Reuters has appointed a former supermarket man to the newly-created position of chief marketing officer. The financial news and technology agency says the appointment of Kevin McCarten will strengthen its effort to migrate to an Internet-based model and push into new retail markets.
McCarten (43) is credited with considerable brand and marketing experience, having managed significant businesses whilst working for the British retailer J Sainsbury and Kingfisher as well as the US company Procter & Gamble. At Sainsbury, McCarten’s responsibilities included the initiation and development of online shopping and retail banking.
In his role at Reuters, McCarten has been charged with developing a group-wide marketing and communications strategy. He will report to Jean-Claude Marchand, the executive director responsible for group marketing.
Reuters this year entered the global super-brand league table drawn up by Interbrand, the leading international branding agency. The Reuters brand was valued at $4.9 billion, making it the league table’s most valuable brand in the UK and 46th in the world. One of McCarten's key responsibilities will be to ensure greater value for the Reuters' brand name as it enters the retail financial markets.
Peter Job, Reuters chief executive, says: "We have recognised for some time that we need to bring in top-class marketing expertise to help us penetrate a much broader community of users. Kevin McCarten's appointment to his newly created role is an important step in this direction."