The Value of the Monarchy: From Annus Horribilis to Annus Mirabilis

Ben has worked at The Prince’s Trust for 14 years having previously worked in the private sector as a business development manager. He is responsible for leading the strategy and development of partnerships with UK business and government with a particular focus on the specific aim of raising the aspirations of young people across the UK and working to bridge the gap between unemployed young people and the skills that employers need. Before joining the partnerships team Ben managed a range of programmes to turn around the lives of disadvantaged young people including The Trust’s business start-up programme Enterprise, its programme in schools and a range of personal development and grant giving programmes. He holds an MBA in Business Administration and Management.

David is the Chairman and CEO of Brand Finance Plc – the world’s leading brand valuation consultancy. He has worked in the area of branded business, brand, and intangible asset valuation since 1991. He specialised entirely in the field after becoming the Director of Brand Valuation for Interbrand in 1995. He subsequently left Interbrand in 1996 to launch Brand Finance which is celebrating 25 years in business this year.

David represented the British Standards Institution in the working parties responsible for crafting international industry standards: ISO 10668 on Brand Valuation in 2010 and ISO 20671 on Brand Evaluation in 2019.

David is a passionate writer and has authored many articles on brand valuation, published in numerous marketing and finance newspapers and magazines, such as: Financial Times, Accountancy Age, and Marketing Week. He has also lectured on the topic of brand valuation for Harvard, Chicago, and London Business Schools.

David graduated from Bristol University with an English degree, qualified as a Chartered Accountant with Price Waterhouse in London, and obtained a postgraduate diploma in Marketing from the Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM). He is a Fellow of The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) and has a practising certificate with the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW).

As Richmond Herald, Clive Cheesman is one of the crown-appointed officers responsible for the granting and regulation of coats of arms in England, Wales, Northern Ireland and the Commonwealth. He studied classics and ancient history at Oxford and in Italy, was called to the Bar at Middle Temple in 1996, and has written on law, heraldry, history and cultural property. At the College of Arms he has a professional practice assisting a wide range of clients in applying for, using and protecting coats of arms as assets; on the corporate side these range from prominent businesses to educational bodies and local authorities including, most recently, Team GB for the 2016 Olympics in Rio.

Qing Wang is a Professor of Marketing and Innovation at Warwick Business School, University of Warwick, where she has been a faculty member since 2000. She has also held visiting professorships at several prestigious institutions, including Duke University, Tsinghua University, and Zhejiang University.

In 2006, Professor Wang founded the MICE (Marketing, Innovation, and the Chinese Economy) network, significantly contributing to the study of marketing and innovation in China. She is widely regarded as a leading expert on the competitive strategies of Chinese enterprises in Western markets, particularly through branding. Her expertise also extends to analyzing the behavior of luxury consumers and developing strategic marketing approaches for luxury brands.

Professor Wang’s work is highly regarded and appeared in key publications such as the Oxford Handbook of Luxury Businesses, the Oxford Handbook of China Innovation, and leading journals like the Journal of Marketing Research, Journal of Product Innovation Management, and Research Policy. In recognition of her impact on the field, she was awarded the prestigious Robert D. Buzzell Award by the Marketing Science Institute in 2009 for her outstanding contributions to marketing theory and practice. In 2013, she received a Higher Doctorate (Doctor of Science) from the University of Warwick, acknowledging her significant contributions to social science.

Beyond academia, Professor Wang is an active member of several influential organizations, including the Institute of Directors (IoD) and Marketing Science Institute (MSI), and holds the position on the board of directors of UK companies. She has also consulted for companies in the UK, US, and China on international market entry and branding strategies. Her insights and work have been featured in prominent media outlets such as the BBC, The New York Times, and Forbes.