Sands tipped to be ITV’s top marketer

Guardian Newspapers marketing director and former ONdigital marketer Marc Sands has emerged as a prime candidate to be ITV’s marketing director.

Interviews are taking place this week to fill the role left vacant by marketing and commercial director Jim Hytner, who is leaving ITV to become Barclays group brand and UK banking marketing director.

It is thought that the ITV role is likely to be somewhat curtailed following the appointment of Justin Sampson as ITV Sales director of customer relationship management.

Another name linked with the job is Mike Moran, former Thames Water worldwide director of marketing and strategy and Toyota commercial director. Moran has denied any interest in the job or being approached.

Sands, who works on The Guardian, the Observer and Guardian Unlimited, denies that he has been called for an interview or that he has had discussions with ITV management about the marketing director’s job. Sands worked on ONdigital as director of brand management, but he left before the digital terrestrial platform was relaunched as the ill-fated ITV Digital. Prior to ONdigital, he was marketing director of Granada UK Broadcasting and had worked for ten years in creative agencies, including DMB&B and HHCL & Partners.