Rita Clifton CBE

Rita Clifton CBE started her career in advertising and quickly progressed to become Vice Chairman and Strategy Director at Saatchi & Saatchi during its most successful period. She then moved into brand strategy when she became London CEO, then Chairman, of leading global brand consultancy Interbrand, and led a highly diverse and talented team. She has advised numerous leading businesses around the world, as well as start-ups and growth stage businesses of all shapes and sizes.

In 2013, she co-founded and chaired the business and brand consultancy BrandCap, which now has offices in London, New York and Hong Kong and which she successfully sold on to the Populus Group.

She is a regular commentator across all media, including CNN, BBC, Sky and social channels, as well as a columnist for national newspapers and trade magazines. She was a mentor and judge on the CNBC award-winning business series ‘Pop Up Start Up’, in association with Alibaba.

The Future of Brands

Rita is also the author of best-selling books including ‘The Future of Brands’ and two editions of The Economist ‘Brands and Branding’. She has just completed a new book on leadership, which captures her uniquely honest thoughts on what it takes to build your personal brand and become a business leader in the world today. This is due for launch in summer 2020 and is available for pre-order here  www.koganpage.com/love-your-imposter

A non-executive director on the board of a number of businesses including ASOS, Nationwide Building Society and Ascential plc (owner of Cannes Lions and WGSN), she was previously on the boards of Bupa, Emap and Dixons Retail plc.

Her non-profit board experience includes WWF (Worldwide Fund for Nature) and as a member of the UK Government’s Sustainable Development Commission.

She is a Trustee at Green Alliance, which brings business, academia, NGOs and governments together to solve pressing environmental issues, and is a Visiting Fellow at the Said Business School at Oxford University.

Rita’s speaking style

Rita has been described as honest, fresh and funny as well as being an acknowledged business and brand leader. She tells it like it is. Her authoritative yet witty delivery results in a warm and emotional connection with her audience meaning that no matter the size of the audience, they all feel like they’ve had a one-to-one.  She can speak to CEOs and board audiences from major multinationals through to entrepreneurs, young executives and grass root employees. She always tailors her content to suit the crowd.  She also creates fresh content for every platform and always ensures that delegates leave having learned something new.

• Business leadership
• Business growth
• Sustainability in business
• Women in business
• Branding in the digital age
• How to build a world class brand
• The business value of branding
• Branding for the boardroom
• Branding for SMEs and entrepreneurs
• Platform branding
• Disruption and innovation
• Branding for not-for-profits
• Building a portfolio career
• Mentoring

Key points about Rita

• “The Doyenne of branding” (Campaign Magazine), “The Queen of branding” (Marketing Week), “Brand Guru” (Financial Times)
• Awarded CBE in the Queen’s New Year’s Honours in 2014 for services to creative industries
• Former London CEO & Chairman of Interbrand
• Former Vice Chairman & Strategy Director at Saatchi & Saatchi
• Successful non-executive board director, business leader and entrepreneur
• Long-standing environmental and sustainability champion
• Visiting Fellow at Oxford University (Said Business School)
• Voted as one of ‘Global Gurus’ 2020