McCarten quits Reuters as restructuring begins

Reuters’ chief marketing officer Kevin McCarten is leaving the company after just six months, becoming a victim of the company’s plans to become more consumer-focused.

McCarten, former group marketing director at Sainsbury’s, says the job he was recruited to do “has not materialised”. He says he has not been made redundant and is talking to various companies about marketing jobs. He will leave Reuters at the end of August.

Reuters is breaking down marketing into different units, but is keeping the details under wraps.

“It became clear the top-level group-wide job I have will not exist after the reorganisation,” McCarten adds. “The role does not meet my career aspirations.”

McCarten moved to the media company in December last year to oversee group marketing and communications.

He had a troubled time in his five years at Sainsbury’s, where he oversaw the “Value to Shout About” campaign in 1998, created by Abbott Mead Vickers.BBDO. It was criticised for failing to appeal to the retailer’s shoppers.

McCarten’s appointment was central to Reuters’ aim of developing its brand value and came as the company was attempting to raise its profile through a £15m TV advertising campaign, created by BMP DDB.