Rita Clifton

On graduating from Cambridge University, Rita Clifton began her career in advertising. She joined Saatchi & Saatchi in 1986 and worked with a wide range of the agency's highest profile clients including British Airways, Procter & Gamble, 3i, Campbells Foods, Visa International, PowerGen, Schweppes, and BT. She set up the agency's ground-breaking Green Unit, and co-founded The Futures Group, which looked at the impact of new technology and the new millennium on people, brands, and businesses. Clifton was promoted to Director of Strategy at Saatchi's in 1992, and to Vice-Chairman in 1995.

In 1997, she was invited to join Interbrand, the world's leading brand consultancy and pioneer of Brand Valuation, as Chief Executive in London; in January 2002 she became Chairman. During her tenure, Clifton introduced a range of new services, including internal brand management, digital branding, brand equity tracking, and brand futures. Interbrand also publishes the widely cited annual league table of the world's 100 most valuable brands. Clifton later served as a non-executive director for various corporations including ASOS, Dixons Retail plc, and Bupa, and currently holds non-executive roles with John Lewis Partnership, Nationwide Building Society, and Ascential plc. She also chairs several non-profit boards including WWF and has been appointed Chair at Forum for the Future.

Clifton also features regularly on a wide variety of TV and radio programs on business, brand, marketing, and communication issues, including CNN, BBC, Channel 4, Sky, and Bloomberg. She is a regular guest on Radio 4’s "The Bottom Line" with Evan Davies and on Sky News with Jeff Randall. Clifton has appeared in TV series such as "Business Nightmares" and documentaries including the Steve Jobs film "Billion Dollar Hippy." As an author, her works include "The Future of Brands", two editions of The Economist book "Brands and Branding", and the recently launched "Love Your Imposter". She is in great demand as a speaker at conferences globally on topics like innovation, leadership, corporate reputation, and strategic branding. Clifton also holds pro bono roles and has been a crucial figure in environmental and sustainability advocacy, working closely with figures like Sir Jonathon Porritt and serving on commissions such as the UK Government's Sustainable Development Commission.