Eurostar chief Greg Nugent to leave by end of year

by Lucy Barrett, Marketing 30-Sep-08, 08:00

LONDON - Greg Nugent, Eurostar's UK marketing chief, and one of the industry's most high-profile marketers, is stepping down from his position at the cross-Channel rail service.

Nugent, who joined Euro-star five years ago to take control of its marketing, is leaving his job in November. He will stay on for a few weeks in an advisory role, but plans to leave the company completely by the end of the year.

His name has been linked with several high-profile jobs, including a role in the Labour Party and with the organisers of the London 2012 Olympics, but Nugent has not yet agreed a new job, and is unlikely to sign up to anything else this year.

Eurostar's sales director, Emma Harris, will take over Nugent's responsibilities in mid-November, becoming sales and marketing director.

Nugent has timed his departure to coincide with the first anniversary of Eurostar's move from Waterloo to St Pancras.

He started his career at the Nationwide Building Society, and has also worked at Weetabix and GlaxoSmithKline.

Nugent's highlights

2006 - Eurostar ties up with blockbuster movie The Da Vinci Code for biggest online marketing campaign to date.
2007 - Eurostar moves to St Pancras. The campaign achieves 98% awareness.
2008 - Eurostar co-funds Shane Meadows' film Somers Town. Nugent is executive producer and hails the exercise as a demonstration of 'the power of unbranding'.