staging of the 2012 London Olympics. As LOCOG commercial director, he is the man who can grant access to the biggest marketing show on earth when it comes this way in five years' time. In March, he got off to a good start when he announced Lloyds TSB as the official banking partner of the 2012 London Olympics in a deal worth an estimated £80m. Nevertheless, the keen cyclist will need an Olympian stamina to convince brands to part with so many millions.

12    James Murdoch BSkyB £, I, B, *

As scion of the world's most influential media family, Murdoch remains a big player on the UK media scene. Focused, smart and personable, he has gone from being portrayed as a rebellious black sheep when he took the top BSkyB role at 31 to becoming one of the most admired chief executives in the business. The big change for BSkyB over the past year has been the launch of its broadband service. Murdoch must also be credited with bringing carbon neutrality to the company, and the opportunistic swoop on an ITV stake that effectively scuppered Virgin Media's takeover talks. Yet there are clouds on the horizon. Not only does Murdoch face competition from Virgin and Setanta, but the spectre of further drawn-out investigations by Ofcom looms.

13      Michael Grade ITV        I, B, *

Renowned for his red socks and consummate showmanship, Grade was greeted with a standing ovation when he arrived at Grays Inn Road to lead ITV as its newly-installed executive chairman. Known to inspire fierce loyalty in his staff, Grade's arrival returned some confidence to ITV. Ultimately, ITV's recovery - and Grade's success - will be measured by the quality of its shows, and as a former programme maker, Grade can make an impact. A move to restore the evening news to 10pm is on the agenda and a return to quality drama is already paying dividends. For marketers, Grade represents the best chance for ITV to deliver the audiences they crave. Watch this space.

14    Gianni Ciserani Procter & Gamble        £, B

Uncharacteristically for a Procter & Gamble executive, Ciserani did something controversial last year when he spoke out on the dearth of innovation at the expense of price promotions. It was a heartfelt speech that raised the Italian's profile after three years leading the company's UK and Ireland business. Enthusiastic and much-liked, Ciserani will soon be packing his bags and leaving the firm's headquarters in Weybridge for its Geneva offices to take up the role of president, western Europe.

15    David Wheldon Vodafone        £, B

Vodafone's global director, brand and customer experience, has had a glittering career on both client and agency side - posts include European marketing director at Coca-Cola and president of BBDO Europe. But he faces a fresh challenge in reinvigorating a brand that has grown lacklustre. To that end, he was responsible for one of the biggest moves in adland this year when he stripped Vodafone's prized £57m advertising account from JWT in favour of Bartle Bogle Hegarty.

16      Patrick Cescau Unilever         £, B

Unilever has been left in the shade by Procter & Gamble in recent years, so the pressure is on group chief executive Cescau to lift performance. The Parisian has been with the company for 34 years, culminating in his appointment as the company's first unified chief executive in 2005. He has since focused on three priorities: personal care, emerging markets and vitality.

17 Tim Seager Scottish & Newcastle UK      £, B

Scottish & Newcastle has become an attractive takeover target, with bids rumoured to be in the pipeline from rivals as well as private-equity firms. The company's appeal is a testament to ex-Procter & Gamble man Seager, who has been UK marketing director since January 2004. This year he has overseen an aggressive NPD programme, launching Foster's Twist, a citrus variant of its flagship Foster's brand, as well as an on-trade trial of Foster's Quench, a lower-ABV lager. A marketer with an instinctive understanding of the bottom line, Seager is keen to look at alternative promotional techniques. The firm is continuing its ambitious experiential sampling in the on-trade, and Seager also came up with the idea for the John Smith's People's Race, in which 10 novice jockeys rode at Aintree to raise money for charity.

18    Roisin Donnelly Procter & Gamble      £, B

Donnelly's profile in the marketing industry has been rising steadily - though she is hardly the sort to boast about it. Procter & Gamble's Glaswegian corporate marketing director prefers to go about her business quietly and effectively. But after treading the boards at industry conferences over the past 12 months, the keen theatre-goer may be emerging as a genuine industry heavyweight. Another impressive year for the company saw year-on-year growth across its stable of brands, and with responsibility for all brands in the UK and Ireland, Donnelly has her hands full. Highlights have included a shift toward issue-led marketing in Ariel's 'Turn to 30' campaign, designed to capitalise on consumer interest in the environment without actually having to change anything about the product. She is also personally overseeing the firm's experiments with interactive TV.

19    Jill McDonald McDonald's      £, B

McDonald's remains public enemy number one

for the health lobby, but McDonald (no family relation) is determined to plug away at people's perceptions. Not all of her efforts have paid off. The website makeupyourownmind.co.uk, created to allow consumers to ask the chain questions directly, elicited a number of worrying queries, including whether its burgers contained eyes. McDonald has been in the role of chief marketing officer for northern Europe for a year, having moved from British Airways, where she rose to head of global marketing last May. She described herself recently as an 'only child, from a comfortable middle class upbringing who went a bit off the rails in my early teens when I discovered boys, fags and skiving', and McDonald remains unafraid of courting controversy. She has overseen the chain's continued shift toward online advertising, despite howls of indignation from pressure groups concerned about obesity and marketing to children.

20    Steven Sharp Marks & Spencer      £, I, B

The ads produced by Marks & Spencer under Sharp's guidance have won near-universal acclaim. Their success has established its executive director for marketing, e-commerce, store design and de-velopment as one of the finest marketers of his generation. Not content to rest on his laurels, Sharp continued to evolve the M&S proposition with its 'Look behind the label' campaign, designed to highlight the store's ethical and environmental standards as well as encouraging customers to consider their importance across the retail sector. The success has left him in demand - he recently spread his wings by becoming a non-executive director of brewer Adnams.

21    Salman Amin PepsiCo      £, B

As Martin Glenn's successor, Amin had big shoes to fill when he was promoted to president of PepsiCo UK and Ireland in 2005. There is no doubt he is qualified for the role - he was formerly senior vice-president of marketing for PepsiCo International, where he was responsible for promoting all PepsiCo brands outside the US and Canada. Yet an almost non-existent profile means that he has yet to develop his predecessor's clout. Amin has extensive knowledge of the snack, beverage and FMCG businesses. He joined the company in 1995 as vice-president of marketing for Pepsi-Cola International from Procter & Gamble, where he built consumer product lines across international markets. Amin's position as the chairman of the Food and Drink Federation's health and wellbeing steering group stands to help raise his profile.

22    Philip Almond Diageo      £, B

Almond is no stranger to controversy, having spent the past 13 years at Diageo selling drinks and fast food. This former adman makes his debut in the Power 100 after his promotion to GB marketing director last summer. His time at the firm has included a stint as marketing director of Burger King from 2001 to 2003, which was then under Diageo ownership. There he got his fingers burned as the obesity crisis hit, but the experience should stand him in good stead as pressure mounts for curbs on alcohol marketing. Almond has continued to fly the flag for responsible drinking, where Diageo claims to be leading the way, as well as maintaining the company's devotion to innovation. A keen theatre-goer, he was until recently on the board of South-East London theatre company London Bubble.

23      Bernard Balderston Procter & Gamble       £, I, B

This Procter & Gamble veteran will next year celebrate his 40th anniversary with the FMCG giant, which spent £179m on media advertising in 2006, according to Nielsen Media Research, displacing Unilever as the UK's leading advertiser. All of which makes its associate director of UK media a man those in the media industry are keen to know. The influence of the grandaddy of media buying also extends to the trade bodies. During his career he has served as chairman of the ISBA RTSA Committee for six years, with BARB for more than 15 years, and has been an RAB Councillor and a member of the Advisory Committee for Advertising.

24    Amanda Mackenzie British Gas       £, I, B

Marketing director Mackenzie has been overheard complaining that people keep asking her about their gas bills - it is no surprise after a difficult year for the utilities provider. The company took the brunt of criticism for rising energy prices, and is busy wooing back the 1m customers it lost in the 12 months to March 2007. Yorkshire-born Mackenzie is certainly no stranger to the challenge of a former monopoly - she spent three years at BT, rising to group marketing director - and her response has been radical. She has positioned the firm as the champion of energy efficiency to shift the public debate away from the price-comparison strategy adopted by its rivals.

25    James Kydd Virgin Media £, B

As managing director of marketing, Kydd is at the forefront of the pay-TV battle. Colleagues say that their energetic leader is enjoying the fight against Rupert Murdoch's BSkyB. While the jury is out over the potential damage to the Virgin platform from the loss of three Sky channels, Kydd and his team have worked the situation to its full advantage with a raft of hard-hitting marketing campaigns aimed squarely at Sky. A born risk-taker, Kydd spearheaded the decision to sponsor the eighth series of Big Brother following Carphone Warehouse's hasty exit. Outspoken and forthright, Kydd has continued to pursue the headline-grabbing celebrity-focused strategy he employed at Virgin Mobile. His rise up the Virgin marketing ranks - he is fiercely loyal to the brand - is mirrored by his well-deserved return to the Power 100.

26    Paul Geddes Royal Bank of Scotland      B

A popular figure in the industry, the chief executive of consumer banking at RBS is described by peers as an able, no-nonsense marketer. Geddes' ability to get on with the job was rewarded earlier this year when he was promoted to his current role, having been with the bank since 2004. He is now leading a major reorganisation of its retail markets division, integrating the RBS and NatWest marketing teams and bringing together the personal banking and mortgage businesses. Geddes is also overseeing its 'Make it happen' campaign, intended to differentiate the bank from rivals.

27    Rick Bendel Asda      £, B

The outspoken Asda marketing director is a rare beast - a former senior agency man who gave up his cushy Soho life not only for the wilds of client-side marketing, but also for Yorkshire. Bendel has been busy since his October move from Publicis Worldwide, where he oversaw the Asda account. His first decision was to shift the supermarket's £45m ad account out of his former employer to Fallon London. Its latest ads, featuring Victoria Wood working in the grocer, are intended to 'make the stores the hero' and position the supermarket as the common-sense alternative to 'elitist' rivals such as Sainsbury's and Marks & Spencer.

28    Alex Batchelor Royal Mail      B

The jet-setting former Unilever and Orange marketer worked in Austria and the US before becoming marketing director at Royal Mail in 2005. Batchelor's cheerful demeanour will have been put to the test during a challenging 12 months, as Royal Mail rolled out its pricing in proportion policy to a sceptical direct industry and faced up to growing competition. The company also faced a slew of negative headlines last year when it suspended a postman for advising people how to opt out of receiving door-drops. Batchelor certainly knows the business; when he took up the role he regularly rose before dawn to accompany postmen on their rounds and worked in sorting offices over the Christmas period.

29    Julia Goldin Coca-Cola £, B

Having grown up in Soviet Russia, moved to Chicago as a teenager and trained as a concert pianist, Coca-Cola's head of new product development could have stepped out of a Cold War thriller. As it is, at the age of 18 she chose marketing as a career, and her globe-trotting has continued with a role that spans North-West Europe. She has had a busy 12 months, overseeing Coke Zero's debut in the UK, which she reportedly had to turn around in a hurry after the launch was brought forward. She also handled the addition of flavours to the Diet Coke range and the roll-out of flavoured Schweppes tonic waters. This year, she will also oversee Coca-Cola's attempt to banish Dasani from the memory with the launch of another water brand in the UK.

30      Richard Brasher Tesco       £, B

It is more than a year since Brasher stepped out from the shadow of Tim Mason and assumed control of marketing at the supermarket, yet Tesco's commercial director continues to shun the lime-light. Insiders describe him as having an intensely analytical mind, and while he may be an unknown quantity to outsiders, he is undoubtedly Tesco to the core, having been with the company since 1986. Over the past year Brasher has extended Tesco's presence in the non-food sector with the launch of catalogue service Tesco Direct. The super-market also launched a 'green clubcard', rewarding customers who recycle packaging at its stores with loyalty points.

31    Mark Price Waitrose      B

A former Waitrose marketing director, Price is still unpacking his boxes at the supermarket's Bracknell headquarters after returning to the fold as managing director last month. The self-styled 'chubby grocer' replaces Steven Esom, who defected to Marks & Spencer, and moves from the role of managing director of partnership development at parent company John Lewis Partnership. Price is 'green-blooded' - a Partnership lifer who joined the company in 1982 as a graduate trainee. He has an impressive marketing pedigree; in his previous stint at Waitrose he oversaw the launch of Waitrose Food Illustrated, now the foodies' magazine of choice. When not indulging his love of golf, his challenge is to oversee the expansion of the Waitrose brand as it attempts to take on grocery's big four.

32    Ken Wood Weetabix       B

As health and obesity concerns continue to dominate the public consciousness, the Weetabix chief executive has been busy reasserting its cereals as a healthy breakfast choice. Wood recently oversaw the successful launch of oats-based variant Oatibix, which is sold on its 'heart health' credentials. Since joining the firm in 2004 from Muller Dairy, where he was managing director, Wood has relaunched Ready Brek, introduced an organic variant of Weetabix and urged consumers to add fruit to its core product for a healthy and varied breakfast.

33    Martin Glenn Iglo Birds Eye      £, B, *

The former president of PepsiCo UK returned to the industry late last year after 12 months on the sidelines. Speculation had suggested that Glenn, one of marketing's key players, would re-emerge in charge of the London 2012 Olympics. In the end, he was lured back to his old stamping ground of the food industry as chief executive of Iglo Birds Eye, formed after Permira bought the Birds Eye brand from Unilever. Look out for him resuming the spats with the health lobby that characterised his spell at PepsiCo; when he appeared as a keynote speaker at The Marketing Forum last September, he revealed the difficulties of engaging with pressure groups.

34    Sophie Gasperment L'Oreal       £, B

It has been a huge year for the cosmetics giant, and especially its London operation, which has increased its contribution to global strategy through the £652m acquisition of The Body Shop. Parisian Gasperment was snapped up by L'Oreal as a graduate, after she accidentally stumbled into the company's university presentation sessions while at a management consultancy interview next door. Twenty years on, having moved to the company's London headquarters, she is known among colleagues as an insightful leader with clear direction, though she doubtless causes them some amusement with her habit of jotting down colloquial English phrases in a notebook.

35    John Clare DSGi      £, I, B

As chief executive of Europe's biggest electricals brands, Clare has his hands full. On the one hand, his business, which owns the Currys and Dixons brands, is at the sharp end of the e-commerce revolution in retail; on the other, DSGi has seen heavyweights such as Tesco muscle in on its turf. Clare joined DSGi in 1985 as marketing director of Dixons. Now president of ISBA, he has become one of the marketing industry's biggest names. As someone known to like a flutter, Clare has not been afraid to go out on a limb to prop up the business. This has included last year's decision to cut loose ailing telecoms chain The Link, which it sold to O2. It is currently rolling out computer repair and advice service Tech Guys, DSGi's take on US chain Best Buy's highly successful Geek Squad. Online, the store is believed to be seeking to bring its European e-tail acquisition Pixmania to a wider UK audience.

36    Andrew Marsden Britvic Soft Drinks      £, I, B

This is Marsden's 10th year as category director at Britvic, during which time he has enjoyed a series of successful launches and double-digit growth across key brands. Last year, he oversaw Britvic's debut in the branded water sector with the introduction of Drench and Pennine Spring, as well as leading Pepsi Max's defence against the launch of Coke Zero. Marsden is a ferocious networker, active on a number of trade bodies, and last December was appointed president of The Marketing Society. He is also a fellow of the Royal Society of Arts, an ISBA councillor, member of the Governmental Advisory Committee on Advertising and director of BCAP.

37    Kevin Brennan Kellogg      £, B

Kellogg's UK marketing director is not a man with a high media profile; indeed, he could be described as publicity-shy. But behind the scenes, the laid-back Brennan is a major player in the food industry's tug of war with the health lobby. Kellogg is pushing for the GDA nutrient profiling system to become the industry standard, rather than the Food Standards Agency's 'traffic-light' scheme - a stance made clear in its marketing. Last year Kellogg ran a campaign for its Optivita cereal that featured actor Ray Winstone telling consumers it was up to them to decide to eat healthily. When not playing Irish music on his guitar, this Kellogg lifer can be heard lamenting the fate of Nottingham Forest FC.

38    John Burke  Bacardi Brown-Forman       B

Burke began his career in logistics and sales before moving into marketing in 2001, where he has clearly found his niche. Until last December, he was global brand director for Bacardi, based, unfortunately for him, in Weybridge rather than the Caribbean. There he oversaw the creation of a branded radio station, B-Live. He has now rejoined the UK arm of Bacardi Brown-Forman as marketing director, where his charges include Martini, Bombay Sapphire, Southern Comfort and Jack Daniel's.

39      Giuseppe Casareto Procter & Gamble      £, B

Casareto has spent 15 years with Procter & Gamble, three of them leading its household business in the UK & Ireland, overseeing the Ariel, Bold, Flash and Lenor brands. The past year has brought several new product developments, including Fairy Active Bursts, Bold Crushed Silk & Jasmine and Fairy fabric conditioners, with the latter helping the eternal fight for market share against Unilever's Comfort. Colleagues describe Casareto as pragmatic, with a passion for rugby and cricket. However, his lack of profile costs him some personality points here.

40    Peter Kenyon Chelsea FC      B, * 

Chelsea may have lost the Premiership, but from a commercial perspective the football club is steadily building its influence. Chief executive Kenyon is leading its charge to build global support. This year, the former 'lifelong' Manchester United fan oversaw the launch of its first Chinese and Korean language websites, and last September Bollywood stars descended on its ground, Stamford Bridge, to shoot a film called Jhoom following the fortunes of an Asian Chelsea fan. Never one to do things subtly, he remains as high-profile (and well-paid) as some of the players.

41    Ed Richards Ofcom I

It was no great surprise when Richards stepped up from chief operating officer to chief executive at Ofcom; as a former adviser to both Tony Blair and Gordon Brown he has the qualifications and connections that count. But a glance at his CV reveals a stark lack of commercial experience. Richards has never held a position at a commercial media company, spending his pre-Ofcom days on the fringes of public-service broadcasting or at the heart of the New Labour machine. His knowledge of media regulation is not in doubt; he did, after all, have a big hand in the 2003 Communications Act. But early signs are that his Ofcom regime could be far less industry-friendly than that of his well-liked predecessor Stephen Carter. One of his first actions was to unveil harsh curbs on food ads, widely seen as the result of government pressure for a tough-looking initiative, rather than one that would do the job.

42    Dave Lewis Unilever      £, B

Despite a non-existent profile within the wider industry, Lewis is in charge of some of the biggest brands in the business. In February he was promoted from managing director of the firm's home and personal care unit to chairman of Unilever UK. A marketer by background, his 20-year career at Unilever has included stints in Eastern Europe, Indonesia and Latin America. He is also vice-chairman of the Advertising Association. A lack of wider influence precludes a position further up this list.

43    Tim Davie BBC      I, B

With the power vested in the Marketing, Communications & Audiences division and its director Tim Davie - who sits on pretty much any BBC board you care to mention - this former PepsiCo marketer is on a mission to turn Auntie's focus from internal affairs to audiences in an on-demand future. Davie is a passionate believer in channel brands, unveiling new identities for BBC One and Two in the past year, as well as new service brands such as iPlayer. A man who clearly relishes a digitally-driven change, Davie is driving 'cross-media measurement' at the Beeb to discover whether audiences think the quality and value of its output is as high as he clearly does.

44    Jim Hytner Barclays       £, B

Hytner's attempt to position Barclays as a champion of the people took a serious knock when BBC documentary Whistleblower claimed mis-selling in its call centres was rife. Hytner, who describes himself honestly as short and bald, is an extremely ambitious character and a permanent fixture on the speaking circuit. A shameless self-promoter, he has already moved up from the role of UK marketing director to take on responsibility for group brand, and is doubtless eyeing Barclays' takeover talks with ABN Amro as a chance for further advancement.

45      Maurice Breen Magners      B

Magners' marketing director can take great credit for overseeing the launch of the cider, which breathed new life into a moribund sector in 2005, when it introduced the concept of serving the drink over ice. The brand's rise under Breen has continued unabated; in the year to the end of February, it posted an 85% jump in profits. Imitation being the sincerest form of flattery, it must have been particularly gratifying for Breen to see rival Bulmers adopt a similar theme in its advertising.

46    Clare Salmon Royal & SunAlliance      I, *

Following an abrupt departure from her role as marketing director at ITV late last year, it was never going to be long before Salmon's ambition led her to another big role. Sure enough, this month she resurfaced as group strategy, marketing and customer director at Royal & SunAlliance, with global responsibility for marketing. The role may suit the former AA marketer more than her post at ITV, where she seemed at odds with the laddish culture. Still a name, she is an influential figure in the industry.

47    David Pemsel ITV      B

Former adman Pemsel clambered his way up to marketing director of ITV after the departure of Clare Salmon in a root-and-branch restructure that followed the surprise hiring of executive chairman Michael Grade. Thoughtful and, compared with his predecessor, popular among colleagues, Pemsel has been responsible for commissioning a series of idents and bringing some coherence to the channel and audience-segmentation work carried out under Salmon. As part of the new broom sweeping through the corridors of 200 Grays Inn Road, Pemsel is riding high on industry goodwill generated by the departure of the old guard.

48    Simon Clift Unilever      £, B

As Unilever group vice-president for personal care, Clift has plenty to keep him busy. He directly oversees mega-brands such as Dove, Lynx, Sure and Sunsilk. In addition, as the company's global chief marketing officer, he manages agency selection, research and training and development for the company worldwide. Beyond life at the FMCG giant, he became a non-executive director of BBC Worldwide in November, and continues to find time to indulge his interest in Baroque music and jet off to his second home in Rio de Janeiro.

49    Marc Sands Guardian Newspapers      B, *

Director of marketing Sands is well known in the industry for his love of football, characterised by his alarming propensity to turn every marketing proposition into an analogy related to the beautiful game. Still, his tactics seem to be working. In a depressed market, both The Guardian and The Observer have bucked the trend. In the past year the group hired Wieden & Kennedy to launch a brand campaign and its Guardian Unlimited website was relaunched. Sands has continued to drive the brand forward, not only with a sophisticated multimedia approach, but also a fine range of stickers, building on the cult status of its much-imitated posters.

50      Lorraine Twohill Google      B

Twohill's polyglot tendencies - she speaks five languages - will doubtless come in handy as Google continues its remorseless quest for world domination. It has been another phenomenally successful year for the search firm, with ad revenues expected to hit £900m during 2007. It remains unclear how much control European marketing director Twohill has over the brand's direction, given that its US headquarters calls the shots. However, the 35-year-old Irishwoman has ultimate responsibility for the marketing of all Google products in Europe, from consumer offerings to business services.

Click here to view 51-100 

This article was first published on Marketing