O2 loses top marketer Cowdry

In the position of marketing and consumer director at Camelot, Cowdry replaces former marketing director Richard Bateson who took up the newly-created position of commercial director at Camelot Global Services last year, which provides consultancy and private management services to lotteries worldwide.

She will be responsible for the National Lottery’s estimated £100m marketing budget, boosting participation with its array of draws and scratchcards and maintaining its market dominance in the face of competition from rival draws such as Richard Desmond’s Health Lottery. She will also have overall responsible for consumer insight at the company.

Cowdry has served at O2 for more than a decade – including when it was still BT Cellnet. O2 is currently searching for a replacement.

She has driven the launches of several major initiatives including the O2 Priority Ticketing and Priority Moments loyalty schemes, the sponsorship of the Millennium Dome, O2 Wallet, transforming retail staff into “O2 Gurus” and most recently the launch of O2 Sport, in partnership with Nike.

Last year Cowdry led the rollout of a new business approach for the company designed to champion innovation, using the mantra “Fresh thinking, new possibilities”. The internal adoption of the strategy was supported with a wider consumer brand campaign, carrying the strapline “Things are changing”.

Before joining BT Cellnet in 1999, Cowdry was part of the marketing team that launched BAA’s Heathrow Express. Prior to that she held various marketing roles at Stena Line.

O2 and Camelot did not respond to requests for comment in time for publication.

More to follow…