How Hugh Robertson Got Ahead

Name: Hugh Robertson

Company: RPM

Job title: Managing Partner

What made you want to get into marketing?:
Mostly the people and the associated challenges of bringing a brand to life through experiential marketing.

How did you get into the industry?:
There is little substitute for experience and intuition. An inquisitive and open mind, a few relevant qualifications and a continuous cycle of learning.

What was good and bad about your first job?:
My boss was a perfectionist and this had a great influence on me. I learnt a lot from this experience. However, on reflection, I would probably now disagree with the way the company was managed.

List your jobs to date:
Quite a few and varied as is clearly shown here:
Knicker packer in Sydney!
Stockbroker at Greg Middleton
Event Director on game conservancy, Scottish Fair
Account manager at ZGC
Director of RPM.

What were the best and worst, and why?:
I think these are obvious. The best being my current job at RPM (well I would say that, wouldn’t I!). Knicker packing isn’t on my list of the most creative and entrepreneurial projects I’ve been involved in!

Who has been your biggest inspiration?:
Any ‘unreasonable individual’ who has been brave enough to follow their hearts and minds and dare to be different. I would name Sir Richard Branson as being in that category although he tends to lose it in the media’s presence.

Who in the industry do you most admire?:
Definitely Ian Millner from Iris for the above reasons. If anybody challenges the norm and is bold enough to follow through, it’s Ian.

What is your biggest achievement to date?:
Having the guts to set up RPM and achieving what I initially set out to do.

On what do you base your success so far?:
Hard work and a liberal sprinkling of serendipity.

What are your ambitions?:
To grow RPM into all it can be and to continue working with great people.

Change one thing about your job:
To have more opportunity to implement campaigns globally that would enable RPM to get a message across to a bigger and more diverse audience.

Change one thing about your industry:
Less snobbery and more humility.

Change one thing about the world:
Aside from eradicating genocide, the adoption of sustainable environmental practises globally, regardless of an individual country’s wealth.

What is your favourite brand?:
Brands with a good ethical stance such as Innocent and Green & Black’s. I also rate Sky as a brand that knows where it’s going, embracing all media opportunities.

What is the next big brand in your view?:
My ‘one to watch’ has to be the must-have stroller, The Bugaboo. My choice is based on purely selfish and personal reasons. As the owner of a new baby I just couldn’t possibly be seen out with anything less! It will, of course, relieve me of £700 but I can always sell it on eBay once he’s old enough to ride pillion!

List your ‘media diet’:
Anything provocative. Marketing Week, of course, along with any other trade mag that I can stomach. I don’t have much time these days (see previous question) to partake in the pastime of leisurely reading or slobbing in front of the box, but if I did I would tune into Sky News or Channel 4 with a cold beer.