Rita Clifton

Acknowledged by the Financial Times as a leading brand authority and described as the doyenne of branding by Campaign magazine, Rita Clifton CBE possesses an exceptional track record in corporate strategy and business leadership. After graduating from Cambridge University, she rose to become Vice Chairman and strategy director at Saatchi & Saatchi during a period of significant growth. Her subsequent leadership saw her serve as London CEO and later Chairman of Interbrand, the world’s pre-eminent brand consultancy, for a decade. She also co-founded and chaired BrandCap, an international consultancy with presence in London, New York, and Hong Kong. Today, Rita maintains a heavy-weight portfolio of board positions, including roles at the John Lewis Partnership, ASOS, Nationwide Building Society, and Ascential plc. Her previous governance experience extends to Bupa, Dixons Retail, and the research group Populus. In the academic and non-profit sectors, she serves as a Visiting Fellow at Oxford University's Saïd Business School and has chaired Forum for the Future. Her environmental commitment is further evidenced by her past work with the WWF and the UK Sustainable Development Commission. An accomplished author, Rita has written bestsellers including The Future of Brands and The Economist’s Brands & Branding, while her recent work, Love Your Imposter, explores modern leadership dynamics. As a regular analyst for major news networks, she brings a sophisticated understanding of reputation and marketing to the stage. Audiences book her for her unparalleled ability to dissect the relationship between brand value and commercial success in a rapidly shifting global economy. On stage, Rita Clifton is best known for talks on Reputation, Branding & Marketing and Strategy. Audiences leave with a clear, practical view of the subject rather than a generic overview — every keynote is shaped around the brief and the room. Rita Clifton is regularly booked for Business Speaker and Conference Speaker, adapting tone, length and format to suit the event — from a 20-minute opener to a full conference keynote with Q&A. Based in UK, Rita Clifton travels internationally for engagements. To check availability or request a tailored brief for your event, send an enquiry and we'll come back with fees, dates and a short summary of how Rita Clifton would approach your audience.