Bibby to Join Telefónica

Barclaycard CMO and customer-centricity advocate Nina Bibby is to join O2 owner Telefónica UK in six months' time, in the role of Marketing and Consumer Director.

The news follows the departure of Sally Cowdry from the role after nearly seven years in it, and a total of thirteen years with the company. Gary Booker will step into the position until Bibby joins, and will then return to focusing on his role as General Manager of Consumer Marketing.

A former AD at The Henley Centre, Bibby remains a strong advocate of customer understanding, and is quoted on www.cmo.com as saying: '(The customer's) need for any product or service is just one small part of their whole self, and understanding them as individuals is essential if we are to motivate them to engage with what we are marketing'.

Bibby's previous career also spans time as SVP of Global Brand Management at Intercontinental Hotels Group and Commercial Strategy Director for Diageo. She joined Barclaycard in 2010 and is an NED of home builder Barratt Developments.

Joining Telefónica at the end of November, Bibby will sit on the Board and report in to CEO Ronan Dunne, who comments: 'I am pleased someone of Nina's calibre is joining us. As we move toward being a digital services company, Nina's experience and energy will be invaluable in helping us to achieve that vision.'

In October, Telefonica partnered with GfK to open a big data business unit called Dynamic Insights, selling anonymised and aggregated mobile network data to companies and public sector organisations worldwide - 'though it quickly stepped back from launching the service in GfK's home territory after strong concern from the German government about consumer privacy.

Web site: www.telefonica.com .

All articles 2006-23 written and edited by Mel Crowther and/or Nick Thomas, 2024- by Nick Thomas, unless otherwise stated.