Marketing's Power 100: 51-100

51    Mike Holliday-Williams More Th>n         B

Holliday-Williams joined the Royal & SunAlliance-owned insurance brand in February last year as marketing director and has already been promoted to managing director, with continued responsibility for marketing. He is the man behind More Th>n's drive this year to prove that the brand does more for customers. This has included a tranche of initiatives such as the provision to all customers of a direct number and email address for a personal manager.

52    Kevin Peake Npower      B

There is no doubting Peake's energy and irrepressible spirit. As head of customer marketing at the utilities company, he appears to have made it his mission to be a thorn in the side of his British Gas counterpart Amanda Mackenzie through his innovative, and occasionally provocative, ad campaigns. In a stroke of genius, he even managed to hijack its rival's 80s brand icon, Sid, for use in future campaigns. But in the murky world of utilities pricing, where suppliers seem to rely on customer confusion as much as competitive positioning, Npower has found itself on the receiving end of criticism when it was accused of phoney price cuts by Energywatch. Nonetheless, Peake bounced back and, in a sign of Npower's growing sense of maturity, equipped the brand with the strapline 'Britain's brightest energy company'. Now that Npower has acquired scale, it is time for Peake to concentrate on building his own brand, rather than knocking rivals.

53    Kate Swann WH Smith I, B, *

Swann's strategy of getting WH Smith to stick to its core role as newsagent and stationer and retreat from the competitive entertainment market paid handsome personal dividends this year when she was the recipient of an eye-watering £3.5m annual bonus. It caused controversy, following as it did a decision to eject 1800 employees from the group's final-salary pension scheme. Swann, whose previous roles include chief executive of Homebase, became chief executive of WH Smith in 2003 after a successful stint at Argos. The decision to rediscover WH Smith's roots led to an increase in profits, albeit a modest one. However, following a deal with Royal Mail to open 70 Post Offices within its town-centre stores, watch out for further growth this year.

54      Richard Tolley Dairy Crest      B

Dairy Crest's transformation from a commodity-led business to builder of brands such as Country Life has largely been down to its diligent marketing director, whose long-term strategy is now producing real results. Milk drink Frijj experienced a year-on-year value sales increase of 6.9% in the year to 7 October 2006, according to ACNielsen, while Cathedral City grew by 24% over the same period. A self-confessed addict of ITV police drama The Bill, Tolley is now viewed as a key part of the Dairy Crest management team. In November, he played a significant role in the company's purchase of French spread St Hubert, the company biggest acquisition to date.

55      Suzanne Douglas Heinz       B

Since arriving in the UK last summer from Heinz Australia, Douglas has proved she is a multi-tasker to be reckoned with. First came a shake-up of the Big Soup strategy, which focused on young people's desire for a healthy alternative to fast food and repositioned the product as a 'hunger-buster'. With young people in mind again, Douglas launched the Big Eat ambient food range to compete against Pot Noodle. There have also been campaigns for Heinz Tomato Ketchup and Salad Cream, and Douglas has completed a review of Heinz £12m ad business.  Not bad for less than a year as chief marketing officer.

56      Christopher Graham ASA   I

Choirboy-turned-journalist-turned-ad-industry gumshoe, Graham has seen his remit as director-general grow this year, and with it the pressure, following new restrictions on advertising foods that are high in fat, salt or sugar. However, some of the rules are open to interpretation, and as the ASA faces growing calls to impose its authority on new and emerging media and take a firmer grip on alcohol ads, Graham may find the ASA's annual postbag of complaints grows markedly from its current level of 26,000. Fortunately, it's likely that the former Liberal councillor, who stood for, but lost, two parliamentary elections, is likely to take it all in his stride.

57    Sally Cowdry O2       £, B

As O2's marketing director, Cowdry is the most senior marketer at the mobile network, having stepped into the shoes of Russ Shaw a year ago. From her office in Slough (don't mention The Office), she oversees brand strategy and customer experience across the business. When not pushing her body to the limit - hobbies include hiking, cycling and running - the former Heathrow Express marketer has spent her first year perfecting a strategy that offers existing customers the same deals as new ones. Her devotion to 'ruthless execution' will be crucial for O2 in the coming year, as it finally rolls out its broadband service following a number of delays.

58    Neil Campbell Walkers       £, B

After years in Martin Glenn's shadow, Campbell is starting to make his mark on the Walkers brand. Now its chief executive, he oversaw an overhaul of the ingredients and design of Walkers crisps last year. Having joined PepsiCo as a junior, Campbell has steadily risen up the ranks, mostly in marketing roles at Walkers, but also with a spell for Smiths Food Group in Holland, where he led a marketing team as part of its board in 1996. A frequent speaker at Marketing Society conferences, his influence in the industry is growing.

59    Tess Alps Thinkbox       I

Any illusion Alps may have had that running commercial TV's marketing body would be an easy ride will quickly have been dispelled by the departure of founding member IDS in a row over funding and voting rights. Despite the problems of achieving consensus among this nest of vipers, chief executive Alps has managed to secure a considerable funding warchest. The result was the 'Thinkbox Experience: The Third Age of Television' conference early this year. Reviews were mixed, but the event showed Thinkbox was doing something. The challenge for the ever-ebullient Alps is to take the message from beyond the cosy, familiar confines of adland and make a greater impression among advertisers, the ultimate bill-payers.

60    Sara Weller Argos       £, B

Weller started out at Mars on the same day as Sainsbury's chief Justin King, and, like her peer, has made it to the top of the retail tree. It has been a big year for the managing director of Argos. The GUS group demerged its retail arm, comprising Argos and DIY chain Homebase, from credit giant Experian, placing it under the spotlight once more. Annual profits were up 12% to £376.7m, but the group has rightly voiced caution about the year ahead. The landscape of kettles and duvet covers is set to morph into a bloody battleground with the advent of catalogue offering Tesco Direct. This will leave plenty for Weller to consider, as her chauffeur (a perk she requested when taking the job) ferries her from Argos' Milton Keynes base to her Basingstoke home.

61      Michele Oliver Masterfoods UK    £, B

In January, Oliver stepped into the role of UK snackfood marketing director at Masterfoods, wielding a £100m budget for brands such as Maltesers and Twix. A company stalwart of 12 years, having joined Mars as a graduate, there's no doubting her love for chocolate - in her time with the firm she has developed a European strategy for M&Ms, overhauled the Galaxy brand and overseen Maltesers' 'The lighter way to enjoy chocolate' activity.

62    Hamish Pringle IPA      I

Under Pringle, the IPA has continued to cement its position as adland's premier trade body. One of the most vociferous opponents of Ofcom's proposals for food advertising regulations, it was quick to point out some of the absurdities of the Food Standards Agency's nutrient profiling model. The IPA, which now positions itself as a cross-discipline organisation rather than a club for creatives, issued a stark New Year's warning to agencies that they had to adapt or die. An old-school adman, Pringle worked in advertising for 25 years before becoming the IPA's director-general in 2001.

63    Peter Wood Esure/Sheilas' Wheels      £, E

The larger-than-life Wood is behind some of the most irritating, and effective, ads of recent times. First there were the ads for Esure starring his old friend Michael Winner, a campaign so successful it was recently revived after an 18-month break. And Wood has struck gold again with Sheilas' Wheels, of which he is chairman and marketing director. The multimillion-pound campaign's singing 'Sheilas' have struck a chord with the nation's female drivers.

64    Paul Philpott Kia       £, *

Philpott remains a name in the industry despite swapping Toyota, where he was commercial director, for the role of managing director at Kia. Philpott knows he has a challenge on his hands - Kia's sales have stagnated in recent years and he has already announced plans to revive them with the new cee'd model. He falls down the list after relinquishing his role on ISBA's executive committee.

65      Richard Baker Alliance Boots £, B, *

If you see the Boots chief executive at the bar, tell him it's his round. Baker stands to make £6.5m out of his share options if the planned private-equity takeover of the pharmaceuticals chain goes through. That deal completes a busy year for the high-flyer, who, like Sainsbury's Justin King, made his name at Mars and then Asda. He has guided Boots through the merger with Alliance to create one of Europe's biggest pharmaceutical retail groups. Despite pressure from the supermarkets, Boots has done well on the high street: in its last full-year results the company announced a 1.6% rise in like-for-like sales.

66    Phil Chapman T-Mobile       £, B

Since arriving two years ago as marketing director, Chapman has spearheaded a fresh vision for the brand and business, driving innovations including Mates Rates, U-Fix and Street Check, a brave initiative that allows potential customers to check signal strength in specific locations. Flext, a flexible tariff, caught consumers' imagination, with 1.3m signing up within 11 months against an annual target of 300,000. Chapman, who spent 23 years at Unilever, has also overseen an integrated communications drive spanning TV, online and events. He has been rewarded for his achievements with additional responsibility for T-Mobile's brands across Europe.

67    Philip Hanson HBOS        £, B

Despite pushing Halifax branch staff to participate in X-Factor-style auditions for a role in the bank's ads, the modest Hanson hates the spotlight and avoids events where schmoozing may be required. Now director of marketing and e-commerce across the HBOS group, he has helped create an accessible brand. Hanson's success is doubtless due in part to skills acquired during his time as an FMCG marketer; he previously worked for Rowntree, Johnnie Walker, Pizza Hut and KFC. Most recently, he has turned his attention to the digital arena with a website overhaul intended to encourage more customers to manage their accounts online. Hanson will be key to Halifax's evolution from a mortgage and savings specialist to a full-service bank.

68      Richard Reed Innocent        B, *, E

Innocent came in for some rare flak recently for participating in a trial of its smoothies in branches of McDonald's. Not that the row will ruffle Reed, who now wallows in his reputation as one of Britain's hottest entrepreneurs. The McDonald's incident aside, it has been another impressive year for the brand, which Reed famously founded in 1999 with two friends. Sales rose 140% in 2006. Recently it revamped its water brand as This Water, and plans to take it into the functional drinks market. The company has also ditched its London Fruitstock festival - it became too big - in favour of a series of nationwide village f?tes. It's a far cry from Two Men Went to Mow, the gardening business Reed started as a schoolboy, but at least he has something to fall back on if the bottom falls out of the smoothie market.

69    Martin Jones AAR      I, *

It has been a very successful year for the AAR in a slow new-business market; the search and selection specialist has handled pitches for clients including Yakult, The Body Shop and IKEA. Much of the credit must go to Jones, its director of advertising, who has cemented his role as the first person many marketers think of when considering hiring an agency. Thoughtful and analytical, Jones is also happy to build his profile as an industry pundit.

70    Chris Pilling First Direct         B

Busybody Pilling - his adjective, not ours - is still in his first year at the direct bank, and his energy is much-needed. The brand has been criticised for introducing charges for some customer accounts, and the former Asda marketing director needs to ensure that the hard work of the past 18 years is not undone. Highly driven and competitive (colleagues say he marches even when crossing the car park), Pilling spends his time away from work hiking near his Yorkshire home. Such is his love of the outdoors that he is a voluntary non-executive director of the Yorkshire Tourist Board.

71    Howard Beveridge Premier Foods B

Premier Foods' 46-year-old commercial director, who was once dubbed 'My Byrite' for his dress sense, is responsible for £800m-worth of business across five units, including brands such as OXO, Bisto, Ambrosia, Sharwood's, Loyd Grossman, Branston and Hartleys - and as the company's acquisition spree continues, this number is likely to rise further. Last year it snapped up Campbell's UK and Irish business, and pounced on rival RHM, home to Hovis and Mr Kipling. Beveridge, one of two commercial directors at Premier, joined in 2002 as group marketing director. With experience at Cadbury Schweppes and United Biscuits, he has the background to make the most of these acquisitions.

72    Craig Inglis Virgin Trains      B

Inglis has played a significant part in reversing consumer perceptions of the Virgin Trains brand, which celebrates its 10th anniversary this year. The successful 'Return of the train' campaign in 2005 has been followed by savvy communications consolidating its position as a progressive train operator offering a comfortable mode of travel. At the company since 1997, Inglis has worked his way up the ranks to sales and marketing director. Nobody can say he isn't devoted to his job - he once spent a night washing a train ahead of an ad shoot because he felt it had not been cleaned well enough. Inglis this year tried to leverage public concern over carbon emissions by initiating a multimedia advertising campaign promoting train travel as an environmentally friendly alternative to flying.

73    Mark Horgan 118 118   B

A classically trained marketer, the Glaswegian served his apprenticeship at Nestle Rowntree before moving on to Mars and MFI, arriving at directory enquiries company 118 118, where he is chief executive, in August 2005. The former physicist, who claims to pick up management tips while coaching his son's football team in Marlow, is unlikely to rock the boat as he finds fresh ways to deploy the moustachioed runners who popularised 118 118.

74    Nigel Gilbert Lloyds TSB      B

After less than a year as group marketing director, Gilbert has already made his mark on Lloyds TSB. He introduced a new ad strategy, 'For the journey', to reinvigorate the brand, and completed the group's deal to become official banking partner of the London 2012 Olympics. Having moved halfway around the world to take up the job - he previously led Lowe's Asia-Pacific business - Gilbert is relishing the task of turning the bank into a self-confident, straightforward and transparent organisation. Given current consumer distrust in the banking industry, he will need to be in this for the long run.

75      Jennelle Tilling KFC   £, B

Since being appointed vice-president of marketing in 2005, Tilling has played a crucial role in driving KFC's turnaround. An Australian who previously worked for KFC's parent company, Yum Brands, in her home country, Tilling has rung the changes at the fast-food giant, re-engineering the menu and marketing to good effect: in April 2006, KFC began to experience sustained growth for the first time since 2003. That it did so against aggressive entrants such as Subway and a resurgent McDonald's makes Tilling's achievement all the more remarkable.

76    Lord Michael Heseltine CIM   I

It has been 50 years since our boss co-founded Haymarket Publishing, but neither the company nor the man show any sign of losing momentum. When not securing the future of the biggest privately-owned publisher, Lord Heseltine waded in to the dispute over the distribution of magazines and newspapers, prompting the Office of Fair Trading to rethink its position. As president of the Chartered Institute of Marketing, his steady presence will have come as a relief to the training and standards body as its revolving doors continued to spin, with the departure of another chief executive and the vice-chairman of its international board of trustees. In his spare time, he has maintained his public profile with TV appearances in programmes about politics and trees.

77    Paul Dickinson Virgin Atlantic      B

Dickinson has had no shortage of laughs at British Airways' expense recently, as his arch-rival suffers from an investigation into alleged price-fixing of fuel surcharges. Such public problems have brightened up Dickinson's first few months as Virgin Atlantic's sales and marketing director. Previously responsible for sales and customer service, he added marketing to his remit after former marketing director Alison Copus moved on last November. Dickinson has been at the airline since 2001; he was previously sales and marketing director at RAC.

78      Melanie Leech FDF      I

It has been a crunch year for the Food and Drink Federation, which represents the big food and drink manufacturers, and for Leech, its director-general. As the consultation over broadcast advertising neared its denouement, the FDF was a major player in developing the industry's alternative to Ofcom's suggestions. Not that it did any good, as the regulator's proposals proved far more harsh than expected. Leech, who joined the FDF in 2005 after a career in the civil service, is described by those who know her as 'like an enthusiastic science teacher'. Having vowed to keep presenting the industry's point of view, earlier this year the FDF launched an ad campaign promoting the guideline daily amount nutrient profiling favoured by manufacturers.

79    Phil Rumbol Cadbury      £, B

Spending much of his career in the alcohol market has stood Rumbol in good stead for a turbulent year at Cadbury. The marketing director has had to contend with a salmonella contamination and accusations of racism in the TV launch campaign for its Trident chewing-gum brand. Rumbol used to be a frequent industry speaker, but has kept his own counsel in the past year. He also had to contend with new rules on advertising to children and took the pre-emptive step of ending Cadbury's long-standing sponsorship of Coronation Street.

80    Polly Cochrane Channel 4      £, B

Cochrane's efforts are often overshadowed by those of her boss, Andy Duncan, but C4's well-liked director of marketing has had a strong year. The highlight was the campaign launching Film4 on Freeview, featuring stars such as Ewan McGregor and Dame Judi Dench. The first night was the most successful UK digital channel launch ever, with 804,000 people tuning in to watch Lost in Translation. Cochrane has been at C4 since 1998. Her earlier career included stints at Five and Guardian Newspapers.

81    Devin Kelly InBev      B

Kelly is proving a more than worthy successor to Phil Rumbol, whom he replaced as InBev's UK marketing director last year - Beck's sales rose 41% in the year to 7 October 2006, and Kelly recently secured InBev's exclusive pouring rights to The O2 arena. He has extensive experience in the European alcohol market, moving to InBev's headquarters in 2003 as global director of new brands before becoming global director for Brahma and Stella Artois. He joined InBev (then Interbrew) in 1997 at Labatt USA, where he held posts as director of marketing for Canadian brands and director of innovation.

82    Mark Ovenden Ford       £, B

Military-history enthusiast Ovenden is currently planning what is probably his biggest task since taking over as director of marketing in early-2006. The fate of the redesigned Mondeo will not make or break Ford, but it is a hugely important launch for one of the marque's flagship models. This year also sees the extension of Ford's 'Feel the difference' campaign, which aims to give the brand a lighter touch.

83    Mike Hoban Scottish Widows      I, B

Never backward in coming forward, Hoban is well into his self-appointed task of turning Scottish Widows from the thorn in Lloyds TSB's side to the jewel in its crown. With a dramatic increase in marketing spend this year, Hoban's mission is to remind consumers that Scottish Widows sells more than pensions and life products. Outside work, his passion is politics. Hoban has contested elections for the Liberal Democrats, losing in both 1992 and 1997. No doubt he hopes to have more success with financial-services customers than he did with voters.

84    Jo Kenrick B&Q       £, B

When Kenrick was regional head of marketing at Asda, she made a point of buying all her clothes and food from the store. Presumably her position at B&Q, where she moved in 2005 after a stint at Camelot, has enabled her to relax this position. Now her grand design is to bring the DIY giant back to the fore and arrest a tricky decline in sales. As marketing and customer proposition director, Kenrick's main aim is to make the store more attractive to women and shift its focus away from hardcore DIYers toward design-led consumers who want to pay someone else to do the work.

85    Dawn Paine Nintendo       B

Not since Mario battled Sega's Sonic the Hedgehog for global video-game dominance in the early-90s has Nintendo had it so good. The Japanese games company has enjoyed a renaissance thanks to the success of its handheld DS console and the innovative Wii. Known as a hard taskmaster, UK marketing director Paine has overseen the launch and promotion of both consoles, allowing Nintendo to capitalise on Sony's sluggish roll-out of the PlayStation 3. A lifelong gamer, Paine has been well placed to help Nintendo tap the potentially lucrative female gaming market, although that hasn't stopped Nintendo's Japanese HQ involving itself in UK campaigns.

86    Alan Duncan Sony Computer Ent UK              B

After the protracted and problematic launch of the PlayStation 3, selling the highly anticipated games console has been harder work than it should have been. All eyes will be on the UK director of marketing as Sony looks for improvement. Duncan himself has had to bounce back from the revelation last year that he had ordered Sony goods from an online games retailer that was sued by Sony for illegally exporting its products to the UK from Asia.

87    David Rennie Nestle        £, B

As marketing director at Nestle Rowntree, Rennie has brands including Kit Kat and Smarties under his jurisdiction. The Scotsman joined the confectioner nearly two years ago, having previously worked on detergents at Procter & Gamble. After a period of turmoil at the company, the past year has been somewhat quieter. Rennie's biggest achievement over the past year has been the launch of 'connoisseur' chocolate brand Heaven.

88    Simon Fuller 19 Entertainment     I, *, E

Pop svengali, TV producer and friend-to-the-stars Fuller has truly entered the marketing fold by moving into sponsorship. The 47-year-old was behind Honda F1's revolutionary 'My earth dream' sponsorship model, which asks brands and individuals to pledge money to an environmental cause of their choice in exchange for a pixel forming a map of the world on the Honda F1 cars' livery. The charismatic Fuller is best known as the founder of 19 Entertainment, manager of the Spice Girls and S Club 7, and creator of the Pop Idol TV show format. He is also credited with engineering David Beckham's move from Real Madrid to US Major League Soccer team LA Galaxy, as well as the football star's subsequent deal with Walt Disney.

89    Greg Nugent Eurostar        B

Never one to shun publicity, Nugent will doubtless be pleased to make his debut in this year's Power 100. Eurostar's marketing director made the review of its £10m creative account the talk of adland by shortlisting a digital agency, glue London, although he eventually plumped for Fallon. Now that the wining and dining of the review is over, it's time to knuckle down and promote Eurostar's move from Waterloo to St Pancras. His success in this area will be the acid test of his efficacy in the role.

90    Ford Ennals Digital UK      I

This October, residents of the Cumbrian fishing port of Whitehaven will be unlikely pioneers in British broadcasting: the area will be the first to have its analogue TV signal turned off. You can bet Ennals will have his fingers crossed when the engineers hit the switch: ultimately, he is responsible for ensuring none of the screens in Whitehaven - not to mention the rest of the UK as the switchover progresses - go blank. The Treasury estimates that it will make up to £1.5bn from the switchover process; Ennals has been allocated a £200m budget to sell the concept to consumers through one of the biggest public-information campaigns ever attempted, thrusting him into the spotlight of government policy and giving him access to the top echelons of broadcasting.

91    Hugh Burkitt The Marketing Society       I

The Marketing Society continues to provide some of the best networking opportunities in the business, but under the stewardship of chief executive Burkitt, it is taking itself and the wider contribution of marketing to company balance sheets far more seriously. The Society's new target audience is as likely to be found n the Square Mile as in Soho, and it is attempting to build its awards into an industry gold standard - last year Burkitt co-authored a book of case studies based on them. Proving he still has a good eye for a crowd-puller, Burkitt has lured speakers such as Roisin Donnelly, Steven Sharp and Andy Duncan for recent events, helping raise its profile.

92    Mike Hughes ISBA       I, *

After a protracted handover period, Hughes took over from Malcolm Earnshaw as director-general of the UK advertisers' trade body in April. He certainly knows a thing or two about the marketing industry. As UK marketing director of Coca-Cola in the 80s he launched Diet Coke in this country, then, as worldwide marketing director of Guinness, he oversaw the 'Pure genius' campaign. Early signs are that, having spent the past few years at new media companies, the 56-year-old Lancastrian will seek to boost ISBA's role in the digital space.

93    Lee Daley Manchester United FC       B

Daley moved from Saatchi & Saatchi, where he was chief executive and chairman, to take the role of global commercial director at Manchester United in March, just as the team began to regain its old authority on the pitch. He certainly has a challenge on his hands - sitting on the United board alongside five members of the Glazer family, he will work toward their goal of raising revenues by 51% to an annual £245m by 2010. Daley has set his sights on giving fans who 'may never set foot inside Old Trafford the chance to experience being a Manchester United fan'. As a lifelong supporter of the club who grew up on the other side of the country - in Grimsby, to be precise - he's in a position to empathise.

94      Anthony Newman Cancer Research UK   B

One of direct marketing's brightest young practitioners, Newman has been widely credited with bringing a softer touch to the congested charity direct marketing sector and moving it away from scare tactics. Recently named the charity's director of supporter relationship management, he has helped Cancer Research UK stand out from the crowd and become one of the most trusted charity brands. Holding the purse strings to the biggest charity direct budget in the UK, an estimated £20m a year, Newman recently oversaw CRUK's positive 'Lives back' campaign, focusing on cancer survivors.

95    Pippa Dunn  Orange      £, B

Dunn has spent the past four years climbing the corporate ladder at Orange in a variety of marketing roles. In January her perseverance paid off as she was promoted from brand marketing director to director of pay-as-you-go, taking charge of two-thirds of Orange's customer base in the process. The former NTL and Coca-Cola marketer is having a busy time in the new role - until Orange appoints a new marketing boss, she will continue to oversee her old patch.

96    Tim Ambler London Business School       I

Ambler's remarkable CV includes a stint of national service in Malaya 'during the terrorist period' - doubtless an excellent preparation for a career in marketing (with International Distillers & Vintners) then academia. At 69, he could be forgiven for wanting to put the world of business behind him for a quiet retirement in his Norfolk home, but Ambler shows no sign of giving up his role as the UK's leading marketing academic. Senior fellow at London Business School since 1991, he is passionate about measuring the effectiveness of marketing.

97    Rod McLeod Volkswagen         £, B

McLeod is Volkswagen through and through - he has spent the past 11 years at the company, rising to head of marketing two years ago. That role puts him in charge of all the marque's communications work, its UK website, product marketing and pricing, and a budget of more than £60m. The past 12 months have been good for him, as the brand hit a record share of 8.1%.

98    Tim Williamson First Choice      B

Williamson had a lot to deal with in his first year as First Choice's marketing director, and another gruelling year lies ahead. The travel firm is merging with TUI, and while both companies plan to retain their brand names, it is unclear whether both Williamson and Thomson marketing chief Andrew Rayner will continue at the firm. In his favour, Williamson can point to First Choice's fast-growing specialist travel businesses, one of the few areas in the market experiencing growth. As a result, his team is known as one of the best in the travel industry.

99    Simon Thompson lastminute.com    B, *

In March, Thompson stepped down as Motorola's regional marketing director for Europe after just a year. His decision in March to turn his back on the world's second-biggest mobile phone manufacturer in favour of lastminute.com as European group marketing director came as a surprise to many. Despite barely getting his feet under the table at Motorola, Thompson nonetheless managed to overhaul the company's marketing strategy to coincide with the unveiling of its RIZR Z8 handset in April. Thompson's role at lastminute.com is undoubtedly a significant one, but the former Honda marketing boss now has a much smaller marketing budget to play with.

100   Al Gore  I, *

In February, 900 tickets for a public speech by Gore at the University of Toronto went on sale. Three minutes and 23,000 hits later, the website selling them crashed as they sold out. Such has been Gore's transformation from defrauded presidential wannabe to green superstar. A committed environmentalist for many years, Gore's evangelism has become more glitzy. First there was his slideshow, then the Oscar-winning documentary An Inconvenient Truth. In February came an appearance with Richard Branson to unveil an international competition offering a $25m (£12.7m) prize to the first individual or organisation to come up with a viable method of removing greenhouse gases from the atmosphere. Next is the Live Earth concerts around the world on 7 July. Some of the biggest names in marketing have been converted as a result of his work. Stuart Rose has cited Gore as the inspiration for M&S' ethical makeover (he read the book version of An Inconvenient Truth on holiday last summer, came back and made the chain's top brass watch the film). Others will no doubt be converted by the groundswell of consumer opinion of which he is the figurehead. If green is this year's big theme in business, Gore can take much of the credit.      _

...and those who didn't make it

Every year we have to discount some big names who, for one reason or another, did not make the cut.

David Patton was a dead cert for inclusion after a storming year as Sony's senior vice-president of communications, but all that changed with his move agency-side to become chief executive of Grey London. Instead of wielding power, he will now be courting it.

Last year's top 10 included Tessa Jowell, secretary of state for culture, media and sport. While there's no doubting the power over marketing that the post entails, it is far from clear whether she will still be wielding it once Gordon Brown is prime minister.

Other big names that have dropped out are Stephen Carter, who left his post at the head of Ofcom, and Tesco's Tim Mason, whose role in the US means his UK influence has waned. Similarly, the role of Keith Weed at Unilever now lacks a UK focus.

Stelios Haji-Ioannou has also been dropped after an uncharacter-istically quiet year for the entre-preneur and his easyGroup.

Among recent appointments, it is too soon to assess the impact of Katherine Whitton, who succeeded Jayne O'Brien as general manager, marketing communications, at British Airways, and Tom Gardner, who took over from Jeff Dodds as marketing director at Honda.

Car marketers have become few and far between in the Power 100, largely because the work is led from abroad. However, Emmanuel Bouvier at Renault only just missed the cut.

This article was first published on Marketing