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Brand expert Rita was President of the Market Research Society, Vice Chairman and Strategy Director at Saatchi & Saatchi, and CEO and Chair of Interbrand, the company behind the Best Global Brands list. She defines a brand as an organising idea, setting you apart from competition: “It’s about building values and ethics, communicating and living up to them – especially in the digital space where mistakes are never laid to rest. Without trust, you can’t have a brand.” Rita talks about reputation, internal brand management and digital branding.
View / Submit‘If brand management were a religion, Rita Clifton would be a deity’
Time Magazine
Rita Clifton has been described as a ‘brand guru’ by the Financial Times, as ‘the doyenne of branding’ by Campaign magazine, and as ‘a fabulous ambassador for business’ by Retail Week. She graduated from Cambridge University and started her career in advertising, where she became Vice Chairman and strategy director at Saatchi & Saatchi in its most successful period. She then joined Interbrand, the leading global brand consultancy, as London CEO and later became Chairman for a ten-year term.
Rita now has a portfolio of chairing and non-executive director roles, including John Lewis Partnership, ASOS, Nationwide Building Society, and Ascential plc. Previous non-executive board roles have included Bupa, Dixons Retail plc, and Populus, the research group. She was co-founder and chair of the global business consultancy BrandCap, which has offices in London, New York, and Hong Kong, and which she later sold on to the management group. Rita was also made a Visiting Fellow at Saïd Business School, Oxford University.
Rita has worked with many leading businesses and organisations around the world, and speaks on all aspects of brands, branding and business leadership. She is a regular commentator on all major TV, news and social channels, and her writing has included the bestselling book The Future of Brands, and The Economist book Brands & Branding. In Love Your Imposter, Rita examines new types of business leadership.
Her pro bono board roles have included WWF (Worldwide Fund for Nature), the UK’s Sustainable Development Commission, the leading think tank Green Alliance, and as Chair of the global sustainability non-profit Forum for the Future.
Rita was awarded a CBE for services to the creative industries.
