Royal Mail lures adman to new DM advice unit

The Royal Mail has poached Tim Rivett, client services director at below-the-line agency Summerfield Wilmot Keene (SWK), to set up a Mail Media Centre offering advice on direct mail (DM) to clients and agencies.

As director, Rivett will report to Adam Novak, managing director of the media markets division.

The centre will offer advice on standalone and integrated DM campaigns, with a particular emphasis on how they can be integrated with Internet marketing.

While at SWK, which is part of marketing services company the Ten Group, Rivett worked with Telewest, Sea France and Goodyear.

Royal Mail set up the media markets division last year to promote DM. It also runs DM awards and courses.

The division’s creation formed part of a broader Royal Mail restructure in its battle to maintain revenue in the face of increasing competition arising from globalisation, deregulation and the Net.

It slimmed down the company from 15 to nine marketing units: media markets, business and consumer markets, packages and express mail, logistics and contract distribution, cash handling and distribution, banking services, government services and customer management, stamps and collectibles, and international services.

Managing director for business and consumer markets Jim Cotton-Betteridge is to retire early next year (MW May 4).