Intelligent Marketing names Hooper executive chairman
Matthew Hooper, founder and former chairman of marketing services group Interfocus, is making an industry comeback after five years, after being appointed executive chairman of integrated agency Intelligent Marketing.
Hooper has also taken a substantial stake in the agency, thought to be about 20%.
Intelligent Marketing was set up in 2003 by Tricia Weener and Katharine Roseweare. Clients include HSBC, Lufthansa and Diageo.
It recently won the top planning award at the annual MCCA (Marketing Communications Consultants Association) Best Awards.
Hooper co–founded Interfocus in 1989 as a multi-discipline marketing agency with the backing of Omnicom, which he bought out in 1992. He subsequently sold an interest to Interpublic in 1996.
He bought it back in 2000 and sold it in 2003, having created a £70m-billing agency employing 140 people. He is a past Chairman of the MCCA, and was inaugural chairman of CAF (Communications Agency Federation – comprising the IPA, MCCA, PRCA).
“I was interested in making a comeback after five years out of the business. When the economy is distressed it throws up opportunities, and good agencies come out stronger,” says Hooper.
