Giles Howard joins Metro as UK agency sales head

by Olivia Solon, Media Week 10-Apr-07

Global freesheet group Metro International has appointed former Classic FM sales director Giles Howard as head of UK agency sales.

Howard's role was previously held by Alistair Ballantyne, who has been
promoted to head up the global sales team.

Howard will be responsible for developing multi-territory sales for
Metro across the 20 countries in which the freesheet group operates. The

position is based in London and he will report to Ballantyne.

From 1991 to 1997, Howard was head of sales at Capital Radio, where he
was instrumental in quadrupling revenues from £15m to £60m
per annum. He then became sales director at Classic FM, overseeing a
30-strong department.

Howard joins Metro International from training company The Leadership
Trust, where he has been client relationship manager since June 2006.
Prior to that he set up an internet-based art gallery in 1999 called
Britart.com, which later merged with Eyestorm.com.

Ballantyne said Howard would strengthen the publisher's position "within
the important London international agency community".

Howard's appointment follows a number of senior hires, including global
marketing director Sidonie Kingsmill, who joined from Procter & Gamble,
and head of a new division, Metro Interactive Media, Tom Symonds. The
latter was brought in from BSkyB in January to develop the global
newspaper group's digital offering, localising activity in each of the
countries where Metro operates.