Dunn leaves consumer scene for business post

Steve Dunn, former marketing head of Mercury One-2-One and Pizza Hut, has quit consumer marketing for a business-to-business job.

Dunn, who left Mercury One-2-One in March, has been hired by vehicle-leasing company Lease Plan. He will join next week as its commercial director, overseeing marketing, sales and customer service.

Lease Plan, which is owned by Dutch bank ABN Amro, is an international company dealing with vehicle leasing and fleet management. Dunn, who reports to managing director Vahid Daemi, will be reassessing the company’s marketing plans. He will be based at Lease Plan’s Windsor offices.

The role is a departure for Dunn. He was marketing director at Pizza Hut and introduced its “Hit the Hut” advertising campaign, before leaving in April 1994 to join One-2-One as sales and marketing director. He resigned the One-2-One post after a year, and it took the company until August (MW August 25) to replace him with BT director Paul Donovan.

Pizza Hut also undertook a long search for a successor to Dunn. The marketing director role lay empty for a year before PepsiCo general manager Stacey Clarke was hired (MW June 23).