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).

Peter spent 15 years as a strategic planner in advertising, starting his career in 1982 at Boase Massimi Pollitt (now DDB London). He spent nine years working for Abbott Mead Vickers BBDO Ltd, leaving to join the management team of Bates London (now absorbed into WPP) and, subsequently, Grey London. In 1997, Peter left advertising to pursue a consultancy role supporting both clients and their agencies as well as founding Express Train, a training partnership for the advertising and marketing industries. In 1999, he helped start Eatbigfish, the challenger brand consultancy, and supported it in its early years. Peter was a member of the IPA Effectiveness Awards Committee for five years and helped set up and run the IPA dataBANK. He has been a judge of the prestigious IPA Effectiveness Awards and has contributed over many years to IPA education and training programmes.

Graduated in Social Communications and post-graduated in Marketing, Bruno worked as salesman, teacher and marketing manager before joining Shell in Brazil 25 years ago.

Since then, he has lived and worked in different places in Brazil and abroad and experienced jobs in Marketing and Sales, acted as Global Advertising, Promotions and Sponsorship manager, Global Autogas Manager, Retail Latin America Marketing Manager and Latin America Commercial Fuels GM, among others.

Bruno is currently VP Brand for the Shell Group and CEO for SBI (Shell Brands International AG), a Shell subsidiary proprietor of Shell trademarks, and manages their licensing to Shell companies and third parties. SBI is also responsible for the development of the Shell brand strategy and related advertising campaigns, global coordination for Shell Group marketing communications and for the management and activation of Shell global sponsorship properties like Ferrari.

Jonathon Poskitt is the Head of Sales Forecasting, Europe at LMC Automotive, based in Oxford. Having joined the company in 2003, Jonathon initially focused on analysing OEM product advance plans and European market trends.

He is currently responsible for the European market and model-level sales forecasts. Jonathon has also worked on various projects including OEM product strategy plans, analysing the market potential for new models, and market studies on areas such as low-cost and luxury cars. 

Jonathon holds an M.Phil. in Economics from the University of Oxford and a First Class Honours degree in Economics from the University of Southampton. Prior to undertaking his Masters, Jonathon worked for a major investment management company in London.

Ian Wood is global strategy director for Landor and executive director in the London office. He leads Landor's global Brand Strategy Council, is also part of the London office’s management team and is a frequent and challenging blogger on Landor.com.

In his previous role as executive director of strategy for Europe, Ian helped develop strategies for many major companies, including bmi, BP, British Gas, Land Rover, Marks and Spencer, Mazda, PepsiCo, and Pick n Pay. He has worked worldwide in Europe, Japan, the Middle East, Russia, and the United States.

Ian began his career designing trucks and buses and worked on the award-winning design of the Leyland Roadrunner. He represented Leyland on a number of ISO specialist committees and was the world’s leading practitioner of a pioneering man-machine interface-modeling program. He has also consulted on ergonomic issues for Jaguar and Land Rover.

In 1985, Ian joined Addison, where he co-ran the transportation and product design department, and led the project to design the driver’s cab for London Underground’s Central line train. While at Addison, he worked for BP, Duracell, JCB, Leyland DAF, Nissan, and Shell, and spent a year on a global positioning strategy project for Audi. He was also lecturer at Loughborough University, Royal College of Art, and Central School of Art and Design (now Central Saint Martins).

Alexander Schröder is executive director strategy in the Hamburg office of Landor Associates, responsible for a team of strategists to develop powerful brand strategy and identity programs. After earning a master’s degree in business administration from the University of Hamburg and studying economics in Aix-en-Provence in France, Alexander worked for various leading branding agencies and management consultancies in Germany. With 15 years of branding experience, he is an expert in brand strategy and brand management. Prior to Landor, Alexander was director of marketing and brand management for the German media and licensing company EM.Entertainment. He was the architect of the brand platforms that refreshed international brands such as Vicky the Viking, Maya the Bee, Heidi, and the TV station Junior, brands loved by children all over the world. Alexander has extensive prior experience as an integrated marketing communication strategist, working with leading firms that include Interbrand, KMS TEAM, MetaDesign, and The Brand Union. Alexander’s past list of clients contains a diverse range of categories, consumer segments, and companies, including BMW, MINI, Rolls-Royce, Volkswagen, Audi, Porsche, Bugatti, MAN, Mercedes-Benz, Lufthansa, IKEA, Procter & Gamble, Mondelez, SAB Miller, Bausch & Lomb, Siemens, Vattenfall, and Olympus.

Since January 2014 and as corporate advisor and non-executive director, Luc Bardin advises blue chip companies, governments and academic institutions on their corporate, brand, marketing and partnership strategies. Luc is a member of the advisory board of the strategic marketing MSc at Imperial College Business School. He is chairman of Strategic Partnering Ltd and the author of Strategic Partnering - remove chance and deliver consistent success, which was published in 2013.  His next book, The Strategic Brand, will be published in 2016.

Luc spent many years in executive roles with BP plc, where he was a group vice president for 12 years, group chief sales and marketing officer, a member of the BP Downstream ExCo, CEO of multiple global businesses and founder of the ‘Strategic Accounts’ division. His career in global business leadership spans 30 years and, alongside BP, he has continuously led global branded customer facing businesses for Burmah Castrol, Hoechst and Pechiney.

He is currently cooperating with Brand Finance to spread the use of their differentiated capability and helping the Working Smart Foundation to support senior marketers who recognize that new mindset and ways of working are necessary to be an outstanding marketing leader today and tomorrow.

2013 marks McLaren’s 50^th anniversary. John Allert, Group Brand Director of McLaren, lifts the lid on how, from humble beginnings, the iconic British F1 team has evolved its brand and business in order to stake a claim in the luxury automotive sector. Allert will talk about the vision and ambition behind this audacious, award winning business, and the challenges faced along the way as the brand emerged from its traditional F1 heartland into fiercely fought super car markets such as China, the Middle East and the USA.

John is the Group Brand Director of McLaren - the iconic British Formula One racing team and supercar manufacturer.

Originally qualifying as a Graphic Designer in Australia, John has over twenty years’ experience advising leading global brands in Asia Pacific, Europe and the UK, where he has been based for the past decade. Prior to joining McLaren, John was Chief Executive of Interbrand’s UK business, and sat on Interbrand’s Global Board.

Throughout his career, John has been a frequent speaker, writer and lecturer on branding, and during his time at McLaren has built a reputation as one of the UK’s leading practitioners in digital branding and brand integrated content, pioneering the acclaimed ‘Tooned’ cartoon series in 2012, in collaboration with Framestore.

John’s work at McLaren has attracted recognition including a One Show Gold Pencil, British Market Research Award, British Retail Design Award and a Cristal Award for Branded Content.

John is a father of three, an aspiring cyclist and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts.

Richard Burden is the Labour MP for Birmingham Northfield. He was elected in 1992 and before entering Parliament he worked as a Branch Organiser for NALGO in Yorkshire and then as a District Officer in the West Midlands.

Richard chairs the all-party motor group in Parliament, which seeks to address issues of strategic importance to the UK automotive industry, the motorsport industry and vehicle users and to promote dialogue between politicians, industry, vehicle users and other stakeholders.

Richard has had a strong interest in the motor industry for many years – the former MG Rover plant at Longbridge is in his constituency. He is also a keen motor sport fan and a former winner of the House of Commons v House of Lords motor race.

He speaks regularly about the importance on UK automotive in Parliament as well as writing articles and commenting on developments.

Markus Kramer (39) is heading up worldwide Marketing for Aston Martin. Based out of the UK, he builds teams and marketing frameworks to enable powerful, consistent and efficient brand delivery in multi market environments.

Previous work spans seven years of brand, marketing and retail network development for the Harley-Davidson Motor Company as well as a number of automotive Marketing, Sales and Retail Network Development positions at other makes.

Markus started his career in architecture. However, Markus realized quickly that houses and buildings become static shells once complete. Markets and Businesses on the other hand are completely dynamic – as are cars! And so Markus decided early on to marry his architectural planning and implementation skills with his passion for the automotive industry.
Besides his architectural background, Markus also holds a federal degree in Marketing Planning & Communications (Switzerland), a degree in International Project Management from the University of California in Berkeley (USA) and an MBA from the SAID Business School at the University of Oxford (UK).

Markus has lived and worked in several countries, is culturally versatile and fluent in five languages. He is Swiss at heart, but lives since 2006 in Oxford with his wife and three young children.

Maximillion Cooper has successfully integrated his love for cars, fashion and music to create the Gumball 3000 lifestyle brand. Launched as the Gumball 3000 rally in 1999, global media coverage, notoriety and celebrity endorsements rapidly built an aspirational lifestyle that transcends social barriers. The Gumball 3000 brand has since grown into a global entertainment, apparel and licensing company now valued at over $200million.

Maximillion Cooper is a former British racing driver, fashion designer, entrepreneur and the brains behind the Gumball 3000 brand.

After studying fashion at London’s prestigious Central St Martins, Maximillion endeavoured to buy what is now Mercedes F1, however, at the last minute, he decided to embark alone on the journey of founding and developing Gumball from an underground rally into a global lifestyle brand.

To celebrate the fifteenth anniversary of the rally, Maximillion devised a route to capture the imagination of even the most seasoned traveller. Spanning 13 countries and 3000 miles in just seven days, the anniversary route was definitely one to remember.

Conrad Bird is Director of Campaigns & Marketing for the Cabinet Office and was formerly Director of Campaigns & Marketing for the Department for International Trade, and prior to that Director of the GREAT Britain campaign, based at 10 Downing Street. While at No 10, Conrad’s role was extended to include responsibility for delivering major cross-government campaigns, as well as ensuring Government spending on communications was efficient and cost-effective.

Previously Conrad worked at the Foreign & Commonwealth Office as Head of Public Diplomacy and Strategic Campaigns. He was responsible for a wide range of policies and campaigns, including soft power, the 2012 Olympics and Paralympics, and campaigns in the Middle East, Libya, Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Conrad joined the Government in 2002, initially working with the Central Office of Information on issues that included teenage drugs, consumer rights and international export. He moved to the Cabinet Office to work with the first Permanent Secretary of Government Communication as Director of Strategic Communications. Here he launched ‘Engage’, a new approach to Government Communication, and was responsible for campaigns to counter-terrorism and animal rights extremism.

Before joining the Civil Service Conrad spent 18 years in advertising, working with a number of agencies on national and international business. During this time he also set up an award-winning communication consultancy which he successfully ran for eight years.

Julian leads a global team which looks to develop, design and implement innovative, creative and ground-breaking solutions across the world.  Julian joined Imagination in 1996, working on the Millennium Exhibition in Greenwich. Previously, he was involved in a number of major architectural projects, from museums and theme parks to industrial facilities and restaurants in the UK, Europe and Japan.

In his earlier career, Julian designed and implemented a complete scheme for the Heathrow Express underground station, including the station itself, train livery, carriage interiors and customer literature. He was the lead designer for the concept and development of the award-winning Guinness Storehouse exhibition, retail, entertainment and training areas.

Julian is an enthusiastic collector of art and furniture.

Andy joined Brand Finance as Insight & Research Director in 2013. He has a wealth of experience in international research, with over 25 years in the field, many of which were spent in senior leadership positions at Mars, PepsiCo and Vodafone. Whilst Director of Customer Insight and Segment Strategy at Vodafone, Andy set up and developed the insight function, and was a key player in the creation of the Vodafone brand globally . During his time at Brand Finance, Andy has worked for many notable clients including Holcim, HSBC, Turkish Airlines, Vodafone and Shell. With his expertise in linking customer insight to brand and marketing implications, Andy has been able to advise clients about their brand and marketing strategy, enabling them to take important decisions about how to maximise their brand’s utility. This advice has covered a wide range of issues including; brand architecture, brand positioning, portfolio management, brand franchising and licencing agreements.  Andy originally graduated from St John’s College, Cambridge, with a degree in Natural Sciences

Anthony joined Brand Finance 2012 as Strategy Director, to develop the company’s brand valuation proposition and its international network.He was previously the Director of Global Brand Franchising at Vodafone, where he was on the leadership team that built the Partner Market franchise business. He was responsible for launching the Vodafone brand and for ongoing B2B and B2C brand marketing activities in 45 markets across Europe, Africa, the Middle East, Asia and South America.Prior to that Anthony was a key player in the creation of the Vodafone brand globally, responsible for migration from local brands to ‘Vodafone’ in 8 European markets, Egypt and Japan.Before that he was a Senior Associate with Mercer Management Consulting, and an Account Director with Ogilvy & Mather working on a wide variety of accounts.Anthony studied Geography at St John’s College, Oxford and has an MBA from the London Business School.

Alex joined Goodwood in 2008 as CFO, becoming CEO at the end of 2012. He works closely with Lord March, Executive Chairman, to develop and drive business strategy that delivers sustainable growth across the whole Goodwood Group. Success can be seen through the much improved PBT margins - <1% in 2008, >6% in 2013 – and the substantial improvement in free cash, all of which is being reinvested into the fabric of the Estate.

From 1987 to 1992 Alex studied at Eastbourne College before gaining a BA (Hons) from the University of Newcastle.
Having made the decision to become an accountant with Ernst & Young London, Alex has taken career opportunities that have crafted these personal experiences into more channelled, dynamic and rational views.

On leaving Ernst & Young as a qualified and capable accountant, he took charge of finance for Warner Music Asia Pacific. Not only did this give him a close up view of the challenges of doing business overseas but it alerted him to the incredible opportunities that existed if you knew the right route in and, sometimes, the right route out!
Alex joined Emap from Warners where he took on their many local radio stations. When based in Newcastle, what really stuck with him was how incredibly tough it is for local businesses to project a real voice across a community that is increasingly overwhelmed by national and international brands. That said, he was also party to the exceptional reinvention of Newcastle, from an industrial to a cultural hot seat, which now enjoys worldwide profile and investment.

He then moved to First Choice, PLC, first based in Spain where he had global financial responsibility for a 40,000 hotel bed bank and destination services operation, before returning to Crawley as Head of Finance for the Specialist Sector worldwide. First Choice was an incredibly energetic, entrepreneurial company who worked on instinct, drive and a belief in the strength of being a niche operator and gave Alex great confidence for West Sussex/Goodwood and its ability to compete.