Ian Hutchinson is Chairman of the World Federation of
Advertiser's Media Committee, and was until recently the Worldwide
Media Director of Reckitt Benckiser PLC. Hutchinson began his
career at Saatchi & Saatchi in the 80's and then moved on to
the media department of Leo Burnett in both London & Chicago.
In 1995 he moved to MediaCom (part of Grey Group) to look after
their Mars business across Europe, and a number of other smaller
accounts including Lee Jeans for Vanity Fair Corporation.
In 1995 Hutchinson was headhunted to join the then privately
owned Benckiser GmbH and stayed with the company for the next 18
years to see it through its IPO in the Netherland's, its merger
with Reckitt & Colman in 1999 and subsequent period of almost
unrivaled growth in its sector and as a leading performer in the
FTSE through the next decade. During this time Hutchinson built the
company's capabilities in traditional and digital media in both
developed and emerging markets.
RB Media became a byword for the development of innovative and
integrated marketing media CRM and eventually eCRM programs that
focused on driving real business results. Hutchinson pioneered the
widespread use of online management both of agencies and media
buying often turning the business on its head, and always on a
global basis. He was involved in every acquisition throughout the
last 10 years, and architect of the group media strategies and
relationships with other related companies. Over the years at RB
Hutchinson built with the help of his team, and an aggressive and
smart media management structure, a begrudgingly well respected
media operation.
In his leisure time Hutchinson helps out advising a number of
small organisations on their next stage of growth, and is a
significant investor in a small number of startups. He is involved
in an advisory capacity to a Malawi Solar Panel charity, and can on
occasions be found helping out with his local Scout troop. a He has
four children and a long suffering wife with whom he lives in west
London.
Hutchinson signed Benckiser up to the World Federation of
Advertisers (WFA) in 1998, and has been a regular attendee
personally at both the Media Committee and the other associated
committees that have spawned from this since this time. He took up
the chairmanship of the committee in 2011. The WFA is the only
global organisation representing the common interests of marketers.
It brings together the biggest markets and marketers worldwide,
representing roughly 90% of global marketing communications spend,
almost US$ 700 billion annually.
Hutchinson has recently started the next phase of his career at
Sony Mobile and is looking forward to working in one of the most
dynamic sectors of the media business in one of the most dynamic
media and technology companies in the world.