FT hires chief to co-ordinate group activity

The Financial Times Group has appointed a board-level marketing director to co-ordinate marketing across the group.

Barry Herstein will work with the various management teams in each of the group’s businesses, and report directly to group chief executive Stephen Hill.

Gordon Willoughby, sales, marketing and circulation director of The Financial Times, and Paul Waddington, marketing director of FT.com, will not report to Herstein. FT.com launched in February with the aim of becoming the world’s leading global business portal.

An FT Group spokeswoman says: “Herstein will ensure brand consistency across the group and work to build the global brand.”

Herstein most recently worked at Citibank, where he was managing director of consumer marketing. Prior to that, he was group vice-president of US marketing at Avon Products. He will be based at the FT Group’s New York office.

FT Group director of customer services Julie Cooper will report to Herstein. They will work together to develop customer database marketing for products and services across the group.

The FT Group has stepped up its marketing as its newspaper and Internet presence comes under threat from rivals.